Oculus Rift Is Really Coming

The Oculus Rift has finally got a confirmed consumer release date — but it’ll be next year before you can play it. It follows a couple of years of demos and prototypes.

Oculus says the virtual reality device will be available for pre-orders later this year and then ship to consumers in 2016. There’s still no detail on pricing.

The company has promised some technical details next week. For now it’s only saying the finished product will build upon the most recent prototype (codenamed Crescent Bay), which is something of a statement of the obvious. More specifically it’s promising:

a tracking system that supports both seated and standing experiences, as well as a highly refined industrial design, and updated ergonomics for a more natural fit.

For those who can’t wait, you can still order the development kit edition direct from Oculus for $350. In doing so, you have to agree to the statement “I understand this hardware is intended for developers and it is not a consumer product.”