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Oculus Pre-E3 Press Conference

  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 4:30:58 PM
    Welcome to the Oculus pre-E3 event liveblog! We’re here in San Francisco ready for their event, which should be starting at 10am PT
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 4:31:50 PM
    So, what's going on? Well, in 2012, there was this guy called Palmer Luckey, who announced a Kickstarter project for a new virtual reality headset called the “Rift.” The promise was to finally bring the sci-fi dream of head-mounted screens that transport you into a virtual world.
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 4:38:00 PM
    The thing was a hit. It became one of the most successful Kickstarters in history, raising nearly $2.5 million from 9,522 backers. Oculus has since shipped more than 175,000 prototypes to eager developers around the world.
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 4:40:00 PM

    Facebook bought the company for $2 billion last year, and suddenly the world stood up and took notice that VR was officially a thing. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, said he believed this technology will change the way we interact with computers, and possibly each other too.
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 4:45:00 PM
    Oculus of course isn’t alone in this VR stuff. There’s Valve, the popular game maker behind the Half-Life and Portal adventure games, as well as the Steam game download service. That company partnered with smartphone maker HTC to make a headset called the Vive, which is coming out in time for the holidays.
  • John Falcone 6/11/2015 4:47:42 PM
    Our own Nate Ralph recently put together a comprehensive list of the VR and AR (augmented reality) products that are available or announced: Check out all of the VR gear coming to a pair of eyes near you
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 4:51:00 PM

    There’s also Sony, which makes a device called “Project Morpheus,” which is launching next year. That device is made specifically to work with the PlayStation. We’ll likely learn more about it next week at the E3 video game show in Los Angeles. (Don’t worry, CNET will be there!)
  • John Falcone 6/11/2015 4:51:50 PM
    And here is Scott Stein's impression of Oculus Rift as it existed 5 months ago, at the CES in Las Vegas: ​Oculus Rift's latest iteration lets you walk through virtual space, and it's amazing
  • John Falcone 6/11/2015 4:54:00 PM
    Here are our impressions of Project Morpheus when we tried it in March: Sony Morpheus gets a better screen, a more comfortable headset and a fun demo (hands-on)
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 4:55:00 PM
    So, what are we expecting to find out today? Well, Oculus is likely to be talking about new games for its device, including potentially some key partnerships that will help set it apart from the growing chorus of competition. The company may also show off special controllers that respond to a player’s body movements, a key technology that Sony and Valve say they plan to offer. Until now, Oculus has primarily relied on a standard controller designed for the Xbox, filled with buttons and joysticks. Critics say the company needs to do more.
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 4:57:17 PM
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 4:58:00 PM

    One thing we already know is that the Rift will be going on presale later this year. That’s an important move, considering Valve/HTC’s Vive will be hitting the market months before Oculus does.
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 4:58:07 PM
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 4:59:34 PM
    It's not a terribly big room here, but it's comfortable. They've set it up with couches and padded chairs. If this event runs long, at least my backside will be comfortable.
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 4:59:52 PM
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:00:20 PM
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:01:04 PM
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:01:33 PM
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:02:05 PM
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:02:24 PM
    Shazam doesn't understand any of the music here. It's all soft technoy music. Kinda like what you'd hear playing at a party thrown by a Bond villain.
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:02:37 PM
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:05:38 PM
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:05:38 PM
    Convenient timing? Just got an announcement that Google bought a VR/3-D tech developed by Trinity College Dublin.
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:06:03 PM
    We're starting. Brendan Iribe, CEO of Oculus on stage
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:06:36 PM
    "We set out to finally deliver on the dream of virtual reality with the Oculus Rift," Iribe says.
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:06:36 PM
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:06:50 PM
    An incredible community came together to support the Kickstarter, he said. "It blew our minds."
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:06:56 PM
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:07:14 PM
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:07:21 PM
    Why VR? "Since the inception of Atari and Apple some 40 years ago, we've been on this journey of incredible breakthroughs in computers and gaming."
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:07:34 PM
    "My childhood is littered with these memories," Iribe says.
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:07:42 PM
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:07:55 PM
    "But there's been something missing, there's been something holding it back. It's always been trapped behind a 2D display," he says.
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:08:03 PM
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:08:44 PM
    "Your brains knows it," he says. "Your subscioncious says don't worry, it's just an image on a screen."
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:08:44 PM
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:09:02 PM
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:09:29 PM
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:09:50 PM
    "We're finally able to deliver on the dream of virtual reality," he says. "You'll be able to slip on a pair of Oculus goggles and teleport to different worlds."
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:09:51 PM
    "Gamers have been dreaming about this for decades and it's finally here."
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:10:25 PM
    Now, they're doing a dramatic reveal of the headset that they're launching. It has attached earphones and a cord coming out of it.
  • James Martin 6/11/2015 5:10:42 PM
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:11:05 PM
    The camera for it is on a stand, which is smart. The camera helps the system keep track of where you are.
  • Ian Sherr 6/11/2015 5:11:20 PM
    "You're going to experience games as you've always dreamed of experiencing them," Iribe says.
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