Multimedia

A USA Today bestseller

The dramatic, larger-than-life true story behind the founding of Oculus, its quest for virtual reality, and its founder's contentious battle for political freedom against Facebook, from the bestselling author of Console Wars.

In The History of the Future, Harris once again deep-dives into a tech drama for the ages to expertly tell the larger-than-life true story of Oculus, the virtual reality company founded in 2012 that—less than two years later—would catch the attention of Mark Zuckerberg and wind up being bought by Facebook for over $2 billion dollars.

This incredible underdog story begins with inventor Palmer Luckey, then just a nineteen-year-old dreamer, living alone in a camper trailer in Long Beach, California. At the time, virtual reality—long-hailed as the ultimate technology—was so costly and experimental that it was unattainable outside of a few research labs and military training facilities. But with the founding of Oculus, and the belief that his tantalizing vision of the future could one day be more than science fiction, Luckey put everything he had into creating a device that would allow gamers like him to step into virtual worlds and, in doing so, hopefully kickstart a VR revolution. 

With the help of an industry legend, a serial entrepreneur, and a slew of colorful characters—including those behind gaming sensations like Doom, Words with Friends, and Guitar Hero—Luckey’s scrappy startup would finally deliver the dream of immersive and affordable virtual reality to consumers, leading geeks and gamers to be excited in a way that they hadn’t been in years, and tech firms and investors scrambling to get in on the action before it was too late.

Over the course of three years (and with unprecedented access from Oculus and Facebook), Harris conducted hundreds of interviews with key players in the VR revolution—including Luckey, his partners, and their cult of dreamers—to weave together a rich, cinematic narrative that captures the breakthroughs, breakdowns, and human drama of trying to change the world. The result is a supremely accessible, entertaining look at the birth of a new multi-billion-dollar industry; one full of heroes, villains, and twists at every corner. Take, for instance, Harris’ own discovery while writing this story. When he started this endeavor, he had no idea that this tale would somehow involve Donald Trump, billion-dollar lawsuits, illegal practices, and end with Luckey—eventually ousted from Facebook—as one of the most polarizing figures in Silicon Valley.

“If you want to understand the most immersive new communications medium to come along since cinema… I’d suggest starting with Mr. Bailenson’s [book].” ―Wall Street Journal

Virtual reality is able to effectively blur the line between reality and illusion, granting us access to any experience imaginable. These experiences, ones that the brain is convinced are real, will soon be available everywhere. In Experience on Demand, Jeremy Bailenson draws upon two decades spent researching the psychological effects of VR to help readers understand its upsides and possible downsides. He offers expert guidelines for interacting with VR, and describes the profound ways this technology can be put to use to hone our performance, help us recover from trauma, improve our learning, and even enhance our empathic and imaginative capacities so that we treat others and ourselves better.

• O Reilly Media

Transform teaching and learning with AR and VR in your classroom.

We're at the dawn of an incredible transformation in education. Augmented reality and virtual reality--technologies that were once the province of science fiction and fantasy--are faster, better, and more affordable than ever. These tools have the potential to not only inspire students but to redefine how we teach and collaborate. But widespread adoption of AR and VR in K-12 classrooms requires taking risks, investing money and time, and training educators.

Reality Bytes makes the case for taking this leap by showing how educators are using these amazing technologies, and it provides a powerful framework to help anyone, in any school, join them. The innovative educators profiled are already designing learning experiences using AR and VR that supercharge student motivation, encourage creativity, and make otherwise impossible educational adventures accessible to all. You can do the same, using easy-to-implement resources that will revolutionize how you approach instruction. Equip your students with the skills they'll need in the future--today.

Reality Bytes opens the doors to tools for meeting every student no matter where they are. This book outlines the power that AR and VR have in building empathy and growing critical worldviews and perspectives. Christine, Jesse, and Micah cast an exciting vision for the future of education!
--Ken Shelton, educational strategist, equity and inclusion consultant

Creating engaging lessons that successfully integrate technology can be challenging. Reality Bytes is here to help with tons of images, classroom stories, and ideas that will help you create student-centered lessons that allow your students to experience content in a whole new way. No matter the grade level, there is something for everyone in this wonderfully immersive book.
--Alice Keeler, teacher, edtech expert, Google Certified Innovator

While you won't see Winona Ryder's name on the cover of this book, you will find some star power in it--the power to create star learners in our classrooms using cutting-edge tools! Reality Bytes will you give you the tools, the pedagogy, and a practical framework to bring the new reality of learning into your classroom.
--Kasey Bell, author of Shake Up Learning: Practical Ideas to Move Learning from Static to Dynamic

An easy-to-understand primer on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are driving the next technological revolution. If you want to get in on the action, this book helps you understand what these technologies are, their history, how they’re being used, and how they’ll affect consumers both personally and professionally in the very near future.

With VR and AR poised to become mainstream within the next few years, an accessible book to bring users up to speed on the subject is sorely needed—and that’s where this handy reference comes in! Rather than focusing on a specific piece of hardware (HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, iOS ARKit) or software (Unity, Unreal Engine), Virtual & Augmented Reality For Dummies offers a broad look at both VR and AR, giving you a bird’s eye view of what you can expect as they continue to take the world by storm.

* Keeps you up-to-date on the pulse of this fast-changing technology

* Explores the many ways AR/VR are being used in fields such as healthcare, education, and entertainment

* Includes interviews with designers, developers, and technologists currently working in the fields of VR and AR

Perfect for both potential content creators and content consumers, this book will change the way you approach and contribute to these emerging technologies.