It's rare that a leader of one of Silicon Valley's leading companies openly reveals what his bet on the future is with any specificity. But Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg did exactly that on Tuesday during a conference call after the company announced it had acquired Oculus VR.

"We want to focus on the next major computing platform that will come after mobile," Zuckerberg said. "Mobile is the platform of today, and now we're starting to also get ready for the platforms of tomorrow. To me, by far the most exciting future platform is around vision or modifying what you see to create augmented and immersive experiences."

Notice that in his broad vision he didn't mention gaming or virtual reality — he said, "augmented and immersive experiences."

That distinction is important because it suggests that the future Zuckerberg envisions isn't necessarily based on any one technology, but rather on a general approach designed to enhance reality using platforms and devices that bring the mundane world to life in new and previously impossible ways.

But are all the big tech companies on this page? Do they all believe that some form of "enhanced reality" is the future?

In the wake of such a major acquisition, let's take a look at some of the major players, their differing bets on the future, as well as examine two major tech companies still not yet in the race to supercharge your reality.

Image: Mashable, Chelsea Stark

1. Sony's Project Morpheus

Let's go with the most obvious competitor first: Sony's Morpheus. Although it's a bit late to the game, the early reactions to the device have been mostly positive. And while few have had a chance to actually test the device, many are focusing on the slick design of the Morpheus as a signal that Sony may finally be on track to return to its roots as a leader in device design.

But, as Oculus has already proven, the aesthetics of the device are secondary to the virtual-reality experience — so the Morpheus is — at least for now — an unknown quantity.

Image: Mashable, Nina Frazier Hansen

2. Google Glass

This one is a bit tricky. Google Glass isn’t geared toward virtual reality, and the device's augmented-reality possibilities are still being discovered through various games and apps. There's also that nagging issue of getting people to wear the thing without either feeling foolish or worrying about creeping out their privacy-sensitive friends. However, if you're talking about adding an interactive virtual layer to reality, you can't leave Google Glass out of the conversation.

Although we've just been promised more commercial versions of Glass, there's still no mainstream (read: non-Glass Explorer beta) price or release date. But the idea of wearing a pair of futuristic Oakley frames powered by an augmented-reality app is still enticing enough to keep even the biggest Glass skeptics interested in what Google has planned next for the device.

Image: Mashable, Christina Ascani

3. Microsoft's Kinect

The fascinating thing about Microsoft's Kinect is that it gives you a foot in both worlds: virtual reality and augmented reality. Admittedly, virtual reality with the Kinect, which has to be viewed on a monitor or wall, is not as cool as the immersive Oculus experience, but it's still a form of VR. And some of the recent demonstrations we've seen showing off the Kinect's augmented-reality capabilities are indeed impressive.

If Microsoft can use this moment to realize how much excitement there really is around the enhanced-reality space, it just may attempt to offer an even more immersive experience; this would allow it to more evenly compete with the Oculus.

4. Canon's MREAL

Designed as more of a business-to-business solution, this "Google Glass for business" physically looks like a cross between the Oculus and Glass. But in terms of execution, the impressive-looking device is really just a great way for companies to use augmented reality to envision and develop new products and features.

Image: Mashable, Pete Pachal

5. CastAR

Created by former Valve developers Jeri Ellsworth and Rick Johnson, the Kickstarter-driven castAR augmented/virtual-reality system is in its very early stages, but blew past its funding goal of $400,000, ultimately raising over $1 million. The current version of the company's device looks pretty rough compared to the offerings from Oculus and Sony, but the excitement around the project will likely increase following concerns from some developers that Facebook might negatively influence the direction of Oculus.

Image: Technical Illusions

What About the Rest?

Conspicuously absent from our list of major companies working on enhanced-reality platforms are Apple and Amazon.

All the talk surrounding Apple's near-term plans has revolved around smart TVs, streaming services and wearable (wrist, not face) computers. So far, there hasn't even been a hint that Apple might be interested in the augmented or virtual-reality space. But if there's one thing Apple is good at, it's keeping secrets, so it would be wise to keep an eye on them as the space develops.

Amazon is still a newbie when it comes to hardware and software development, but the company is proving to be a fast learner, as the continued success of the Kindle has demonstrated. Although it's nothing like augmented reality, Amazon's Kindle X-Ray feature, which allows you to you bring up information about a book or film while experiencing it, indicates that the company might have interest in enhanced reality in the future.

Every major platform revolution has a seminal moment that validates its future. Whether brought on by an unexpected political event or a straightforward business decision, the signs are usually unmistakable.

With the acquisition of Oculus, Facebook has given us that moment for virtual reality, validating a nascent space that was — until now — viewed as purely experimental territory. How the other major tech players respond to Facebook's bold move in the coming months will reveal exactly how real or unreal these virtual and augmented-reality ventures really are.

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