(Oculus VR)
We’re getting closer to the official launch of the Oculus Rift. Here’s our up-to-date guide to this futuristic VR headset.
1. Final Oculus VR Developer Kit Available in July
New Oculus Rift dev kit goes on sale for $350 today, likely ships in July http://t.co/D4qLxOtNlJ pic.twitter.com/mnqp2ARPa9
— Polygon (@Polygon) March 19, 2014
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According to the Verge, the Oculus Rift Dev Kit 2 is the final developer version of the VR headset. That means that the public release of the Oculus Rift is getting close. As yet, no official release date for the VR headset has been announced. The Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 will ship this July for $350, and pre-orders are open now.
2. Oculus Rift Has Improved Specs
The new version of the Oculus Rift has a bunch of improved specs. The Oculus VR site lays out some of the improvements, which include precise positional tracking, a low persistence OLED display to reduce blur, and integration with the Unreal and Unity engines. The screen resolution is 960 x 1080 per eye.
Polygon adds that the new version of the Oculus Rift will also have an “added USB port and power connection so developers will be able to connect, and power, external hardware such as a front-facing camera or other peripherals.”
3. Oculus Rift’s Main Competition Is Sony’s Project Morpheus
Project Morpheus revealed! http://t.co/jaQh7FUtrJ Learn about PlayStation's prototype virtual reality system for PS4 pic.twitter.com/6QRE6avnxR
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) March 19, 2014
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Oculus Rift may be the leading name in VR headsets, but that may not be true for long. Sony’s Project Morpheus headset has been in development for three years, and is designed to work with the PS4.
Neither Project Morpheus or the Oculus Rift have official public launch dates, yet. But given how many gamers already own a PS4, it’s likely that Oculus Rift will face some stiff competition from Sony.
4. Oculus Rift Has Already Got Devoted Fans
Even though Oculus Rift isn’t on store shelves yet, there are tons of gamers who already use and love their headset. One notable example of an Oculus Rift fanboy is YouTuber jacksepticeye, who has uploaded tons of play-through videos from his Oculus display.
You can see this gamer freak out about the Oculus Rift in the video above, where he tests out a roller coaster sim.
5. Oculus Rift Isn’t Just For Gamers
#madewithunity; Ascend the Wall, an Oculus Rift Game of Thrones Experience, featuring vertigo and wildlings: http://t.co/ZqhHb1qQX8 #unity3d
— Unity Technologies (@unity3d) March 14, 2014
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While a lot of the press surrounding Oculus Rift talks about the device’s implications for gaming, you can also use the headset to watch movies. Kotaku has a great post about the experience of watching a film on a VR headset. Kotaku notes that it is nice to be able to lie on one’s back to watch a movie, but complained about pixelation. Hopefully that pixelation has been dealt with in the improved Oculus Rift headset.
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Oculus Rift: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know