It’s been a long road but the latest attempt to convince the gadget-buying public they need to strap something onto their face in order to experience thrilling sensations passing through their synapses is gearing up for its first big test.
Pre-orders for the consumer version of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset are due to open on Wednesday January 6, at 8am PT, the company said today. At the back end of last year it confirmed the headset was on target to ship in Q1 2016.
You’re going to have to wait a bit longer to find out the really key detail however, as Oculus continues to micromanage the launch by withholding the price-tag — which will of course be a rather sizable factor in determining the size of the early adopter VR market.
Given how tight-lipped they’re being, it pays to manage your expectations. The dev kit Rift was priced at $350 — and we know, because Rift founder Palmer Luckey said as much, that the consumer version will cost more. Come back on Wednesday to find how much more moolah the phrase “roughly in that ballpark” boils down to…
Consumer Rift pre-orderers will get two game titles bundled free with their purchase — however much it costs — namely: Lucky’s Tale by Playful, and CCP’s EVE: Valkyrie.
Stay tuned for more on Rift from the TC team on the ground at CES this week.