For many, the idea of virtual reality conjures up something along the lines of Star Trek's holodeck: a fully realised fantasy-generating machine with interactive light sculptures. It sounds too good to be true; and, sadly, it is. But a slightly more accessible form of virtual reality sits at the forefront of a new avenue of immersive gaming: the Oculus Rift.

A virtual reality display worn on your head, Rift is one of the front runners in the race for this arresting new mode of gaming. After its preliminary unveiling at the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in June 2012, the company turned to Kickstarter to fund further development. It hit its target of $US250,000 in four hours and passed $US1 million in 36 hours. By the end of the campaign, Rift was sitting pretty with almost $US2.5 million in the coffers. It was clear the public were extremely excited by the prospect of virtual reality.

A gamer tries the Oculus Rift prototype.

But why all the fuss? Virtual reality, or VR, has been tried before to a resounding shrug from the public. The thing that is instantly obvious when you take Rift for a spin is just how immersive it is. The term immersive is bandied around a lot in the gaming industry, but this is the first time it's ever been so appropriate. Putting Rift on will take you from wherever you are sitting and put you into a game world.

Though the prototype is somewhat utilitarian, the final product aims to be as unintrusive as possible. "We have some really slick designs for the final version," says Oculus vice-president of product Nate Mitchell, buzzing with the enthusiasm of a man in his dream job. "We're aiming for ski goggles … it's not like you put it on and you don't want to move your head because of this heavy helmet."