Virtual reality is indeed coming closer to reality as the creators of Oculus Rift have been taking big and necessary steps to propel the project further into completion.

In fact, its $18.4 million funding--$16 million of which came from investors and the rest from its Kickstarter campaign--will reportedly be used to hire more to the team to speed up production and create quality material.

"We're always looking at other platforms, looking at consoles; we're also looking at Android and the mobile side in a big way--but right now, we really are focused on the PC platform," said Brendan Iribe, CEO of Oculus Rift, to Joystiq.

The device is actually being used for a number of technologies already, starting with Next3D, whose co-founder David Cole, has been hard at work with creators to deliver 3D via the use of the Oculus Rift.

For now, Next3D is using the Oculus Rift as an application for live-action VR content, experimenting first with sporting events. But EndGadget reports that this isn't the only way that the VR device can be used, as other live content that will be enhanced with VR, such as paranormal investigations, may actually be the next focus.

In terms of gaming, Oculus Rift is also seeing progress in an erotic adventure game called Wicked Paradise, from a group of veteran video gamers.

"There is nothing sexy about unrealistic models that move like rusty robots with faulty servos," said Jeroen Van den Bosch, one of the developers working on the game to Eurogamer. "Sure, there have been some attempts in the past, but they all have been ridiculously bad."

It seems that the use of Oculus Rift is targeted towards making more video game characters alive enough for gamers to care for them. The game is currently in production, with episodic releases for easier targeting of different markets.

Ouya: More than what you thought it would be

When mentioning Ouya, the most common denominator for most people would be that it was the first Kickstarter success for a console, garnering 8 million, along with more than 60,000 backers.

During its promotion in Kickstarter as well as the succeeding weeks, CEO Julie Uhrman has been taking the public one step at a time in introducing the new sandbox unit.

However, with backers slowly receiving their Ouya consoles, and with its official release date to the public now pegged at June 25, it seems that there is a lot to expect for the console.

In a review by ReadWrite, whose author is the wife of a backer of the console, what sets the Ouya apart is that it has several games to choose from--both beta and final versions--that you would not be disappointed with the same old iterations expected of series games.

This will be a surprising feature, similar to how Sony is now campaigning for indie games for its PS4, to allow more gamers to enjoy gaming as a whole, and not just to play a similar but spun version 2 or 3 of another shooter game.

Despite the good features, there are also some cautions to be raised, starting with potential legal issues also brought up by the review. Here, it seems that its free-to-develop and free-to-tinker-with features can pave the way for potential pirates of licensed games from other consoles.

Sideloading, emulators, and the likes are just some of the potential issues that can put Ouya in a tight spot, but if Uhrman and company can actually find a way to stop this from blowing out of proportion, the Ouya is a neat console that would be a refreshing break from the next-gen consoles.

In the same way, those who have an extra budget, may even have room for a PS4, as it is a lower-priced console, in tandem with the Ouya, to get the best of mainstream, indie, and everything else in gaming.

GameStick delayed, but leaks show its final version

The closest contender to Ouya, GameStick, an Android gaming console, has experienced yet another delay, this time to August of this year.

This is in light of giving priority to the backers of the Kickstarter campaign who paid $300 or more, pushing the release an entire month behind schedule.

This tier in the campaign allows select backers to give their comments on the user interface, which means that the company will still need to get the feedback from these backers, reports EuroGamer.

"We now expect to ship product from China during early August, and expect it to be with you by the middle of the month, prior to units launching in retail," said a statement in their Kickstarter page.

Check out their Kickstarter page for a bevy of console images.

RELATED STORIES