It’s easy to overstate Oculus’ rise to prominence, but considering that the company’s humble Oculus Rift prototype went from a Kickstarter project vying for funding to a business concept worth $2 billion in just under two years, the virtual reality headset sure knows how to make an entrance. Following Facebook’s acquisition early last year, the device is barreling down on its consumer-oriented launch, though it isn’t as close as many had assumed.
That’s according to CFO David Wehner, who spoke about the Oculus Rift’s immediate future in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, stating that while the prototype has come on leaps and bounds over the past 12 months, talk of “large-scale shipments” are still being kept under wraps.
“So we have not announced any specific plans for shipment volumes in 2015 related to Oculus,” Wehner said. “I just know that Oculus is very much in the development stage so it’s early to be talking about large shipment volumes, and our expense guidance reflects any volumes that we might do in 2015.”
So, it seems Facebook is still working out the kinks before debuting the consumer-ready product. That said, the VR space has become increasingly crowded ever since Oculus Rift offered the once-flailing tech a new lease of life. With companies like Samsung, Sony and Valve entering the market through its partnership with HTC, the online giant will have its work cut out to offer a cutting edge feature that separates the Rift from its contemporaries.
However, we think we speak for everyone in saying that we’d rather Facebook engineer a device worth buying rather than fast-tracking the Oculus Rift’s eventual launch in order to be first. Besides, it’s almost an inevitability that the online giant will incorporate the tech with its social media front, with early reports suggesting that the hardware will allow users to visit relatives across the globe and other such geography-defying stunts.
We’ll keep you updated on the development of Oculus Rift as it nears its launch date. For now, tell us, do you believe the “long-term growth” of the device under Facebook looks promising? Let us know below.