Oculus Rift has a lot of people excited. And with good reason. The new system, while yet to be released to a commercial audience, has consistently wowed developers and game convention attendees alike with its immersive VR head-controlled environment. Other companies are starting to take notice, too, and are retooling many of their controller alternatives to create a truly immersive gaming experience, beyond just the headset.

Recently, after a few weeks of voting, Oculus VR made its hype somewhat official when it took home the Best Hardware Startup of the Year award from TechCrunch.

The Hardware category is no joke, either. It’s not like writing up a few lines of code that do something interesting, and then packaging it as software. It’s easier to get into than ever before, but nonetheless, it’s one of the toughest categories. Competition is board-stiff, and Oculus had to compete with some pretty hefty contenders to take home the prize this year.

Among them was 3D Robotics, a hardware startup dedicated to building commercially viable aerial drones—yes, like the military—for sale to, well, anyone who wants one. Oculus also battled SmartThings, a startup that’s busily working to make every electronic device Internet-capable. Smart toaster? Sure. Smart garage door opener? Sure. And so on.

Oculus also beat out Square, which has changed the way credit cards work everywhere. The company developed hardware that allows anyone who buys it to accept credit card payments on just about anything. It only takes minutes.

Most of these companies have released at least some commercial version of their products; Oculus has yet to do so or even to tell us when they plan to do so. But this worries neither the company brass nor its investors; getting it just right is going to be a major part of what will make Oculus VR commercially viable. It’s got to be right the first time around, so users will be willing to hop on board with a whole new way of gaming and do it quickly.

Virtual reality has existed in science fiction since before the original Star Trek. Movies like The Matrix played with the concept, and everyone knows it’s just a matter of time before it becomes a reality. But it’s still shocking to see it actually coming to fruition. Oculus has done a great job of garnering industry support. Major players across the hardware industry are lining up to be involved, and game developers are already working on games and apps designed specifically for it—even though they’re well aware there’s no chance of profits on this yet at least until the company releases a commercial version.

It’s a promising horizon for Oculus VR.