Games By Russell Holly Mar. 19, 2014 2:30 pm
Just hours after Sony announced their*competing headset concept*for the PS4,*the Oculus “Crystal Cove” prototype has been finalized. The “DK2″ represents total refresh for the Oculus Rift developer kit and*one small step closer to a consumer launch.
New sensors, new screens, and a smaller but slightly heavier frame are just a few of the changes that were expected in the next version of the Oculus Rift headset. These virtual reality goggles have been making waves for well over a year now, and most people don’t even have a reason to purchase them yet. Game developers have been tinkering and adding support for everything from truck driver simulators to first person shooters, and now that they have something closer to a final model to work with the real fun can begin.
Oculus has worked hard to address every major pain point that developers have expressed so far in working with the Rift platform. The displays have been increased to 960×1080 per eye, with an optimized sensor layout that puts the original off the shelf sensor layout to shame with its performance increases. On top of this, an external camera has been added to better track your movements for use in whatever game environment you are in. The overall design is smaller, replacing rigid corners with smooth surfaces. It looks much more like a finished product, but Oculus has assured everyone that they still have more planned.
The DK2 will be available to developers through a pre-order starting today for $350, and will come with everything you need to get right back to work from the first developer kit. If you’re waiting for a consumer release, there’s nothing resembling a shelf date for a finished product. If you’ve decided you just can’t wait anymore and you have to have one, it looks like the DK2 will be a little easier to get ahold of than the original.
More...
New sensors, new screens, and a smaller but slightly heavier frame are just a few of the changes that were expected in the next version of the Oculus Rift headset. These virtual reality goggles have been making waves for well over a year now, and most people don’t even have a reason to purchase them yet. Game developers have been tinkering and adding support for everything from truck driver simulators to first person shooters, and now that they have something closer to a final model to work with the real fun can begin.
Oculus has worked hard to address every major pain point that developers have expressed so far in working with the Rift platform. The displays have been increased to 960×1080 per eye, with an optimized sensor layout that puts the original off the shelf sensor layout to shame with its performance increases. On top of this, an external camera has been added to better track your movements for use in whatever game environment you are in. The overall design is smaller, replacing rigid corners with smooth surfaces. It looks much more like a finished product, but Oculus has assured everyone that they still have more planned.
The DK2 will be available to developers through a pre-order starting today for $350, and will come with everything you need to get right back to work from the first developer kit. If you’re waiting for a consumer release, there’s nothing resembling a shelf date for a finished product. If you’ve decided you just can’t wait anymore and you have to have one, it looks like the DK2 will be a little easier to get ahold of than the original.
More...
