Oculus Unveils 'Oculus Rift' Consumer Virtual Reality Headset, 'Oculus Touch' Controller [Video]

Oculus has unveiled the 'Oculus Rift' virtual reality headset for consumers and the 'Oculus Touch', a pair of tracked controllers that deliver hand presence.

The Rift uses custom display and optics technology designed specifically for VR featuring two AMOLED displays with low-persistence. The technology enables incredible visual clarity as you explore virtual worlds with the Rift. The headset is tracked via an IR LED constellation tracking system for precise, low latency 360-degree orientation and position tracking.

The Rift features an integrated VR audio system designed to convince your ears that you’re truly there. The integrated headphones are also removable in case you want to use your own. It also incorporates a high quality internal microphone for social experiences.

The Rift also boasts an advanced ergonomic design that improves the headset’s overall balance and stability. A strap architecture offloads the overall weight, allowing the Rift to rest comfortably on your head. "It’s as easy to put as slipping on a baseball cap. Once you’re in, simply adjust the straps to fit you."

A mechanism that allows you to adjust the distance between the lenses for the most comfortable visual experience. You can also remove the facial interface to replace the soft foam, and we’ve improved the form factor to better accommodate glasses.

Notably, the Oculus Rift will ship with a wireless Xbox One controller which is a good way to play games like Lucky’s Tale, EVE: Valkyrie, and Edge of Nowhere.

For new genres and categories of games that require a different set of inputs, the company has introduced Oculus Touch.

Oculus Touch is a pair of tracked controllers that deliver hand presence – the sensation of feeling as though your virtual hands are actually your own. Touch will let people take their virtual reality experiences further than ever before by unlocking new interactions.

At E3, a feature prototype for Oculus Touch called ‘Half Moon’ is being shown off. There are two controllers, one for each hand. They’re mirror images of each other, like your own hands. Each Half Moon controller has a traditional analog thumbstick, two buttons, and an analog trigger. There’s also an input mechanism that we call the ‘hand trigger’. Imagine using this trigger to pick up a virtual gun, then using your index finger to fire it.

The controllers are wireless so that you can move and interact with the virtual world freely, and they use the same IR LED constellation tracking system we use in the Rift for precise, low-latency, 6-DOF tracking. The Half Moon prototype includes haptics that developers can use to deliver feedback when interacting with objects in the virtual world.

Finally, Half Moon can detect a set of finger poses using a matrix of sensors mounted throughout the device, which allows the controller to recognize a set of communicative hand poses like pointing, waving, and giving a thumbs-up.

Oculus Touch will ship to gamers, developers, and enthusiasts in the first half of 2016, and will be available for pre-order around the same time as the Rift (Q1 2016). Pricing has yet to be announced.

Take a look at the video below for more details...

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