UPDATE: Here's a new statement from Oculus:
"The component shortage impacted our quantities more than we expected, and we’ve updated the shipment window to reflect these changes. We apologize for the delay.
We’re delivering Rifts to customers every day, and we’re focused on getting Rifts out the door as fast as we can. We’ve taken steps to address the component shortage, and we’ll continue shipping in higher volumes each week. We’ve also increased our manufacturing capacity to allow us to deliver in higher quantities, faster. Many Rifts will ship less than four weeks from original estimates, and we hope to beat the new estimates we’ve provided."
Original Story: It’s starting to look like 2016 won’t actually be the year of virtual reality, at least not for everyone hoping to be an early adopter, now that Rift pre-order customers have received another round of shipping delay notifications from Oculus.
Last week, Oculus revealed an unexpected component shortage was to blame for ongoing Rift shipping delays, providing some small measure of comfort to the VR company’s burgeoning community. The company promised additional information by April 12, which many interpreted to mean shipping notifications, but the extra week only brought more disappointment. Now, more than two full weeks removed from the Rift’s “launch date”, thousands of consumers -- many of whom pre-ordered the Oculus in the first minutes after it was available -- are still waiting for their headsets. And it sounds like some of them will be waiting considerably longer than expected.
Tuesday morning, Oculus provided new shipping estimates to the thousands of pre-order customers who’ve yet to receive their rift. I one of thousands to receive the notification, which confirmed yet another round of delays for those still anxiously awaiting the arrival of their VR headsets. My unit is now scheduled to arrive in mid- to late-April, barring any further delays from Oculus; an additional two-week delay that still leaves the company a bit of room to meet its original one-three week projection. But some members of the Oculus sub-reddit have reported delays of two-plus months. Even those customers who seem to be part of the next wave of Rifts could still be waiting until a full month after launch to receive their new VR headset.
To its credit, Oculus has already confirmed it will cover shipping costs for anyone who ordered a Rift before 11:59 p.m. (PST) on April 1. That said, knocking a few dollars off the $600 device doesn’t appear to be enough to appease certain corners of the community anymore. Dozens have flocked to social media to express their unhappiness with the announcement. We’ve reached out to Oculus, hoping for a statement and/or additional information on the latest round of shipping delays, and will update this post if/when we hear back from the company.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for additional Oculus Rift coverage throughout 2016 and however long Oculus supports the Rift in the years to come.
