The Oculus team announced the shipment of more Oculus Rift hardware to developers every week as the launch of the headset draws nearer.
While the hardware is still in an early build phase, it is also tied to the Rift SDK 1.0. According to Oculus, SDK 1.0 and its runtime are geared more toward the consumer side of the market.
"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," wrote the Oculus team in a blog post.
In other words, the shipments are meant for any developer who is building an app or a game for Rift. The launch is scheduled in the first quarter of 2016.
The Rift headset is built with two screens that are nestled right in front of the user's eyes. Virtual reality is achieved when the brain is able to interpret anything that appears on the screen as real while the user's own vision is being obscured.
Virtual reality is in no way similar to augmented reality, which is meant to add to the user's experience. One notable example of an augmented reality-based headset is the HoloLens of Microsoft.
Gamers can also expect to see an impressive lineup of games when the consumer version of the Rift hardware finally launches in 2016. These include titles such as EVE: Valkyrie, Rock Band VR, The Climb, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Bullet Train, P·O·L·L·E·N, World War Toons, Edge of Nowhere, VR Sports Challenge, Lucky's Tale, The Witness and more.
The Rift headset, which Oculus started to develop back in 2011, has already been through a number of developer editions. While details such as pricing are yet to be announced, the consumer version is expected to notch a little higher than the $350 price point of the developer version. Consumers would also be able to pair the VR headset with a compatible PC that would be included in an "all-in" package, reported to cost $1,500.
There is no information yet on whether the VR headset will be able to support Mac PCs in the future.
"We're shipping more Rift hardware out to developers every week in the run up to launch," said Oculus. "In the meantime, DK2 and SDK 0.8 continue to be the right platform for early Rift development - you only need SDK 1.0 if you're imminently shipping."
