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Dey Street Books

The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook, and the Revolution That Swept Virtual Reality

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The author of Console Wars reveals the story behind Oculus and its quest for virtual reality: "Masterful . . . filled with unforgettable characters" (Forbes). From iconic books like Neuromancer to blockbuster films like The Matrix, virtual reality has offered a tantalizing vision of the future. But outside of a few research labs and military training facilities, this technology was mere science fiction. Until 2012, when Oculus founder Palmer Luckey—then just a teenage dreamer living alone in a camper trailer—invents a device that has the potential to change the world. With the help of a videogame legend, a serial entrepreneur, and many other colorful characters, Luckey's scrappy startup kickstarts a revolution and sets out to bring VR to the masses. What follows is the ultimate entrepreneurial journey, a tale of battles won and lost, lessons learned and shocking turns—including an unlikely multi-billion-dollar acquisition by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. Drawing on over a hundred interviews with the key players driving this revolution, The History of the Future weaves together a rich, cinematic narrative that captures the breakthroughs, breakdowns, and human drama of trying to change the world. The result is a supremely entertaining look at the birth of a game- changing new industry. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dey Street Books


Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more


Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 19, 2019


Edition ‏ : ‎ Illustrated


Language ‏ : ‎ English


File size ‏ : ‎ 19.7 MB


Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported


Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled


X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • A remarkable story, well-told and thoroughly engaging
Format: Kindle
A remarkable nonfiction, this book follows Palmer Luckey as the primary founder of Oculus, as well as the other founders, influencers and many others whose ideas and efforts led to a renewed push for Virtual Reality as well as the formation of Oculus. Most of the story takes place between 2012 (when Luckey was 19 years old) to 2017 when he exited Oculus at the age of 24. This made it all the more engaging as it was exceptional for Palmer to take on great responsibility at such an early age, while also making it understandable that he wouldn't have necessarily yet had the savvy to avoid the traps he fell into along the way. The story for me breaks down into three parts. It starts out as an engaging and heartfelt tale of passion, risk-taking, idealism, and optimism. Next, the narrative slows down as it takes the reader through a lot of the dealings of a tech start-up, and the subsequent acquisition. Then, as others have noted, three-quarters of the way in, the story takes a sudden and dramatic turn. This isn't a writer's plot twist, this is just what happened with the real-life characters during the time the book was being researched and written. It was apparently such an unexpected twist for the author, Harris, that he delayed delivery of the final manuscript by a couple years to make that part of the story complete. I expected a story about risk-takers that pursue a wild passion, and how a tech startup forms and evolves. I didn't have any particular interest in Virtual Reality. But I found that the real and ongoing challenges of the VR (and AR) industry in terms of consumer engagement and industry execution made this read all the more interesting. It's a true story of our times, shedding light on a still nascent industry with a tale about exceptional people and their flaws. It also cracks open a window into the tech industry in the United States that many would prefer stayed shut, exposing some bad actors as well as a culture of intolerance and intimidation. This book has clearly been deeply researched. It's the kind of information that can only come from many hours of interviews and records review. We owe the author a debt of gratitude for making such a major effort to bring this story to light. The only real complaint I have with this book is that it has many minor editing issues, mostly typos. I started reporting them on my Kindle after about the 7th, and there were at least that many more. HarperCollins needs to invest a little more in their editing department. But don't let that stop you from reading this excellent book! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2019 by STS
    • Whoa! What a story! A Must Read. Couldn't put it down.
Format: Kindle
As virtual reality (VR) is meant to "Step You into The Game", this book steps you into the true story of a young teenager who wanted to bring VR to life for himself and a few other gamers and VR enthusiasts. You're the fly on the wall, right there seeing and experiencing all that goes on, as he is caught up in the high stakes of a Tech startup, investors intrigue, the highs and lows of deadlines, technical challenges, competitors and more. The book covers it all, superbly, from beginning to end with the rise of success to the crushing blow of... (no spoilers here!) I purchased the book after hearing the author (Blake J. Harris) on the radio. Sounded good, so got it and started reading and couldn't put it down except for work, sleep, and time with family. Otherwise I was reading, reading, reading. Finished in two days and was blown away by the story and the strength and resilience of Palmer Luckey, the young inventor and entrepreneur, as well as the cast of characters in the true story of resurrecting the Holy Grail of bringing Virtual Reality to the masses. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2019 by Chris L Lemke
    • A great book and fascinating account of Oculus and Silicon Valley
Format: Hardcover
I couldn't put this book down. It's a very well-told narrative of the founding story, unique backgrounds of the team, challenges, pivotal decision points, and moments of almost-death (for Oculus). There's a ton of great inside information on what made this different and better than before, in a way I hadn't seen anywhere else. It's worth noting that Carmack himself tweeted that it's an accurate portrayal. It's a fun, exciting and detailed telling of the Kickstarter (and before) days all the way to FB acquisition. My only gripe was that the final 20% of the book - which I won't spoil - homes in on a completely different topic than the first 80%, which was the most exciting for me. Either way - if you're interested in technology, VR, and startups, this is a must-read. Even if you're not, you'll probably enjoy it! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2019 by Dan
    • It's almost like being captivated by all the details - and we're loving it!!
Format: Hardcover
This has been our favorite non-fiction read so far - absolutely hate having to stop reading it! There are three of us who started reading this book together, and it's been really hard to wait for all three of us to find time to continue reading. Seriously! This has been so fascinating - great writing and such a tremendous way to learn about the background of V.R., etc... Thanks so much to Glenn Beck for pitching this book on his show!! (And, of course, thanks to the great writer and to all those who are part of this amazing story - especially Palmer Luckey... loved how his family influenced him for greatness!) We highly recommend reading this book!!! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2019 by Grace Mae
    • Virtual Reality VR is here to stay.
Format: Kindle
My son bought an Oculus VR head set. Our family was blown away by how real it was and how much fun we had with it. So when I heard about this book on Glen Beck it caught my attention. What a great story. Fascinating to learn how VR started, sputtered, then because of Palmer Luckey started again. Sad that he was separated from the company that he started and loved because of having political views that didn't coincide with Facebook. It's good to know that it didn't stop him and "he's back" as the book puts it along with many of his friends doing what they love. Definitely worth reading. Thanks to the author for a great book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2019 by 30/40
    • Interesting
Format: Kindle
Not my kind of book but I enjoyed reading it. Very informative. Opened a window to world I'm very far from. Highly recommended for tech guys and VC fans
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2019 by Daoud Jaber
    • Lets the real story out
Format: Hardcover
Very informative and engaging. After following these events as they happened, it was fascinating to see the other side of the story, behind the scenes. You can tell how much work went into gathering all the source materials and letting them shine, which gives the book credibility. In this book Palmer’s side of the story, and the actual facts, long surpressed by Facebook and the media, finally come to light. The writing is suspenseful and engaging the whole way through. Two criticisms to fix for the 2nd edition: (1) Lots of typos and little errors; (2) please un-concatenate “super” from accompanying adjectives (“supersmart”, “superpissed”, “supercool”, etc.). It’s superannoying! But those are nits relative to the impact and enjoyment of this book. Still a must-read. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2019 by ISC
    • Sold me on VR
Format: Kindle
This was a great book. I really enjoyed reading about the rise of Oculus, and the beginnings of their acquisition to Facebook. Though all of the original co-founders for the company have moved on in real life, I was still inspired by their story. This book got to me to become an adopter of virtual reality. To the point that I now develop VR experiences as a side gig. Just so that I can experience my own creations in their turf. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2019 by The Vroom's

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