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1. A remarkable story, well-told and thoroughly engaging
   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!

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2. Whoa! What a story! A Must Read. Couldn’t put it down.
   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.

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3. A great book and fascinating account of Oculus and Silicon Valley
   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!

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4. Lets the real story out
   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.

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5. Interesting
   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

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6. It’s almost like being captivated by all the details – and we’re loving it!!
   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!!!

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7. Harris versucht sich in diesem Buch an einer Chronologie eines Themas, welches mir persönlich auch sehr am Herzen liegt: dem Aufstieg und (noch aktuellen) Zerfall der Firma Oculus, mit einem autobiografischen Blick auf deren Gründer. Dieses Ziel gelingt Harris in großen Teilen auch und vor allem sein Zugang zu internen Mails, Memos und Erinnerungen bietet auch Personen, welche die entsprechende Zeitperiode aktiv miterlebt haben, viel Neues. Harris hat auch einen guten Blick auf allgemein eher nebensächliche Anekdoten, diese Runden das Gesamtbild schön ab.
   Das erste, große Problem liegt leider in der Lückenhaftigkeit der Chronologie. Verbringen wir zu Anfang z.B. noch sehr viel Zeit mit Words with Friends und dem Lucky’s Tale-Entwicklerstudio, wird deren enge Verbindung zu Oculus und Bedeutung später nicht mal mehr in Nebensätzen erwähnt und ist für den Leser nur noch nachvollziehbar falls er bereits Sekundärwissen besitzt. Verschiedene Geschichten um Gerichtsprozesse und Palmers Ausflüge werden einfach nicht zu Ende erzählt.
   Schlimmer wiegt tatsächlich die politische Ausrichtung des Autors. Dieser hat viel Sympathien für Palmer Luckey und erzählt die Geschichte eines politisch verfolgten, von den Medien verleugneten und betrogenen Mannes, dessen einziges Vergehen die Unterstützung eines kleinen Fanforums von Donald Trump gewesen sei (Gemeint ist r/the_donald, eine Seite mit eigenem Wikipedia-Artikel). Als Zeitzeuge eben dieser Internetorte ist es für mich als Leser paradox zu sehen wie Harris die Ausmaße und Handlungen der Internetorte, an denen sich Luckey wohl sehr häufig aufhielt, herunterspielt. In der Realität wurden dort u.a. Naziaufmärsche beworben. Völlig ohne Zusammenhang wird auch noch ein anonymisierter Forenmoderator vorgestellt und erklärt wie enttäuscht dieser doch mit der Politik sei. Wer ein Buch mit einer historischen Betrachtung schreibt kann es sich nicht so einfach machen und z.B. Facebook-Mitarbeiter, welche angesichts der historischen Manipulationen zur US-Wahl schockiert waren, pauschal als undemokratisch und faschistisch darstellen. Ein 4-Sterne-Buch bis zu den letzten 20%, danach nicht mal ein Stern.

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8. Se amate la VR dovete leggerlo, anche per capire la pessima e discutibile visione di Zuck sul futuro della VR…

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9. Fascinating read for those interested in the early days of Oculus

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10. It is impossible to put this book down once you start reading it. For those in the tech industry, this book is an essential read.

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11. Me esta encantando, ademas de aprender la historia de la VR, te enteras de como funcionan las empresas tecnologicas y como influye el factor humano.

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