Video games as we know them are peaking. The graphical jump from the Playstation to the Playstation 2 was one of the largest visual and gameplay improvements since the Pong ages.

But where can they go? Nintendo’s Wii had motion-controlled games, but that got old with Wii U. Playstation and Microsoft’s console offerings for the last two generations (PS3/PS4 and Xbox 360/Xbox One respectively) are massively powerful machines. But the graphics can only get so crisp. The controllers can only add so many more buttons.

Graphics, alone, can’t be the next leap in making a game truly move the game player. However, the answer has been found: Virtual Reality.

Uncanny Valley

You know how game characters look like really weird humans even though the graphics are better than they’ve ever been? That effect is called the ‘Uncanny Valley.’ Unless they just film actual humans doing human stuff your video game characters are always gonna look weird until they figure it out. Something had to be done to ramp up the gaming experience and, in so doing, help you forget the Uncanny Valley with a visceral emotional experience.

Oculus Rift

Summertime 2013 marked the announcement of The Oculus Rift, the most advanced version of any virtual reality system ever. Though not a consumer product yet, ordinary people (read: computer tech geeks) have been buying up the development kits and making their own unique gaming VR worlds. One guy even adapted it for use with Grand Theft Auto IV: