Today marks the beginning of virtual reality in gaming, according to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe. As promised, the VR specialists hosted its own dedicated event earlier today where it unveiled the final, consumer-ready Oculus Rift.
Almost three years on from the company’s humble Kickstarter campaign, Oculus is now ready to shatter the 2D barrier standing between you and the virtual world. Touting a revised constellation tracking system, allowing for developers to experiment with seated and standing virtual reality experiences, along with an ergonomic design for better comfort, the Facebook-owned company is nearing its market launch.
On the topic of the improved VR, Iribe states that this is largely made possible by the Oculus Rift’s sensor, which can be plugged into the back of your desktop rig in order to offer precise motion tracking. Audio also plays a major role in the immersing the user, and the company noted that the headphones are removable, meaning you can use your own audio cans if you so desire.
Alongside Iribe at today’s showcase was Head of Xbox Phil Spencer, who announced that the Rift will work natively with Windows 10 when it launches later this year. Not only that, Microsoft’s support means that each shipment of the Oculus Rift will bundle in an Xbox One controller along with a wireless PC adaptor.
Speaking of which, Founder Palmer Luckey got in the action to reveal the device’s controller, the Oculus Touch. Pictured in the gallery below, the half-moon pads promise precision and comfort, further immersing you in the world being beamed to within a hairline of your eyeballs. Granted, users may feel more at home with the Xbox One controller, but the Oculus Touch opens up a whole new freeform means of interaction, and it’ll be interesting to see how developers utilize said gamepad in the months after launch.
Thereafter, former Naughty Dog developer Jason Rubin discussed the content available at launch, before CCP Games’ Hilmar Veigar Pétursson touched on the undisputed poster child of modern-day VR: EVE Valkyrie. It’s understood that the first-person dogfighting shooter will be available from day-one. Fresh off unveiling Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition, Gunfire Games took to the stage to talk about its all-new project, Chronos, a polygonal adventure title that appears to be set in a medieval setting, evoking titles such as ICO.
That’s not all of the third-party support, though, with Insomniac Games revealing a third-person adventure title known as the Edge of Nowhere. As the creative minds behind Sunset Overdrive and the Resistance trilogy, we’re excited to see the studio’s debut on Oculus Rift, and CEO Ted Price noted that this new IP will be exclusive to the Rift.
Stay tuned to We Got This Covered for more information regarding Oculus Rift throughout the course of E3. In the meantime, you can get acquainted with the final build of the VR headset and its Touch controller down below.
