Oculus Names Date for Rift Pre-orders as CES Goes Mad for VR

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Oculus has announced that its long-awaited Rift virtual reality headset will be available for pre-order from 0800 Pacific Standard Time on 6 January, giving consumers their first chance to secure a version of the much-hyped device.

Every Rift will come bundled with virtual reality experience Luckys Tale, a platform game made specifically for virtual reality by Playful that enables users to explore dozens of 3D environments alongside a fun-loving fox.

Paul Bettner, the founder and CEO of Playful, was a high level backer of the Oculus Rift Kickstarter and visited the teams headquarters during its early development, prompting the company to focus on creating games for the Rift over the last three years.

While some details have been announced, Oculus remains remarkably cagey about others, with the price tag of the Rift still not announced. Last year, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey confirmed that the consumer model would cost more than the developer version, which was $350 (£239), while the company has claimed that buying the Rift and a PC to power it would cost around $1,500.

The news of the pre-order date comes as attendees at CES 2016 get their hands on a number of innovative VR solutions, including the HTC Vives new room-sensing camera which enables the headset to bridge the gap with augmented reality while maintaining immersion, and Foxs virtual reality sequel to film The Martian that lets users step into the shoes of astronaut Mark Watney as he explores Mars.