A beta version of Oculus Rift made for consumers should be released by next summer.
Multiple sources such as Tech Radar report that the rollout of the beta version of OR will be limited, similar to how Google Glass distributed their product. Oculus will handle the release by judging the reaction of consumers.
The company will be dealing with distribution internally, with only a pre-determined number of headsets to be made available for the initial launch phase. Apparently Oculus wants to gauge interest with both consumers and retailers before making its headset fully available to everyone, hence the limited launch.
Consumer model vs. Dev Kit 2
The price will range anywhere from $200 to $400 and both the resolution and frame rate will be “significantly” higher than what came out on the Dev Kit 2 model. The DK2 had a 1080p display, and co-founder Palmer Luckey said that the refresh rate would “hit 90Hz or higher.”
According to some hands-on reports of the DK2, developers already approved of the upgraded 1080p display and limited motion blur from the earlier model, but visuals still could be improved upon.
What are your thoughts on the Oculus Rift, and will you be trying to get your hands on one next summer?
