Oculus Rift pre-order date set

Tech experts say 2016 will be the year when virtual reality makes a push to become a major part of consumers' day-to-day lives. And one of the most highly-anticipated entries in the field is about to hit the market.

Oculus Rift -- one of the biggest players in the virtual reality world -- will be made available for pre-orders on Oculus.com starting Wednesday, Jan. 6, according to a blog post from the company.

Oculus has not yet given an official price for the Rift, which is expected to ship by March, CNET reports. Oculus was acquired by Facebook in 2012 for $2 billion.

The big launch coincides with the Consumer Electronics Association's 2016 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where virtual reality, like Oculus, will have a big presence.

"In years to come, [virtual reality] will get better. Google, Facebook have their eyes on the much longer game. I mean stuff that involves telepresence and interacting with other people -- that 'Star Wars' kind of technology is not going to be there right now," CNET Senior Editor Scott Stein told CBS News. "I think they are working on this augmented reality stuff that feels like your real world."