So just as I’m making the push to get my game onto the Quest, I noticed my Rift started blacking out. Kiddo #2 had pointed out that there were times this happened when he played Minecraft in VR. I hadn’t really paid attention to it – but it started happening every time I put on the headset.

Based on what I’ve found on the interwebs, its the cable that connects the Rift to the PC – a rarified piece of tech that is no longer being made, is impossible to find and even broken ones are sold on eBay for 50+ dollars.

Which is an absolute shame – I was super proud when it was delivered – it was part of the Oculus Start program – designed to give people the ability to create for this amazing new medium, and while I despise the practices of their parent company – Oculus has really been a boon to developers who otherwise could not afford the heft entrance fee.

With their abandoning the Rift line and focusing more on the Quest, Oculus is signaling the end of an era. One I’m not terribly thrilled over; but one I have to accept as the tides are changing. Desktop VR will be more of a specialty – cost prohibitive and bulky. Mobile VR will keep expanding as its cheaper, easier to transport and set up.

So, after researching what was happening – and the lack of solutions, I started asking around in the various game dev outlets that I’m a part of – and in the Oculus Start discord, I got a suggestion to reach out to the Developer Support team, which I did… and I’m now getting a Rift S in a few weeks. Again, Oculus is amazing at taking care of indie devs. I hope the new headset brings as much joy as the old one did.

In another ending – I finished off a tub of gesso I got back in NYC when I worked at Pearl Paint, some 24 or 25 years ago.

Many a painting started from this humble can, some I sold, some I’ve gifted, others languishing away in a closet. Yet another piece of NYC comes to an end. When I got this, I was living in the greatest city in the world, I was hugely into rollerblading, doing a whole host of chemical colorants and learning just how tough the art industry truly is. And how little it paid.

I wish the art I created with this lives on long after I’ve faded from memory.

So, last week – as I’m busy planning a family camping trip with our neighbors; as sort of a ‘end of summer / welcome school & fall’ getaway, I get an email that kinda slammed the brakes on everything:

This will be happening EXACTLY when we are supposed to be camping. Wife, 2 kids, Neighbors & their kids in the next campsite. Marshmallows over the fire. nature hikes.

$#!+.

So; after a brief conference with the missus, she decides that Launch Pad aside, she really wants to go camping (even if it is for just one night) and wants to give me a little free time so I can focus on this with no distraction.

I’ve been applying to this for the past 2 or 3 years; and OF COURSE I get it THIS year. Any other year, they would have flown me out to San Jose, free hotel, food, the works. I went out for Oculus Connect 5 a couple of years ago and it was simply amazing.

OH well – I will certainly take what I can get.This is too much of an opportunity, even if it is from the comfort of my desk (thank goodness my wife grabbed a couple of the high tech industrial chairs from her office when they were throwing them away – my back feels SO much better)

Even more exciting is that Oculus is sending us all a Quest for further development work; and I have been desperately wanting one for the longest time. It’ll be a pain in the ass to wrangle my game onto it (as I have just the tiniest amount of Android dev experience) BUT – if I can get this to work and the world doesn’t end; demoing my game will be several measures easier, since I won’t have to lug around a whole PC, VR headset, speakers, etc. OR… I could bring BOTH and be able to demo even more; since I usually end up with a line in front of my booth… Hmm.

In the meantime.. I’m joining the Discord channel they set up and their online hub and chatting with people – I got to share info about the Playmaker Slack, nice to add to our ranks of ‘non-coders’ Now I just need to network my @$$ off to see if there is any grant $$ to be had out there…