**This article was taken from The WIRED World in 2016 --_our fourth annual trends report, a standalone magazine in which our network of expert writers and influencers predicts what's coming next. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online._
Palmer Luckey started building virtual reality headsets in his parents' garage when he was only 17. Back then, it was hard for the now 23-year-old to imagine that his brainchild, Oculus Rift, would be the most anticipated device of 2016. A gamer and long-time tinkerer, Luckey first announced his project -- VR goggles with a 90° field of vision that he named "Prototype 1" -- on 3D gaming website Meant To Be Seen in November 2010.
Over the next two years, Luckey kept tweaking his creation, in the process becoming a minor celebrity on VR forums.
Then, in 2012, he encountered John Carmack, the founder of gaming company id Software. Carmack fell in love with Luckey's sixth prototype -- the Rift -- and brought it to the E3 video game show in Los Angeles, where it was an instant hit. The device offered a completely immersive 3D-gaming experience for a relatively low price, potentially bringing VR to the centre of gameplay.
Following this, Luckey teamed up with other gaming entrepreneurs to establish his company, Oculus VR Inc. Shortly after its debut, the company raked in over $2.4 million (£1.5m) from a Kickstarter campaign promising a Rift kit to anyone who pledged at least $300. Money also flowed in from bigger investors: a $16 million round led by two Boston-based VC companies was completed in mid-2013; in December of the same year, after Oculus's announcement that Rift would use movement-tracking technology to remove motion-sickness -- until then, an unsolved issue for VR devices -- VC firm Andreessen Horowitz led a $75 million round.
Finally, in March 2014, Facebook purchased the company for $2 billion. Reportedly, Luckey was sceptical of Mark Zuckerberg's interest -- the Facebook founder isn't regarded as a gaming expert. But the deal with the social network has freed Oculus from funding worries, and put the Rift itself in perspective: Zuckerberg can see VR has enormous potential beyond gaming -- cinema, education and teleconferencing, not to mention 360° videos on Facebook Timelines, announced at E3 2015.
Oculus is becoming a household name -- astonishing for a company that has yet to release its first consumer product. But that will change. The device -- available in the first quarter of 2016 -- is expected to cost around $350 and will work in conjunction with Windows 10 PCs and an Xbox One controller. (The company is also developing its own Oculus Touch controls -- a pair of hand-held analogue sticks with haptic feedback.)
Despite the rising profile, Luckey himself remains as elusive as ever, with no sign of changing: he still lives in a house with six roommates, and flip-flops remain his footwear of choice.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
