Facebook's Virtual Reality Company To Change Gaming And Movie World With Oculus Rift
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Facebook's virtual reality company has taken the wraps off the consumer model of its headset that promises to change the way you play video games and watch movies.
Oculus Rift looks like thick ski goggles with straps that go around your head; headphones are built-in. But it's what's on the inside that counts -- namely, its OLED screens.
"Your entire field of view is the game or is the movie. It's the whole experience," Eric Johnson, Associate Editor at the tech site Re/code said.
Johnson says Rift comes with a wireless Xbox One controller and an adapter for Windows 10.
"The total price for the Rift plus the PC needed to power it will probably be somewhere in the range of $1500. Some gamers will already have that computer in their homes. Most people would not."
Hand-tracking controllers, called Oculus Touch, will be available separately.
"They're gripped between your index finger and your thumb so you can access buttons and control sticks for gaming," Johnson explains. "There are also sensors that detect what gesture your hand is making."
Johnson says while Oculus is focusing on gaming to start, the company also is supporting developers working on virtual reality movies and has its own animation team.
One challenge: getting the eyes of a wider audience on Rift:
"Oculus had the demos of the protoype that would become this consumer version, and I was hearing that some people were coming out of that demo room crying because they were so blown away by the tech."
