If you're still waiting for your preordered Oculus Rift to arrive, you might have more luck finding the headset in stores.
For some reason, Oculus decided to release Rift headsets to Best Buy stores before completing delivery to those who preordered them.
The good news is that those who haven't preordered (or even those that have) can go to their local Best Buy to dip their toes in the world of VR. Oculus plans on putting up a list of stores that will have Rifts available on the Oculus Live website. This will all happen later this week on May 7. Not only will those Best Buy locations have units for sale, but they'll also have demos: customers can schedule a Rift demo from the same website.
This news comes after many Oculus Rift customers began complaining about delayed shipments on headsets they preordered. Some customers received notifications that they wouldn't see a headset for months, although Oculus assured the public that it has plans to continue working hard to get units out to everyone who already bought one.
The company cited an "unexpected component shortage" for the delay, although it seems there were enough components to get headsets in stores, something that might make those who preordered units even angrier.
Headsets will also hit Microsoft and Amazon on May 6 at 9 a.m. PST. The company plans on giving those who preordered units a chance to buy one through those retail outlets instead, although plan on demand being extremely limited.
"We know that many preorder customers are still waiting for their Rifts, so we're offering those customers a chance to purchase Rift from retail instead — while keeping their preorder benefits, like the EVE: Valkyrie Founder's Pack and priority status for Touch preorders," Oculus writes on its blog. "Starting May 6th, if you're interested, simply go to your order status and let us know you've purchased a Rift at retail, and we'll cancel your preorder. Your EVE: Valkyrie entitlement will appear in your order history."
This might leave many preorder customers scratching their heads, but for those waiting for preorders to ship, this could mean they can finally get the Rift — something they already paid for — in their hands sooner.
