With next-gen gaming quickly coming out with different gimmicks and entertaining ways to explore the gaming scene, one of the technologies that is getting much traction today is virtual reality gaming.

After Oculus Rift has introduced the new trend of virtual reality via head-mounted display, there seems to have an immense interest in seeing how far this will change the gaming scene alongside the new consoles and PC's evolving hardware.

Among the different brand names in the gaming industry, there are four brands that have been resounding when it comes to virtual reality. These are Sony, Oculus Rift, Valve and GameFace.

Valve And Oculus Rift: A Powerful Combo?

Oculus Rift may have been tested in several titles, but it seems that it has landed its first biggest break--one that may even serve as a way for it to permanently secure a spot in the battle of the next-gen console wars.

According to GigaOM, the SteamVR, which is a virtual reality experience for Valve will be making use of Oculus Rift to deliver the promise. Aside from unveiling some Steam Machines, which are revolutionary consoles that seek to put PC gaming in the living room, it seems that Valve has been very busy during the month of silence from the company.

Valve is known for partnering with third-party manufacturers of hardware, as seen in the case of the different Steam Machine creators that have been unveiled at CES 2014. This is why it did not come as a surprise that Valve is now partnering with Oculus Rift--a company that is known to have a good connection with--for the SteamVR.

Up to 14 games are lined up in the Steam platform that can be given VR support, and they've given already the heads up to Oculus Rift in terms of where the direction of VR support for Valve will go.

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Sony: Creating A Complete Next-gen Gaming Experience

One of Sony's main advantages over the Xbox One is its plans for next-gen gaming in general. Beyond the PS4 console and the upcoming games and exclusives, Sony has also been known to be dabbling with virtual reality gaming and hardware.

This was made more explicit when it showcased its own hardware during CES 2014. Dubbed as the HMZ-T3Q, this is the closest that Sony has gone into virtual reality as the device features 750-inch virtual screen, head tracking sensors to make the headgear turn with you in the virtual world and enough portability to let you use it with other entertainment devices, according to Ubergizmo.

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For this virtual reality headgear, Sony has not yet announced the price. But this is not the only virtual reality project that Sony has in store, as BGR reports another version: the Sony Smart Eyeglass. This version reportedly aims to integrate augmented reality in games and TV shows so the future may feature additional information, content or promotion that may be retrieved with the use of the Sony Smart Eyeglass.

Both devices were not yet priced or even release dates, but the debuts of these headgears do prove that Sony has already come a long way in developing the technology.

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GameFace: The VR For Android

Another company by way of GameFace Labs is also in the VR headset business, and has even debuted a wireless prototype that need not to be connected to a PC.

Joystiq reported GameFace now has a 3D printed prototype, one that is created to let players be immersed in while playing with a DualShock 3 controller. Aside from the console controller, some of the games can also be controlled with physical movement.

With this virtual reality headset, you have with you a 5.2-inch LED panel and Tegra 4 processor. The difference with the GameFace Mark IV is that it is Android-based and can easily connect to any Bluetooth controller, Geeky-Gadgets said. In addition, you can control in-game characters with any of the Bluetooth controllers.

Similar to Sony, no pricing has been revealed yet, but GameFace Labs seem to be targeting the launch later in 2014.

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