"Ready Player One" takes on an Official VR Partner 

Gauntlet - An official "Ready Player One" VR experience by Directive Games

If Ready Player One isn't sitting on your bookshelf, or on your nightstand, I urge you to stop reading this right now and go get a copy. Go ahead, I'll wait. 

If you made it past the first two sentences I'm going to assume you've bought the book. It is a masterpiece of short fiction written by Ernest Cline and named one of the best books of 2011 by multiple media outlets. The story revolves around Wade Watts, a teenage boy living in a not-to-distant dystopian future where the divide between the rich and the poor has reached critical levels. Wade doesn't have much of a home life, but instead only finds purpose in the virtual world called OASIS. That complete VR sensory experience is the stage for the action and drama that unfolds. 

The book has been adapted to the big screen and is set to be released on March 29th. It is arguably the most anticipated film of the year. Because Virtual Reality has started to become more mainstream, this movie will resonate with folks who own VR equipment and those who haven't purchased a system yet. Moviegoers will see the future possibilities and connect with them because they will recognize the wealth gap portrayed in the movie is happening now, and that VR has the potential to become the great equalizer. Rich or poor, everyone can explore new worlds and participate in fantastic sensory experiences. The allure of this level playing field, combined with the unlimited possibilities it presents, has the potential to drive shoppers to purchase whatever VR systems they can afford. Some may decide to throw a few dollars down for Google Cardboard while others may end up going all out and buying an HTC VIVE system. 

HTC, recognizing that this film can provide their platform with a huge boost, became the official VR partner for the movie. To further cement that partnership, they are releasing a series of VR adaptations of the film's universe by bringing you into the OASIS. Many of the experiences were shown at SXSW, but those who couldn't attend can still play. HTC will make these available for free on their Viveport platform later this month. VIVE owners will be able to create an OASIS avatar, battle the 101 Sixers, navigate through a seemingly endless dungeon, play James Halliday's favorite 80's arcade games, and party inside The Distracted Globe zero-gravity dance club. 

This partnership, along with the amazing cinematic experience this film is sure to bring, has all the potential to propel VR sales to new heights.