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"We truly believe virtual reality will change the world," Oculus Rift devs say

$350 Oculus Rift Dev Kit 2 now available for preorder.

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Just over 12 hours after Sony announced its own virtual reality initiative, Project Morpheus, Oculus VR has revealed its own Oculus Rift Dev Kit 2 (DK2). Like the Crystal Cove prototype, DK2 employs a low-persistence OLED display as a means to eliminate motion blur and judder, which are known to cause simulator sickness.

The devkit also features a 960x1080p (per eye) display that aims to reduce the screen-door effect and boost clarity, color, and contrast. It also uses an external camera to allow you to move with six degrees of freedom, which should allow you to "lean in" to get a closer look at objects or peer around corners.

DK2 also includes updated orientation tracking, a built-in latency tester, a USB accessory port built into the headset, a redesigned SDK, and "further optimized Unit and Unreal Engine 4 integrations."

"DK2 isn’t identical to the consumer Rift, but the fundamental building blocks for great VR are there," Oculus said in a statement. "All the content developed using DK2 will work with the consumer Rift. And while the overall experience still needs to improve before it’s consumer-ready, we’re getting closer everyday. DK2 is not the Holodeck yet, but it’s a major step in the right direction."

DK2 will launch at $350 and developers can preorder a kit today at the Oculus website. The first wave of units will ship in July and production will ramp up based on interest, the company said.

But when will the consumer version of Oculus Rift be ready? The company said today that it is "deep into development" on the consumer version, and continues to make improvements in the areas of comfort, resolution, tracking, software, ergonomics, optics, and industrial design.

"Virtual reality is going to continue to evolve rapidly in the coming years," Oculus said. "There's no cutting corners or 'good enough' when it comes to VR; the consumer Rift needs to be perfect and we're dedicated to getting it right. We're moving as fast as possible and promise it’ll be worth the wait."

"We truly believe virtual reality will change the world--Thanks for being part of the journey with us."

We got to try out the Oculus Rift DK2 this week at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Check out our impressions in the video below.

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reda2011506

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elsyede

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PixelAddict

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Well, of COURSE they would say THAT. What else are they supposed to say?

In other news, the banana bread I bake will change what you think about banana bread. And the world.

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C-THREE

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oh I'm so glad I waited a little while. I am so getting this version of the rift.

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marwahady

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if any one tested this can tell us about his try





thanks pro

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Mikz_Nyc

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They forgot to tell you : ,before you purchase this product,make sure you have tons of money saved and the best insurance for eye doctor,oh and if the seizures start to occur please contact your doctor immediately or you might become paralyzed for the rest of your life,thank you for understanding.

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tightwad34

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So the world is Oculus Rift's boyfriend/husband?

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Hadwell

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<< LINK REMOVED >> i think it's something to get exited about, look at TV's... they were around 20 years before they started showing up in peoples homes... in oscilloscopes and radar and things like that

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tightwad34

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Did you get the joke? Anyway, I am going to wait a while and let them iron out some of the inevitable hiccups that will come at least in the early part, not to mention watch too see what the consumers are saying about it.

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xdude85

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Am I the only one who thinks the Oculus Rift looks ridiculous? It's basically the equivalent of pressing your face right up against a screen.

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themc_7

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<< LINK REMOVED >> it's nothing like that.

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NeilFawcett

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<< LINK REMOVED >> No, I'm sure there's other people who can't/don't understand it.

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Hadwell

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<< LINK REMOVED >> it's not the screen that makes it good, its the software and the lenses that you can't easily just stick in front of your face without a lot of work


and this kind of stuff would have been out a long time ago if computer hardware and small displays were powerful and cheap enough before just recently.

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00J

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I don't really care too much about this because I have to wear glasses. But anything computer/videogame related i support...

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Hadwell

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<< LINK REMOVED >> it fits over your glasses, or if you're near sighted it has focus-able lenses so you can use it without glasses

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Quarkzquarkz

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Just ordered DK2, better order it quick, seems to be going out fast and ugh broke for the next 4 months after total comes out to be 398 US Dollars (tax and shipping) =(

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Hadwell

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<< LINK REMOVED >> yeah it ended up costing me 470$ CDN for it, but worth every penny, a good 2d monitor costs that much

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themc_7

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> I stand corrected: << LINK REMOVED >>

Tons of games support this. I had no idea.

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themc_7

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> what are you going to do with a devkit? Do any games support this yet?

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Undertaker575

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Will the Oculus Rift Legitimately be able to run any Triple A titles?

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Hadwell

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<< LINK REMOVED >>a lot of AAA games do run on it already, though not natively and do require some tweaking, check out << LINK REMOVED >>

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Tsuchikage

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The release of the consumer version should coincide pretty nicely with me purchasing a new computer. The Rift is pretty awesome from what I've seen, heard, and read; I think it's the future of gaming.

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DIGN

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DevKit 2? So glad I waited, I was just about to drop $300 on the original dev kit. Sucks for all those that bought the original though.

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Tsuchikage

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<< LINK REMOVED >> They've been sold out for a couple months, anyway, due to unexpected demand.

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Metalnoid

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Hey! Bart, remember VR? It's back! In Oculus Rift form!

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pelvist

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I REALLY hope I get to try the DK2 at EGX in a few weeks. Very tempted to just get a DK2 but whatever they are holding back for that USB socket on the top of it is making me want to wait for the retail version.

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Hadwell

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@pelvist the USB socket on the top is for the latency tester they now have built into it instead of external, can also be used as a 5v rail for other things if you want, it IS a dev kit...

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pelvist

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<< LINK REMOVED >> The original dev kit was a dev kit too and that didnt have one...

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deactivated-6737ee1dc6e37

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Here's how it will work. All of the must have it now die hards will buy it and swear by it for a few months before they notice there isn't much software using it, and what is using it isn't really all that great. For console vr, why buy an expensive helmet to play games on while sitting in front of the nice expensive tv you already have?


It's a fad that won't last. It will never make it to the mass public, but stay in it's niche group. It will be like 3D, it's all the rave until people realize it really isn't doing much. I still have no idea why you want to sit around in the house wearing something like this lol.

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jeremyc99999

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Wrong.

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Zloth2

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<< LINK REMOVED >> You haven't played a computer game in 3D, have you? I have and it's pretty awesome, despite the ludites going on about how it's "just a fad." And it works with plenty of games - even ones like Skyrim where the devs didn't care about S3D at all.

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sammoth

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Now this is a VR headset.


Sony needs to take notes.

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D_Rand

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Then there's patent issues.

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deactivated-60889f10c3b8e

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When they say 'change the world', do they mean the REAL world, or the VIRTUAL world? :P

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ArchoNils2

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As one of the few here that actually own the dev kit 1 I had to preorder the second one. OR is great and even though some got sick, the feedback of the many friends that tested it was great. Can't wait for the improved version and it is well worth the price

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ArchoNils2

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Lol? It comes with an additional camera, higher res screen and usb port for $50 more. How is that a problem? I got OR D1 and preordered D2, this thing is great. Sure a lot won't be able to afford it, mostly those that can't afford to get a rig that can run it anyway. But it is well worth the money

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amaneuvering

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<< LINK REMOVED >>

It needs to be well under that or else only rich kids will buy it imo.

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PS2fweak

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> "rich kids"? No, just people who really want it.

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PS4Lives

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Waiting till 2015 ,Too early to hype about it.

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Zloth2

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<< LINK REMOVED >> MAYBE Christmas - but honestly the dev kits need to be out there for long enough to let the devs actually make things. (Though it sounds like Elite: Dangerous is pretty far along the way and some Star Citizen beta stuff should be out by then, too.)

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