Oculus has finally fulfilled all of the Rift pre-orders it accepted in the run-up to the VR headset’s market debut, the company announced on Tuesday, paving the way for an expansion of Rift’s retail presence and significantly reduced shipping times for new online orders.
It took almost four months for Oculus to fill all of the Rift orders it accepted during the pre-order window, which lasted roughly two and a half months, but the company has finally accomplished the task. We still don’t know exactly how many VR headsets have been sold by the Facebook-owned VR company. But the company can now focus on improving its image after a rocky launch and further expanding the fledgling Rift community. Going forward, Oculus says new Rift orders from the company’s website will ship within two to four business days.
In addition to faster shipping times, Oculus says it plans to increase its presence in brick and mortar retail stores across the United States. More than 500 Best Buy locations will have a Rift demo unit by the end of fall 2016 and Oculus’ first VR headset will also appear at select Microsoft Stores in the near future. Those hoping to try the Rift can locate the nearest retailer with a demo unit, and even schedule an appointment, using Oculus Live . The company has also promised to increase the inventory for online distributors like Amazon and the various PC manufacturers offering Rift-ready machines bundled with the $600 headset.
The company also promised more information about its unreleased Touch controllers at this year’s Oculus Connect . Oculus says 30-plus games will be compatible with the Touch controllers on launch day, still expected sometime in late 2016, and the company will apparently have “lots more to share” come October.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more Oculus Rift news throughout 2016 and however long Oculus supports its first VR headset in the years ahead.
