Oculus Rift Release Date Announced: Q1 2016

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A release date for the Oculus Rift has been set for Q1 2016. Pre-orders will start later this year.

Since the earliest days of the Oculus Kickstarter, the Rift has been shaped by gamers, backers, developers, and enthusiasts around the world. Today, we’re incredibly excited to announce that the Oculus Rift will be shipping to consumers in Q1 2016, with pre-orders later this year.
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Well crap... I was hoping for 2015. Now with 2016 do I wait on building a new rig with skylake or possibly broadwell e, or do I just go with a 5930k this year and wait for amd's next gpu and possibly 980ti to work itself out?

Decisions..
 
Any spec / pricing on the final product yet? I think they're going to have a hard time getting consumers to wait when the vive releases in November without giving them a reason.
 
Software is going to be the big challenge, not hardware. How many games at launch will work well with it? That's the real question.

And by Q1 2016, are we going to see proprietary headsets like the Oculus become obsolete, as rumored 4K phablets may release by then, and it will be cheaper for people to just get headset lens "holsters" for their phablet screen than invest in a proprietary Oculus. Hmmm...

BTW, they are already talking about BR theme-parks though, like THE VOID project in Utah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cML814JD09g&feature=share
 
Kardonxt said:
Any spec / pricing on the final product yet? I think they're going to have a hard time getting consumers to wait when the vive releases in November without giving them a reason.
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Straight from oculus (https://www.oculus.com/blog/first-look-at-the-rift-shipping-q1-2016/):

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be revealing the details around hardware, software, input, and many of our unannounced made-for-VR games and experiences coming to the Rift. Next week, we’ll share more of the technical specifications here on the Oculus blog.

So next week we should know resolution/refresh/etc.
 
Dawill said:
Straight from oculus (https://www.oculus.com/blog/first-look-at-the-rift-shipping-q1-2016/):

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be revealing the details around hardware, software, input, and many of our unannounced made-for-VR games and experiences coming to the Rift. Next week, we’ll share more of the technical specifications here on the Oculus blog.

So next week we should know resolution/refresh/etc.
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Really need an edit button.. I guess it messed up my url. Should have been (https://www.oculus.com/blog/first-look-at-the-rift-shipping-q1-2016/)
 
It took long enough, I want to see what Valve delivers first and compare.
 
Will there be HardOCP reviews of this and Vive, or is there not enough interest?
 
Are there any clues yet as to what kind of hardware will be necessary to drive this and/or the Valve version?
 
smc805 said:
Are there any clues yet as to what kind of hardware will be necessary to drive this and/or the Valve version?
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I think the cost of early adopters will be very high. Probably looking at the highest end single GPU available (titanx/980ti/390x/etc). Or something in SLI. Desire is to maintain high framerates (90fps+) the entire time. If the resolution is 2560x1440 as people suspect, you are going to need a beefy gpu. With the SLI causing some stuttering, I suspect the best experience will come from the highest end single gpu. Framerate drop is going to be much more noticeable in VR than on a monitor.
 
smc805 said:
Are there any clues yet as to what kind of hardware will be necessary to drive this and/or the Valve version?
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Depends on the resolution but for the vive you will be powering 2 1080x1200 screens at 90hz. Not really that demanding for anyone already running a mutli monitor setup.
 
Dawill said:
I think the cost of early adopters will be very high. Probably looking at the highest end single GPU available (titanx/980ti/390x/etc). Or something in SLI. Desire is to maintain high framerates (90fps+) the entire time. If the resolution is 2560x1440 as people suspect, you are going to need a beefy gpu. With the SLI causing some stuttering, I suspect the best experience will come from the highest end single gpu. Framerate drop is going to be much more noticeable in VR than on a monitor.
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Wow. Guess its a good thing a 980ti has been on my radar for a little bit.

But still, damn! 2560x1440 @ 90+ fps is kind of ridiculous
 
Kardonxt said:
Depends on the resolution but for the vive you will be powering 2 1080x1200 screens at 90hz. Not really that demanding for anyone already running a mutli monitor setup.
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Forgive my naivete, but am I right in assuming when you say "multi-monitor" you also mean multi-gpu?

Seems like driving 2 screens at that resolution and that framerate would need a pretty legit GPU.

I have a 4gb 960 right now, though I plan to step up to 980ti w/ EVGA. But just out of curiousity, (hypothetically of course) could a single 960 get the job done?
 
smc805 said:
Wow. Guess its a good thing a 980ti has been on my radar for a little bit.

But still, damn! 2560x1440 @ 90+ fps is kind of ridiculous
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It's all rumors/speculation until they announce the spec. However the high framerate is so you don't get sick. Or at least that's how I understand it all. I don't think they have demo'ed any of the recent VR hw on anything below the gtx 980.
 
smc805 said:
Forgive my naivete, but am I right in assuming when you say "multi-monitor" you also mean multi-gpu?

Seems like driving 2 screens at that resolution and that framerate would need a pretty legit GPU.

I have a 4gb 960 right now, though I plan to step up to 980ti w/ EVGA. But just out of curiousity, (hypothetically of course) could a single 960 get the job done?
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If you turn down all the details to minimum, I'm sure you could game on just about anything. Vive resolution is 2.5M pixels split across 2 screens. So performance shouldn't be that much less than 1080p. However you would still want very high frame rates. And we are not talking average we are talking minimum frame rate. This is attached to your head. If things start getting choppy/jerky, get your barf bag ready.

CV for oculus expectations were for qhd or 3.5M pixels. That might have changed by now. We can all speculate but we are all really blowing hot air out of our ass until they announce the specs.
 
Dawill said:
However the high framerate is so you don't get sick. Or at least that's how I understand it all. I don't think they have demo'ed any of the recent VR hw on anything below the gtx 980.
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That makes sense. I'd imagine it to be really jarring if there is lag between head movement and what you see.

Still can't wait to try one!
 
Dawill said:
I think the cost of early adopters will be very high. Probably looking at the highest end single GPU available (titanx/980ti/390x/etc). Or something in SLI. Desire is to maintain high framerates (90fps+) the entire time. If the resolution is 2560x1440 as people suspect, you are going to need a beefy gpu. With the SLI causing some stuttering, I suspect the best experience will come from the highest end single gpu. Framerate drop is going to be much more noticeable in VR than on a monitor.
Click to expand...

smc805 said:
Wow. Guess its a good thing a 980ti has been on my radar for a little bit.

But still, damn! 2560x1440 @ 90+ fps is kind of ridiculous
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Well considering even a pair of TItan Xs in SLI only hit a high of 89 fps in GTA V at 1440p, according to [H]'s own review. This was with an low of 37 fps and an average of 53 so I don't know how viable 1440p at 90 fps is for anything but very simple, slow moving games.
 
smc805 said:
Forgive my naivete, but am I right in assuming when you say "multi-monitor" you also mean multi-gpu?

Seems like driving 2 screens at that resolution and that framerate would need a pretty legit GPU.

I have a 4gb 960 right now, though I plan to step up to 980ti w/ EVGA. But just out of curiousity, (hypothetically of course) could a single 960 get the job done?
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My single 290 powered 5760x1200 (which is a crap load more pixels than 2560x1440) just fine at medium settings. I now have 2 but it wasn't really needed.

I imagine if you are OK with not running max settings then a 290 or 970 would get you a decent experience.
 
DarkStar_WNY said:
Well considering even a pair of TItan Xs in SLI only hit a high of 89 fps in GTA V at 1440p, according to [H]'s own review. This was with an low of 37 fps and an average of 53 so I don't know how viable 1440p at 90 fps is for anything but very simple, slow moving games.
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Why do people always pretend that on the PC version, there is no such thing as a graphics setting menu? LOL!

Believe it or not, you don't HAVE to play on ultra, so just lower the settings (turn off AA, reduce draw distance, etc) until you hit 90fps. Its not rocket science.
 
So I know very little about the rift, how does it work on just the desktop and 2d applications? Can you use it to replace a monitor (browse the web, check email etc...) or does it only really work in applications meant for it?
 
Ducman69 said:
Why do people always pretend that on the PC version, there is no such thing as a graphics setting menu? LOL!

Believe it or not, you don't HAVE to play on ultra, so just lower the settings (turn off AA, reduce draw distance, etc) until you hit 90fps. Its not rocket science.
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Neither is the simple fact that people wont be buying something like the Rift to turn all the game setting down to get it to actually run.
 
Any updates on the zenimax vs oculus lawsuit? I'm sure zenimax will be trying to get an injunction on this if that lawsuit is still going...
 
DarkStar_WNY said:
Neither is the simple fact that people wont be buying something like the Rift to turn all the game setting down to get it to actually run.
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The developer offering a wide-variety of settings, including future proofing their product with settings that will be reasonable for cards two years from now, is not a bad thing.

You don't have to run "ultra" for the game to look fantastic, nor should we be encouraging developers to not provide such crazy high graphics settings in games. Its a GOOD thing.
 
Nice! I'm looking forward to this. VR has always been exciting to me. If I need to update my PC to get a good experience, I'll do it. Should be fun stuff!

Flight simulators, FPS's, just open world games or content (walking through Titanic, parks, etc.).
 
I will be holding off on the Rift, Hive, HoloLens, etc.
I've used the Rift dk1 and dk2. Awesome experience - except it gives me headaches, motion sickness, and dizziness :) I want to see if they can overcome the health issues.
It's bleeding edge. Are developers going to have to code support for the Hive and Rift? If so, I see a 3dfx Voodoo kind of battle coming. Anyone remember Glide?
HoloLens is a different product, but kind of related it.
Dont forget Glass. I dont see this being a gaming device, but could provide hud displays and the like. (I've also spent a lot of time with Glass - it is by no means ready for consumers. Kind of cool, but has a lot of kinks to work out.)

Prepare for an interesting next 2-3 years before the dust settles. It should at least be fun.
 
Kardonxt said:
Depends on the resolution but for the vive you will be powering 2 1080x1200 screens at 90hz. Not really that demanding for anyone already running a mutli monitor setup.
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Uh no. The 2 x 1080x1200 is the developer unit. The specs of the final consumer Vive version haven't been announced yet.
 
steakman1971 said:
Prepare for an interesting next 2-3 years before the dust settles. It should at least be fun.
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The problem of course is that 3 years is a lifetime when it comes to display tech... and this has been in development since, what, 2012 now? So we're talking 6 years lead time... not so good.
 
I'm an owner of the dk1 and dk2. I think we are missing the point a bit on the resolution issue. The reason for the high resolution screens (2560+) is for the screen door effect that occurs. Don't worry about having a super beefy rig to push high resolution. You can always lower the in game resolution while using the oculus. Just like current monitors. Yeah it will be a bit less sharp and perhaps blocky but your frame rate is smooth. This doesn't effect the screen door effect from magnified pixels using the lenses.
 
Ducman69 said:
"Experiences"... is that what we call VR porn now? I'm still learning the lingo.
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VR porn sucks. It's not worth the hassle of putting the headset on. And there's not a lot of it out there. it's pretty much just 2D porn with a larger FOV.

smc805 said:
Are there any clues yet as to what kind of hardware will be necessary to drive this and/or the Valve version?
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I've got a DK2, and a GTX690 is inadequate. A pair of 7970s is inadequate. And this is with my game of choice (Elite Dangerous) at minimum settings. With the minimum frame rate jumping to 90 from 75, I'd say something like a GTX980 or even a Titan would be required to get a good experience from it. Things that are just "nice to have" on a regular monitor are damn near mandatory for the headset to be used. Example, once again, Elite: Dangerous. All the text is fuzzy unless you turn up the supersampling. Fuzzy to the point of not being able to read it (unless you move your head really close to the sensor).

DarkStar_WNY said:
Well considering even a pair of TItan Xs in SLI only hit a high of 89 fps in GTA V at 1440p, according to [H]'s own review. This was with an low of 37 fps and an average of 53 so I don't know how viable 1440p at 90 fps is for anything but very simple, slow moving games.
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Don't forget, you don't want to use SLI/Crossfire with VR. The added latency kills the experience. You want one big beefy card, not two good ones.

Ragenrok said:
So I know very little about the rift, how does it work on just the desktop and 2d applications? Can you use it to replace a monitor (browse the web, check email etc...) or does it only really work in applications meant for it?
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You can get an application which lets your use your desktop on the Rift, but you can't use the Rift as your sole monitor. You can also pay for an app which lets you play non-Rift games in the Rift. My research has led me to believe that this works, somewhat, but poorly. You end up with motion sickness. Games which are made for the Rift are flat out amazing, though.

I'll likely be buying the latest and greatest video card and a Rift in 2016. My experience with the DK2 was just that good. There's no doubt in my mind that this is the future of gaming. (Although I'm still not sure how I feel about FPS games with it!)
 
DPI said:
Uh no. The 2 x 1080x1200 is the developer unit. The specs of the final consumer Vive version haven't been announced yet.
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Uh yes. There is not a dev unit for the Vive. Those are the final specs. I think you are getting the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift Confused.
 
Kardonxt said:
I have not seen anything released saying that the "dev unit" in your slide is any different for the final product specs wise. All of the announcements have given the specs period, not specifying they are the specs for the dev unit only. I highly doubt we are going to see any major changes before its launch in 6 months.
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You said there wasn't a developer edition, 'HTC Vive Developer Edition specs'. We know the consumer edition will have headphones built in, the dev edition just has a headphone jack. Other than that who knows.
 
I am buying whatever hits the market 1st. I've been waiting decades for this tech, and I sure as hell will be one of the 1st to try em out!
 
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