After years of prototypes, experimentation, displays and a notable acquisition, it looks like Oculus Rift is finally ready to hit the consumer market, with a product and release window officially announced.
The first version available to the average consumer will be based on the latest Crescent Bay design, plus some updates for a more comfortable fit. Oculus has also mentioned that it has added a new tracking system that allows you to use the VR headset in both standing and sitting positions, depending on your room and comfort level.
The headset will be released in the first quarter of 2016, with preorders coming later this year.
It’s important to note that this is the first press release in what appears to be a series of releases about the consumer-facing Rift. Right now, we still don’t really know anything about the headset. There’s no firm number on the cost. There’s no hard data on the software it will use. A big question mark exists when it comes to the programs or games that consumers will actually be able to use.
The good news is that Oculus has promised updates on all this information and is aware that people need to see games native to the Rift, how it can be used to watch movies, and more. In addition to further updates expected in the coming weeks, we’ll probably see a lot more of the Oculus Rift at E3 and perhaps get some hard numbers as well.
It is worth noting that the latest design is the most lightweight Oculus Rif that we’ve seen, but that Oculus still appears to be one of the largest and perhaps heaviest out of all the VR competitors hitting the market. Will this make it more uncomfortable to consumers? A huge barrier to VR makers is that it’s difficult to tell what the average will think about the experience in general. Thanks to our new Oculus Rift release date info, we may not have to wait long before the first shipments (or perhaps beta testing) bring us some long-awaited answers.
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