Second generation Oculus Rift VR dev kit to ship in July for $350, pre-orders now open

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,240   +192
Staff member

Oculus VR is now taking pre-orders for the second revision of the Oculus Rift DK2 development kit. As the last developer kit before the first consumer model arrives, this is a refined version of the Crystal Cove prototype first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show back in January in Las Vegas.

The DK2, as the team calls it, runs at 960 x 1,080 resolution per eye for a 1080p experience between both eyes. It uses a low-persistence OLED display with refresh rates of 75Hz, 72Hz and 60Hz. Much like the Crystal Cove demo, the new dev kit will be able to track a wearer’s head using an included camera that’s mounted to a fixed location in the room.

The gang over at Kotaku recently had a chance to try out the new headset and immediately found it to be much better than the first kit – so much so that the tester wants to go back for a second round.

It’s still unclear exactly how long consumers will have to wait to get their hands on the Oculus Rift. Oculus founder Palmer Luckey did tell The Verge, however, that the consumer device will be a complete redesign without a single part carrying over from the dev kits.

The news is even more interesting when you consider Sony unveiled its own virtual reality headset, known as Project Morpheus, earlier today for the PlayStation 4. At this rate, it certainly looks like virtual reality is poised to be the next big thing in gaming.

The second generation Oculus Rift development kit will be available starting this July for $350 on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Permalink to story.

 
I'm not so much a gamer, but I think this will make into a good replacement for home cinema, eventually, to be able to watch a movie that surrounds you should be awesome. They will just need to up the resolution.
 
So how are you supposed to get this thing on your mug if you wear glasses?...
from their website:
Most people can use the Rift while wearing glasses, however it also depends on the shape and size of the glasses. To accommodate as many glasses as possible, the Rift Development Kit comes with 3 removable sets of lenses. Each pair has a different depth that place the lenses closer or farther from the users face. In addition, the screen itself can be moved closer and farther away.
 
from their website:
Most people can use the Rift while wearing glasses, however it also depends on the shape and size of the glasses. To accommodate as many glasses as possible, the Rift Development Kit comes with 3 removable sets of lenses. Each pair has a different depth that place the lenses closer or farther from the users face. In addition, the screen itself can be moved closer and farther away.
Thank You. You saved me some legwork which I wasn't interested in doing anyway.
 
This tech is awesome I can't wait until it is done. What is even better is it appears it will be priced reasonably well, about the same as a very good gaming monitor. I know I will be buying one it is just a question of when.
 
Back