Carmack’s Oculus Playbook: A Pragmatic VR Platform Strategy
John Carmack’s 2015 memo to Oculus leaders argues for a pragmatic, platform-first VR strategy: avoid an expensive standalone hardware path, leverage Facebook’s infrastructure and a robust app store, push for consumer software delivered at practical scale, support a mix of 2D/VR content, and pursue mobile expansion. He critiques over-ambitious “box” plans, emphasizes leveraging existing tech like Steamworks, and urges Oculus to be a scrappy, consumer-focused software company that prioritizes rapid feature delivery and a broad, sustainable ecosystem over grand but uncertain initiatives.