Oculus CTO: Developing For Android 'Really Sucks'
Developing for Android "really does suck," Carmack told the website.
Carmack is referring to the experience of creating apps for the new Samsung Gear VR headset. The apps are built using Oculus' virtual reality technology but are available through the Android store. Unlike the Oculus Rift, the headset uses the new Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone as its screen - the phone just slides into the headset.
When asked to describe the experience of creating a mobile developer kit for Oculus' VR technology, Carmack didn't exactly praise the platform. He said: " I don't think anyone is going to say great things about being a native developer on Android."
Carmack did go on to praise the new headset, though, saying " It's sort of like a console in that respect: you don't have to worry about the bazillion different Android configurations, broken OS versions, or anything like that. We have one target right now, which is lovely; it's a saving grace for this. But developing in Android, that's no fun at all."
According to Carmack, Google's close control over Android has caused problems for developers creating apps on the platform, saying "Android was more hell to move to than most consoles I've adopted...because Google still doesn't really endorse native code development - they'd still rather everyone worked in Java."