They say that Christmas is a time of giving. And for Oculus VR, that adage couldn’t be more true. The company behind the eye-catching Oculus Rift headset recently secured a further $75 million in funding to perfect the consumer version of the virtual reality platform. Investment came via Andreessen Horowitz primarily, according to GamesIndustry International, with major firms such as Matrix Partners and Spark Capital also providing additional financial backing.
In response to the encouraging support, Marc Andersson — who was recently appointed to the company’s board of directors — outlined the ambition of the Oculus Rift:
“We believe Oculus will not only alter the gaming landscape but will redefine fundamental human experiences in areas such as film, education, architecture, and design.”
Although the company remained vague on a specific release date, this news signals just how close the Oculus Rift is to a consumer launch. Mind you, with Sony and Valve reportedly working on their own first-party, VR hardware, it appears as though the Rift will have to muscle out some optical competition when it eventually has its retail debut.
The Oculus Rift was initially conceived through Kickstarter in 2012, a time which saw it smash its initial funding goal ten times over. Since then, the impressive headset has won the hearts and minds of developers across the gaming community — as evidenced by John Carmack’s wholehearted allegiance. With over 40,000 units sent out across the industry to various studios, the company has established a firm stepping stone for the device ahead of launch.
Tell us, what do you make of the Oculus Rift? Is it on the path to become gaming’s next big thing or merely an overpriced novelty? Sound off in the comments below.