In scenes strongly reminiscent of the Oculus Rift DK2 delivery fevers in 2014, community excitement and speculation in the absence of precise delivery information consumer Oculus Rift deliveries has mounted. Palmer Luckey took to Twitter to share new information that helps to clarify the situation.
The consumer Oculus Rift is finally here. Well it’s almost here. But up until a few hours ago, we weren’t exactly sure how near it was. It had been officially stated in January when pre-orders for Oculus’ long awaited headset went live, that March 28th would mark the date that the first wave of Rift shipments would begin.
However, a tweet from Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe on Friday roused expectations that those with pre-orders in place or Kickstarter backers promised free limited edition Rifts, could start to see their bundles of VR joy landing on their doorsteps on the 28th.
Cue several busy reddit threads filled with speculation, hand-wringing, anxiety and order page updates – some descending eventually into accusations of Oculus’ lack of clarity surrounding the launch window and expectations.
This morning however, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey swooped in on Twitter, sharing the latest information “set in stone just hours ago” to clarify things. Original Kickstarter backers who were promised free consumer Rifts should start to expect deliveries from today (March 28th) onwards and that those who pre-ordered should set expectations for arrivals from Wednesday 30th of March.
The Oculus Rift is the first consumer desktop VR headset to reach market in decades and marks the culmination of years of work from the Oculus team, formed in the wake of a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013. The Oculus Rift is selling for $599 and comes with a headset, sensor, cables and a copy of Lucky’s Tale and EVE: Valkyrie.
The very first consumer Oculus Rift was delivered on Saturday, in person by Oculus founder Palmer Luckey to one bemused looking developer by the name of Ross Martin in Anchorage, Alaska.