Virtual reality company Oculus VR announced a new prototype version of its flagship Rift headset on Saturday, inching the Facebook-owned company closer to releasing a consumer-ready product to stores.
The new rig, code-named Crescent Bay, boasts an updated display, 360-degree head tracking, expanded positional tracking volume, improved weight and ergonomics, and optional integrated audio. "This is a step along the path, much like [previous Rift prototype] Crystal Cove," Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe said at the company's Oculus Connect developer conference in Hollywood, California. "But it's a massive leap."
The new prototype allows users to experienced sustained and immersive experiences in a virtual world, says Iribe, helping them forget what they're looking at isn't real. "It's not perfect, but it's is a huge step forward to the consumer Rift," he said.
Founded two years ago by Iribe and VR prodigy Palmer Luckey, Oculus was purchased by Facebook earlier this year in a deal worth $2 billion. Oculus VR has shipped more than 100,000 prototype headsets to developers in more than 130 countries.
Facebook isn't the only tech giant interested in virtual reality. Last month, Oculus announced a deal to make headsets for Samsung; the Gear VR mobile virtual reality rig allows users to drop the upcoming Galaxy Note IV phone into an Oculus-made headset. In March,
The Oculus Connect conference continues all day Saturday, and is being streamed live on Twitch.
