Oculus Rift

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Facebook unveils standalone $399 Oculus Quest virtual reality headset, shipping next spring

by Nat Levy on September 26, 2018September 26, 2018 at 11:27 amComment

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the company’s next big virtual reality release, the $399 Oculus Quest. Oculus Quest is the realization of the long-anticipated “Project Santa Cruz,” and according to… Read More

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Oculus shows off its first standalone VR headset, $199 Oculus Go, and other treats

by Alan Boyle on October 11, 2017October 11, 2017 at 12:45 pmComment

Oculus is filling the virtual-reality niche between smartphones and its high-end, wired-up Oculus Rift headset with a standalone mobile headset that’ll sell for $199. The Oculus Go headset, unveiled today… Read More

Oculus’ ‘Mission: ISS’ takes one more step toward giant leap for virtual space station

by Alan Boyle on March 9, 2017March 12, 2017 at 5:20 pm1 Comment

Oculus has just launched “Mission: ISS,” a virtual-reality simulation that takes advantage of the company’s headset and handheld controllers to let you explore the International Space Station and even perform a virtual… Read More

Oculus releases long-anticipated Touch controllers, priced at $199

by Nat Levy on December 6, 2016December 6, 2016 at 8:43 amComment

Virtual reality aficionados everywhere are bound to be happy this holiday season as Facebook-owned Oculus just released its long-awaited Touch controls to go with the Rift headset. Oculus announced the… Read More

Xbox One streaming for Oculus Rift VR headsets coming Dec. 12

by Nat Levy on November 22, 2016November 22, 2016 at 3:54 pmComment

Xbox One players will soon be able to strap on an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to further immerse themselves in their games. Microsoft announced today that a long-planned concept… Read More

Microsoft HoloLens gets 3D maps through Taqtile’s new ‘HoloMaps’ technology

by Nat Levy on November 14, 2016November 15, 2016 at 9:16 amComment

Seattle-based Taqtile has developed a new interactive and collaborative 3D maps app for Microsoft’s HoloLens and other virtual and mixed reality headsets — blending the physical and digital worlds for a variety of… Read More

4 Days of Virtual Reality: Takeaways from a total immersion in the future of video games

by Todd Bishop on September 6, 2016September 6, 2016 at 10:39 am1 Comment

Over the past four days, I transformed from Bruce Wayne into Batman, used clairvoyance to see through another person’s eyes, played high-tech racquetball in a 360-degree court, sliced fruit coming at me from… Read More

Pixel this: Minecraft now available on Facebook’s Oculus VR headset

by Nat Levy on August 15, 2016August 15, 2016 at 11:09 amComment

Millions of Minecrafters around the world just got a great reason to buy Facebook’s Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. Microsoft Monday announced the debut of Minecraft, which it acquired along… Read More

Oculus Rift ships today, bringing virtual reality to the masses, at last

by James Risley on March 28, 2016March 28, 2016 at 1:52 pm 3 Comments

The final version of the Oculus Rift headsets are being delivered to Kickstarter backers today, and the first pre-order shipments are going out later this week. The release brings consumer-grade virtual reality… Read More

Minecraft for Oculus Rift will be playable in first-person or on a virtual screen

by James Risley on March 2, 2016March 2, 2016 at 3:37 pmComment

The Minecraft-on-HoloLens demo is one of the coolest augmented reality experiences I’ve seen so far, but Microsoft’s HoloLens is still a long way out for the average consumer. In the meantime, Microsoft doesn’t… Read More

Facebook’s Zuckerberg displays Jobs-esque star power during Samsung VR event

by Greg Sandoval on February 22, 2016March 8, 2016 at 12:42 am 4 Comments

Samsung generated the kind of electrifying fan experience during Sunday’s Galaxy S7 event that all gadget makers crave — even Apple. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s surprise appearance at the Mobile World Congress… Read More

‘Oculus Ready’ PC bundle preorders start next week with $1,500 base price

by James Risley on February 9, 2016February 10, 2016 at 10:01 am 11 Comments

After what seemed like an eternity, Oculus finally opened preorders for the consumer version of its Rift last month. But the $599 virtual reality headset still requires a powerful computer to… Read More

Oculus reveals Rift price as preorders begin, and ship dates are already slipping

by James Risley on January 6, 2016January 6, 2016 at 9:04 am 12 Comments

Preorders for the Oculus Rift started today, as does our first glimpse at what it will cost to own the face-mounted virtual reality display. The consumer model of the Oculus Rift… Read More

The virtual reality revolution will require powerful PCs — and yours probably isn’t ready

by James Risley on January 4, 2016January 5, 2016 at 9:08 am 3 Comments

Virtual reality is coming in hot, but getting into VR isn’t just about the new headsets hitting the market. You’ll need a pretty powerful computer to get into truly immersive virtual… Read More

Oculus Rift preorders start in less than 48 hours, but price and ship date still a mystery

by James Risley on January 4, 2016January 4, 2016 at 11:51 am1 Comment

It’s been nearly four years since Oculus wrapped up the Kickstarter campaign for its virtual reality headset, the Rift. Today, the company announced it will open up preorders for the first consumer… Read More

Oculus starts shipping Rift to developers ahead of expected early 2016 release

by James Risley on December 22, 2015December 22, 2015 at 10:16 amComment

The biggest name in virtual reality is finally shipping its consumer hardware. Just not to consumers. Oculus announced today that it’s sending Rift VR headsets to developers who are in the… Read More

‘I just want that in my house’: PAX Prime offers a sneak peek of HTC Vive VR headset

by Jacob Demmitt on August 28, 2015August 28, 2015 at 1:56 pmComment

HTC and Valve may have announced today the new Vive virtual reality headset won’t hit shelves until 2016, but Seattleites don’t have to wait that long to experience what many are… Read More

Jimmy Kimmel’s first dip into Facebook virtual reality is a social media nightmare

by Molly Brown on August 25, 2015August 25, 2015 at 8:48 amComment

Last night, Jimmy Kimmel did a bit on what Facebook would look like in virtual reality. And let’s just say, as he donned his Oculus Rift headset, that it’s pretty much… Read More

Trade-secrets lawsuit against Facebook and Oculus clears a hurdle

by Nicole Tanner on August 14, 2015August 14, 2015 at 10:57 amComment

A judge has denied Facebook’s attempt to have a lawsuit over the Oculus Rift thrown out. ZeniMax sued Facebook, claiming trade secrets were used in the development of the Oculus Rift. Oculus is… Read More

Oculus shows off consumer hardware for Rift, debuts new controller

by James Risley on June 11, 2015June 11, 2015 at 12:10 pmComment

The Oculus Rift has been in the prototype phase for three years, but its final form was unveiled today alongside a new prototype controller made specifically for virtual reality. The consumer version… Read More

Oculus partners with Microsoft to stream Xbox One games to Rift

by James Risley on June 11, 2015June 11, 2015 at 11:42 am 6 Comments

Oculus is partnering with Microsoft to bring more games to its new Rift virtual reality headset when it launches in early 2016. Xbox One owners will be able to stream games to a… Read More

Photos: Valve is still working on a virtual reality headset

by Taylor Soper on June 3, 2014September 2, 2014 at 7:29 amComment

Valve still appears to be interested in developing its own virtual reality headset. At a VR meet-up in Boston this weekend, the Bellevue-based gaming company showed off the most recent prototype of… Read More

Why did Facebook buy Oculus? To keep itself from missing the next big thing

by Tricia Duryee on March 25, 2014March 25, 2014 at 4:22 pm 5 Comments

It’s a bold move for a social media giant to buy a virtual reality company in the gaming space. But that’s what Mark Zuckerberg believes he needed to do in… Read More

Facebook buys virtual reality pioneer Oculus for $2 billion

by Blair Hanley Frank on March 25, 2014March 25, 2014 at 3:48 pm 2 Comments

After spending $19 billion on messaging service WhatsApp last month, it would seem reasonable for Facebook to take a break from buying tech companies, but it looks like the social… Read More

Oculus VR says next-gen dev kit brings better video, position tracking

by Blair Hanley Frank on March 19, 2014March 19, 2014 at 12:52 pmComment

Virtual reality company Oculus VR announced today that it’s releasing a new and updated version of its development kit for developers interested in creating a virtual reality experience for consumers.… Read More

Oculus VR opening Seattle R&D office, hires Valve veteran Atman Binstock

by Blair Hanley Frank on March 11, 2014March 11, 2014 at 2:16 pmComment

Oculus VR, the company behind the highly-anticipated Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, announced today it is opening up a new Oculus research and development office in Seattle. Heading up the new team… Read More

Oculus CEO: Gamers will be ‘blown away’ by Rift virtual reality, with help from Valve

by Blair Hanley Frank on October 29, 2013October 29, 2013 at 11:43 am1 Comment

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – A partnership with one of the Seattle region’s major players in gaming will be a key component in bringing a highly anticipated virtual reality experience to… Read More