Oculus announced availability of the Rift back in January. Scores of VR enthusiasts quickly added their name to the pre-order list, giving Facebook-owned Oculus thousands more orders to fulfil than it had headsets to ship.
The situation has been extended for months and Oculus has only just caught up with demand. After recovering from an “unexpected component shortage” in March and offering free shipping on late pre-orders, the company announced today it has regained control and finally dispatched every pre-ordered device.
“All Rift pre-orders have now shipped, and new Rift orders from Oculus.com are shipping within 2 to 4 business days,” said Oculus in a blog post. “We want to apologize for the delays in getting Rifts to doorsteps. We appreciate that without your support, VR wouldn’t be where it is today. Thank you for your patience over the past few months.”
People ordering the Rift today should now receive their headset by the end of the week. Oculus advised customers who are unsure of their shipping status, or who want to query an order, to reach out to its support team.
The Oculus Rift is one of the first consumer virtual reality headsets to hit the market, alongside the HTC Vive. The $599 Rift has proved to be a hit with VR early-adopters. However Oculus has also attracted criticism for its business practices and stance on the use of Rift games on other headsets. Recently, it backed down on a policy of preventing people playing Oculus Store games on the HTC Vive, after facing a strong backlash from fans.
Oculus still has more in store for the Rift. In a tweet, CEO Brendan Iribe confirmed the company will begin to ship its motion-sensitive Touch controllers from the fourth quarter of the year. The launch is anticipated by Rift owners who are waiting for greater immersion in content.
Currently, Rift games are played with a standard Xbox One controller. Oculus’ hand-held Touch controllers are built for VR, offering hand-tracking capabilities for precise movements while immersed in digital worlds. Iribe said Oculus has made an “enormous investment” in “quality and polish” to ensure Touch offers a “VR changing” experience. The HTC Vive already has motion-tracking controllers.
Today, Oculus announced its third Oculus Connect developers conference to be held in San Jose, California, in October. The three-day event will include over 50 technical talks and showcase sessions, including those devoted to Oculus Touch. The company said over 30 games will be compatible with the controller at its launch.
Alongside the new innovation, Oculus is working to ensure consumers can easily purchase the Rift going forward. It is increasing the number of units available at retail locations and creating new ways to test out the Rift. Select Microsoft Stores and over 500 Best Buy stores across the U.S. will have demo experiences available by the fall, allowing you to decide whether the Rift is right for you.
