There two things that virtual reality (VR) fans know for sure will happen this very week. The first is that pre-orders for the consumer version of the Oculus Rift head-mounted display (HMD) will go live at 08:00 PST on 6th January 2016. The second is that, when these pre-orders do launch, we’ll also find out the final price of the device. What’s not clear is if fans will also find out the full launch date for the kit beyond the Q1 2016 window we’ve known for so long. According to a recent report, however, the Oculus Rift release date should indeed be delivered this week.

Mashable has stated as much in an article that features comment from Oculus VR’s VP of Product, Nate Mitchell, in an interview conducted at Oculus Connect 2 all the way back in September 2015. Towards the end of the piece, the site notes that the price for the kit will be confirmed ‘along with the delivery date’ this Wednesday.

As for Mitchell, he spoke about why these pre-orders hadn’t begun earlier. “There’s no rush to take pre-orders. We don’t need your money right now. It doesn’t benefit us, and it doesn’t benefit you either,” he said. “I’m a guy who thinks about user experience all day long,” he explained. “Apple has nailed the consumer hardware launch experience. They announce it. You preorder it the next week. They ship it to you the week after or within a 2-4 week window, and you’re like, ‘Yay yay yay!’

“If we announce pre-orders today and we don’t ship until January 1st, it’s still a long time. A long time we’re holding your money, a lot of consumer expectation, a lot of waiting. We’re in no rush. We’re really about making it a great experience.”

Oculus VR itself hasn’t confirmed that a delivery date will be revealed alongside these pre-orders, so don’t take this as official confirmation. We do know, however, that the campaign won’t be limited to the US, and should be available in 20 countries this week with more to come. Everyone that does pre-order the kit will also get a free copy of EVE: Valkyrie, while everyone that buys it with or without pre-ordering will get Lucky’s Tale too.

Keep reading VRFocus for the latest updates on the Oculus Rift.

-END-

The post Full Oculus Rift Release Date Also Due This Week, Report Suggests appeared first on VRFocus.

Previous articleSyfy to Work on VR and More with New Syfy Labs Innovation Studio
Next articleNvidia Showcasing 30 Minute ADR1FT Demo & Bullet Train on Rift at CES