Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Headset Offers Stereoscopic 3D Gameplay

It’s finally coming in 2013 – a quality virtual reality (VR) headset that truly immerses gamers into their games. VR technology developer Oculus has launched a Kickstarter initiative with a funding goal of $250,000 for their Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.

The Oculus Rift from Oculus

 Since launching their campaign on August 1, Oculus has accrued over 1,500 backers and over $430,000, exceeding far beyond their $250,000 target. The precipitous popularity of the Rift is most likely due to the headset’s field view of 110 degrees, stereoscopic 3D display for surreal virtual depth, and big name supporters like John Carmack, Valve, and Epic Games.

Oculus launched a Kickstarter in efforts to expedite the distribution of Rift development kits to game developers. If developers and individuals donate $300 dollars or more to the campaign, they will receive the Rift development kit, access to the Oculus Developer Center, a software development kit with code and ability to integrate with new or existing games, and a headset integrated copy of Doom 3.

According to Oculus, the Rift has defeated problems signature to previous VR headsets. Resolution issues and response time problems, like when the game lags behind head movement, have apparently been patched in this new headset hardware. High density, lightweight displays, and revamped sensors are what make the Rift so absorbing and impressive. It’s the Rift’s giant field view and in-depth 3D experience that will promote the headset to chief-like status of virtual reality technology.

VR enthusiast and Oculus Founder Palmer Luckey has total faith in his new VR product.

“The Rift is a true game changer that will help make VR the standard for gameplay in the very near future,” he said. “We know the gaming community will be as excited as we all are when they get their hands on it.”

And Luckey’s right. At E3 2012, John Carmack tested out Luckey’s VR headmount citing it as the “best VR demo… the world has ever seen.” Epic Games Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski has said “I’m a believer… We’re extremely excited here at Epic Games to get the Unreal Engine integrated with Oculus!” CEO of Unity David Helgason remarked “I think this will be the coolest way to experience games in the future. It will simply be that big.” And Valve’s Gabe Newell was quoted as saying, “It looks incredibly exciting. If anybody’s going to tackle this set of hard problems, we think that Palmer’s going to do it. So we’d strongly encourage gamers to support this Kickstarter.”

That’s the kind of enormous support Kickstarter campaigns yearn for. In addition to big name support, future tradeshows like gamescom, Unite, Quakecon, Siggraph and others will showcase Oculus’ new video gaming gear, further bolstering its popularity.

If you want to contribute to the Oculus Kickstarter campaign, visit their page here. Funding ends on September 1. For more information on Oculus visit their website and check out their awesome, informative Oculus Rift video. 

Rachel Gray

Rachel Gray

Content Specialist at Gaming Illustrated
Rachel is a game aficionada who lives with her tuxedo cat, Ernest. Some of her favorite things include bears, Chik-fil-a chick-n-minis, White Russians, and Silent Hill 2. When jogging, Rachel attaches her mp3 arm attachment to her wrist and pretends it is a Pip-Boy.
Rachel Gray

@https://twitter.com/lilspookies

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