Oculus is sending developers the finished version of its virtual reality headset

Advertisement

Oculus Rift Oculus Touch

Oculus VR

A user plays a game on the Oculus Rift.

Oculus is sending developers the finished version of its Rift headset, according to a blog post.

Advertisement

The shipments, which will be made this week, are for any developer who is making a game or app for Rift that is being launched in the first quarter of 2016.

"If you're shipping a Rift title in Q1, you'll need early access to Rift hardware and new platform features to finalize your game or application," the post reads. "The Rift SDK 1.0 and runtime include features tied to the consumer product, so we've currently limited the release to developers putting final touches on launch titles."

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

Oculus says that the company, which was acquired by Facebook for $2 billion (£1.3 billion), is shipping more and more of the Rift hardware every week.

The Rift is, essentially, a head-mounted computer with two screens that sit just in front of the user's eyes. The user's vision is obscured and anything that appears on the screen is seen by the brain as "real." This, in turn, means a whole new reality - a virtual one - is created.

Advertisement

This differs from augmented reality - also known as "mixed reality" - which adds to the experience. Microsoft's HoloLens headset is an example of augmented reality and is set to ship to developers in 2016.