According to Oculus VR CEO and founder Brendan Iribe, the launch of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is coming sooner than most are expecting.
In a technology conference held in Dublin, Iribe said that the company's flagship device will be released into the consumer market in a matter of months, not in years.
However, Iribe added that by "months" he meant "many months," dampening hopes that the device will be getting into the hands of consumers very soon.
There seems to be a significant interest from consumers on virtual reality devices, but so far there have been no significant product released yet in the market.
Iribe said in an interview with USA Today that he remains bullish on the potential of the virtual reality industry, stating that the market is just about ready to grow just as how the personal computer industry did during the early stages of its market.
"It (the PC) started with a small audience at first and it quickly ramped up. Virtual reality we think will take a similar path," said Iribe.
Iribe expects a few million users for virtual reality devices at the onset of the market, most of which will be using the device at home. However, he thinks that the technology will quickly mature and develop into its potential as more companies dive into the industry.
In response to reports of complaints that using virtual reality devices made people feel ill, Iribe said that dizziness or other bad side effects that users experience is because of inferior products.
"We're a little worried about bigger companies putting out products that aren't ready," Iribe said, adding that companies should take into account motion sickness and disorientation problems in the development of their virtual reality devices.
Facebook announced that it is acquiring Oculus VR for $2 billion back in March, which is the first time that Facebook purchased a company that specializes in hardware development. The acquisition deal was officially closed in July.
Facebook has revealed plans for the Oculus Rift to expand beyond video games and into broader applications that include entertainment and social purposes.
Iribe told USA Today that Facebook's purchase of Oculus VR "super-charged" the recruitment efforts of the company in hiring new employees, with the company currently made up of over 200 people compared to only 50 at the start of 2014.
Iribe explained that the company previously was not able to attract employees such as researchers because of their startup status, as most employees preferred the stability of working on projects in bigger companies.
