Rumor: Oculus Rift Public Beta Arrives Next Year
Unnamed sources have informed TechRadar that Oculus VR may launch a public beta of the Oculus Rift in April 2015, the same time period Windows 9 "Threshold" is scheduled to appear. Like Google Glass, Oculus Rift will supposedly roll out in limited quantities. However, there's a possibility the beta may not arrive until Summer 2015.
According to the report, Oculus VR plans to handle distribution internally and will allow a set number of Rift units to be sold in the initial launch. The company is looking to receive feedback from retailers and consumers alike before the headset goes full retail.
So how much will the Oculus Rift cost? Oculus VR co-founder Nate Mitchell recently said the consumer version will cost between $200 and $400. Keep in mind that the current developer kit (version 2) costs $350, and that includes the little camera that keeps a watchful eye on your movements. That could mean the consumer version may be slightly cheaper… we hope, anyway.
Unfortunately, unless Oculus VR comes right out and spills all the scheduling beans, take this latest report as a bag of rumors. The company wouldn't provide a comment to TechRadar, and Tom's Hardware was given a "no comment."
There's a lot of excitement surrounding the Oculus Rift, and for good reason. We were dazzled by the headset back at CES 2013 and since then have been taken aback by its awesomeness during each new experience. The Rift headset has matured from a mind-blowing experience to one that leaves you speechless. Like you, we can't wait to see a consumer version in our hands.
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Pretty exciting to see this tech move forward! A public beta early in 2015 may mean a finished product before the end of the year. I'll probably sit out until a v2 or v3 product (only so much money and time for toys these days), but the sooner we see a launch, the sooner I will get to jump in.
Do not want.
That being said, it was still convincing enough for me to begin feeling very nauseous on a carnival ride demo. I had to remove them after less than 3 minutes "inside" as I was turning green.
VR head device. I personally feel Occulus doesn't need to rush it. Have the software and games etc available to support the experience. There are companies that have done similar devices but the reason they fail or didn't sell was mainly due to software/support. I personally can't wait for the experience, but it must be done right. If all it ends up being is a monitor over your eyes it will fail. It has to...how do you say "put you in the game." Not expecting it to be jobe from the movie lawn mower man, but you get the idea.
VR head device. I personally feel Occulus doesn't need to rush it. Have the software and games etc available to support the experience. There are companies that have done similar devices but the reason they fail or didn't sell was mainly due to software/support. I personally can't wait for the experience, but it must be done right. If all it ends up being is a monitor over your eyes it will fail. It has to...how do you say "put you in the game." Not expecting it to be jobe from the movie lawn mower man, but you get the idea.
I think the only samsung headset is based on OR technology aka they paid OR a lot of money to make a basic mobile version. Sony has a headset, but it is nothing like the OR. So, they are not pushing any harder than they already have been...remember this article is a rumor.