Pour one out for the Rift S because it's about to go the way of the dodo.
Come springtime next year, Oculus will cease production and sales of the Rift S, its current PC-connected VR headset. The bittersweet news, announced on virtual stage at this year's Facebook Connect conference (formerly known as Oculus Connect), marks a stark shift in strategy for the two companies, and is perfectly timed for the introduction of Oculus' newest headset, the wireless Quest 2.
It's an unfortunate and shockingly early end for the Rift platform which has its roots in the original DK1 developer headset that catapulted to fame during a successful 2012 Kickstarter campaign. Not long after in 2014, Facebook made a surprise $3 billion acquisition of Oculus, bringing its founders and nascent VR hardware into its fold, and promising to invest in the burgeoning industry.
But the writing, as they say, has been on the wall for quite some time. Despite the initial buzz surrounding the first Rift, the headset's launch was less than a runaway success for Oculus as its additional need for a connected (and properly specced) PC proved too costly for most consumers, not to mention the complexity involved in setting up its external tracking sensors. Reports of internal conflicts over the direction of VR hardware development between Facebook executives and founding Oculus members Nate Mitchell, former VP of VR product, and Brendan Iribe, Oculus' former CEO, followed shortly after, with rumors that the company was looking to abandon PC VR in favor of standalone wireless headsets. Both Mitchell and Iribe have since departed the company.
Still, Oculus is committed to supporting existing Rift and Rift S owners beyond next spring's unannounced sell-by date. So it's not all doom and gloom for those early VR enthusiasts who helped buoy Oculus to its current-day position. When reached for comment, a Facebook Reality Labs spokesperson offered up these reassuring words:
"The Rift Platform isn't going anywhere. In fact, we've seen significant growth in PC VR via Oculus Link, and the Rift Platform will continue to grow while offering high-end PC VR experiences like Lone Echo II and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond well into the future."
So there you have it. The excellent Quest 2, which is available to pre-order now and releases on Oct. 13, is Facebook's current darling, making the Rift S nothing more than a relic of VR's slow march to mainstream acceptance.
Topics Facebook
