You'll soon be able to buy your very own Oculus virtual reality headset


Three years after debuting a prototype of its unwieldy yet wildly innovative virtual reality headset Oculus Rift, Oculus VR unveiled the long-awaited and notably slicker consumer version of the gadget Thursday at a news conference in San Francisco.
"This isn't science fiction," Oculus founder Palmer Luckey said. "This is reality and it's happening today." The Oculus Rift, a goggle-like headset that immerses the wearer in a 360-degree, simulated three-dimensional environment, will include removable headphones and a wireless game controller originally built for Microsoft's Xbox One.
Oculus is hoping the headset will be a boon for gamers looking for a truly immersive experience when it goes on sale sometime in the first quarter of 2016. While the company didn't give specifics on how much the device will cost, Oculus has previously said that the headset will cost less than $1,500 when it's paired with all the necessary PC hardware.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
-
India strikes Pakistan as tensions mount in Kashmir
speed read Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it an 'act of war'
-
Laurence Leamer's 6 favorite books that took courage to write
Feature The author recommends works by George Orwell, Truman Capote and more
-
Today's political cartoons - May 7, 2025
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - film industry tariffs, self-deportation, and more
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read