Preorders for the consumer version of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset are scheduled to go live Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. EST. It can be easy to forget that the little VR doodad began life back on Kickstarter in 2012 before Facebook eventually gobbled it up, but Oculus hasn’t forgotten. The company’s announced that every Kickstarter backer of a development kit or higher level is also going to receive a consumer version of the Rift.
Or, more specifically, Kickstarter backers who originally put down money for the development kit tier will be receiving “a free Kickstarter Edition Oculus Rift.” How that might differ from the retail units set to be purchased on Wednesday morning isn’t clear, but the Kickstarter version will also be bundled with the retail version’s games, Lucky’s Tale and EVE: Valkyrie. That’s all dependent on those backers filling out a survey before Feb 1, however.
One caveat to the free Rifts? Only those who backed in the 20 countries where the VR headset is launching in can take part in the offer. “For those who don’t live in one of those 20 countries, we’re working on an alternative,” the Kickstarter announcement reads, “and you can let us know your preference in the form.”
The big question that’s been on the tongues of everyone looking at Oculus’ upcoming preorders is, of course, exactly how much they are going to charge for the headset. While $300 ensured a development kit back in 2012, it’s expected that the retail version of the Rift could run significantly higher. Announcing that backers get one free is a nice way to hedge bets if there’s a significant backlash in the morning when the MSRP tag is first revealed.
Via: Game Informer
Source: Oculus
