That questions as to the "agnostic" company who "just wants to sell headsets" fits Valve, yes. Intel is doing that big push with volumetric cameras and sporting events, LG bought AmazeVR which looks to start in Korea and looks to be a Subscription service for VR ala Netflix

Winner is in their somewhere

The field is so crowded with contenders it's hard to get a handle on it. " Success & pitfalls in a fast moving display industry" was the theme of the CEO Forum. Just talking Consumers now. I have zero worries about the core business. The DPA is on it's way. So whatever happens in that realm Apple will be the "cool kid" and everybody will be playing catchup. Tim Cook threw out that "we buy a company every week" thing. Their patent for the putative device looks just like the Torch. Flip-up, two displays, Mixed reality.

There's too much going on to make sense of it. The horse race metaphor. The Grand National in England fits, dozens of horses over fences, horses fall in and out of contention literally. I get the dissonance between what we think we know & what we imagine and the reality of the day-to-day .50 cents, 52 cents repeat and rinse. Let's return to those days of yore. When things got weird the sound advice was "Have a Beer." We are fixed in "Rumsfeld World." Unknown unknowns. That typing was pointless but I feel better but you won't get the time back for reading it.