Oculus Rift Consumer Model to Launch Early 2016

Oculus VR has announced a release window for the consumer version of its flagship virtual reality hardware, the Oculus Rift. The company revealed today that the Oculus Rift will ship to consumers in the first quarter of 2016, with pre-orders to be taken "later this year."

Sony's PlayStation 4 headset, Project Morpheus, will launch to consumers in the first half of 2016.

The consumer model of the Oculus Rift builds upon the hardware of the Crescent Bay prototype that was revealed in September last year. The prototype included integrated audio and 360 motion tracking that the Rift will feature, in addition to support for both seated and standing experiences. More details on the hardware, software, input, and games for the consumer version of the Oculus Rift will be revealed in the next few weeks.

In November last year Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe said that a consumer model of the Oculus Rift was "months, not years" away from being released. No details on pricing were revealed, but you can expect the Rift to set you back around $200-400 according to comments previously made by Oculus VR. Whatever the final price ends up being, Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey said the company was aiming for it to be "as cheap as possible."

The latest Oculus Rift development kit, called the DK2, is currently available to order for $350. The consumer model will allegedly offer what Oculus VR calls a "significant increase" in resolution over the Crescent Bay model, and the refresh rate will rise from 75Hz to 90Hz "or higher."