HiGame

After several years of speculation — really since the thing first hit Kickstarter in 2012 — Oculus VR has finally announced a consumer version of its Oculus Rift PC-based virtual reality headset. The first units will begin shipping to buyers in the first quarter of 2016, with preorders starting “later this year.” By that point, the Rift will hopefully fulfill the promise that several iterations of developer kits have hinted at: an actual ecosystem, at least one killer app of some kind, and seamlessly integrated hardware and software.

The company said the new version will “build on the presence, immersion, and comfort of the Crescent Bay prototype,” with an improved tracking system that supports seated and standing experiences. If the accompanying vendor-supplied photos are anything to go by, it will also look considerably cooler than before, and perhaps be more comfortable to wear and use as well.
Crescent Bay brought a lot to the table last time, including a lower-latency display, 360-degree head tracking with more LED markers, integrated headphones with RealSpace 3D audio support, and a lower hardware weight. As for this new version, the company says to look for announcements “in the weeks ahead” — which we presume has something to do with E3 — for specifics on the hardware, software, input, and “many of our unannounced made-for-VR games and experiences,” the latter of which certainly has our interest peaked. And if you’re a developer, you probably know this already, but there’s info on how to get started with the Oculus Rift dev kit over in the company’s Development Center.



Since the first Oculus Rift dev kit arrived in 2013, it has impressed many people, and the company managed to ensnare gaming veteran John Carmack, $16 million in additional funding, and eventually, a stunning $2 billion Facebook acquisition that rocked Silicon Valley. While the latter sparked a ton of speculation about alternate uses for the Oculus Rift, gaming still seems to be its strongest selling point.

Back in March, Sony demonstrated its own Project Morpheus headset. Arguably the coolest looking of the prototypes, the latest prototype sports a 5.7-inch, 1080p OLED screen inside, a 100-degree field of view, and like the Oculus, a 360-degree view of the world. HTC and Valve also revealed the SteamVR-powered Re Vive, which contains two 1200×1080 displays (one for each eye) at a fast 90Hz refresh rate. Then there’s the Samsung Gear VR, which is tied to a Galaxy Note 4 phone that you use as a display inside the headset.

Last week, Microsoft demonstrated a new HoloLens prototype at its Build conference. Unlike the Oculus Rift and others of its ilk, which create full-blown 3D areas you can explore and move around in, the HoloLens focuses on augmenting reality, generating holographic overlays over existing structures and objects in the real world. It’s an entirely different experience, and one that’s less prone to motion sickness in some people than the Oculus Rift is.

Clearly, the world of virtual reality is picking up steam, but the question still remains whether consumers want it. Thanks to Oculus VR’s announcement, we may finally find out in less than a year.

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