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{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox
| image = [[File:Toekomstfestival 20151.jpg|alt=A woman wears Rift Development Kit 2 at Toekomst Festival|300px]]
| caption = A woman using a Rift Development Kit 2.
| label1 = Type
| data1 = [[Head-mounted display]]
| label2 = Release date
| data2 = Q1 2016<ref>{{cite web|title=Rift - Next-generation virtual reality|url=https://www.oculus.com/en-us/rift/|website=Oculus.com|accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>
| label3 = Inventor(s)
| data3 = [[Palmer Luckey]] (founder)<ref name="BBC" />
| label4 = Manufacturer
| data4 = [[Oculus VR]]
| label5 = Display Technology
| data5 = [[OLED]]
| label6 = Resolution
| data6 = 2160x1200 (1080x1200 per eye)<ref name="oculus.com">{{cite web|last1=Binstock|first1=Atman|title=Powering the Rift|url=https://www.oculus.com/en-us/blog/powering-the-rift/|website=oculus.com|date=15 May 2015}}</ref>
| label7 = Refresh Rate
| data7 = 90 Hz<ref name="oculus.com"/>
| label8 = FOV (Nominal)
| data8 = 110 degrees or greater<ref name="gizmag.com"/>
| label9 = Head Tracking
| data9 = [[6DOF]] (3-axis rotational tracking + 3-axis positional tracking)
| label10 = Weight
| data10 = TBA (Lighter than 380g)
| label11 = Platforms
| data11 = [[Microsoft Windows]] ([[OS X]] and [[Linux]] planned)<ref name="oculus.com"/>
| label12 = Connection
| data12 = 1x [[HDMI|HDMI 1.3]] and 2x [[USB 3.0]]<ref name="oculus.com"/>
| label13 = Website
| data13 = {{Official website|http://www.oculus.com/rift/}}
}}

The '''Rift''' is a [[virtual reality]] [[head-mounted display]] developed by [[Oculus VR]]. It was initially proposed in a [[Kickstarter]] campaign, during which Oculus VR (at the time an independent company) raised {{US$|2.4 million|link=yes}} for the development of the product.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game|title=Oculus Rift: Step Into the Game|work=Kickstarter|accessdate=June 17, 2015}}</ref>

The Rift will be released in Q1 2016, making it one of the first consumer-targeted virtual reality headsets. Oculus has described it as "the first really professional PC-based VR headset".<ref name="gizmag.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.gizmag.com/oculus-rift-interview/38002/|title=Extended interview: The Oculus Rift, in its creators' own words|publisher=|accessdate=June 17, 2015}}</ref> It has a resolution of 1080x1200 per eye, a 90 Hz refresh rate, and a wide field of view.<ref name="oculus.com"/> It has integrated headphones which provide spatialised audio. The Rift has full [[Degrees of freedom (mechanics)#Six degrees of freedom|6 degree of freedom]] rotational and positional tracking. The positional tracking is performed by a separate tracking unit, which is included with each Rift and normally sits on the user's desk. This system allows for using the Rift while sitting, standing, or walking around the same room.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|title=The Oculus Rift, Oculus Touch, and VR Games at E3|url=https://www.oculus.com/en-us/blog/the-oculus-rift-oculus-touch-and-vr-games-at-e3/|website=oculus.com|date=11 June 2015}}</ref>

The Rift has gone through many prototype versions in the years since the Kickstarter campaign, around 5 of which were demoed to the public. Two of these prototypes were sold publicly as 'development kits', DK1 in late 2012 and DK2 in mid 2014, to give developers a chance to develop content in time for the Rift's release. However, both were also bought by a large number of enthusiasts who wished to get an early preview of the technology.<ref>http://vrfocus.com/archives/11676/iribe-100000-oculus-rift-dk2s-shipped/</ref>

==History==
Through Meant to be Seen (MTBS)'s 3D discussion forums,<ref name="AutoFU-2"/> [[Palmer Luckey]], the founder of Oculus, developed the idea of creating a new head-mounted display that was both more effective than what was then on the market, and inexpensive for gamers.

Coincidentally, [[John D. Carmack|John Carmack]] had been doing his own research and happened upon Luckey's developments. After sampling an early prototype, Carmack favored Luckey's approach and just before the 2012 [[Electronic Entertainment Expo]], [[Id Software]] announced that their future updated version of ''[[Doom 3]]'', ''[[Doom 3 BFG Edition|BFG Edition]]'', would be compatible with head-mounted display units.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/06/06/ign-reacts-john-carmack-makes-virtual-reality-actually-cool-with-new-head-tracking-device-e3-2012/ |title=Carmack Makes Virtual Reality Actually Cool}}</ref> During the convention, Carmack introduced a duct taped head-mounted display based on Luckey's Oculus Rift prototype, which ran Carmack's own software. The unit featured a high speed [[Inertial measurement unit|IMU]] and a {{convert|5.6|in|cm|adj=on}} [[LCD]] display, visible via dual lenses, that were positioned over the eyes to provide a 90 degrees horizontal and 110 degrees vertical [[stereoscopy|stereoscopic]] 3D perspective.<ref name="eurogamere3" /><ref name="g4tvrosenberg" />

===Development Kit 1===
[[File:Oculus Rift - Developer Version - Front.jpg|thumb|The Development Kit 1]]

Two months after being formed as a company, Palmer's [[Oculus VR]] launched a [[Kickstarter]] [[crowdfunding]] campaign for their virtual reality headset, which was named the Rift. The main purpose of the kickstarter was to get an initial Oculus Rift prototype into the hands of developers to begin integration of the device into their games- now referred to as DK1 (Development kit 1).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/26/a-brief-history-of-oculus/ |title=A Brief History Of Oculus |publisher=TechCrunch |date=2014-03-26 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref> DK1 was given as a reward to backers who pledged $300 or more on Kickstarter, and was later sold publicly for $300 on their website. These kits sold at a rate of 4–5 per minute for the first day, before slowing down throughout the week.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oculusvr.com/blog/update-on-developer-kit-technology-shipping-details/ |title=Update on Developer Kit Technology, Shipping Details |publisher=Oculus VR |date=November 28, 2012 |accessdate=2014-03-20}}</ref><ref name="AutoFU-5"/>

The Rift DK1 used a {{convert|7|in|cm|adj=on}} screen with a significantly lower pixel switching time than the original prototype, reducing latency and motion blur when turning one's head quickly. The pixel fill was also better, reducing the [[Screen-door effect|screen door effect]] and making individual pixels less noticeable. The [[LCD]] was brighter and the color depth is 24 bits per pixel.

The 7-inch screen also makes the stereoscopic 3D no longer 100% overlapping, the left eye seeing extra area to the left and the right eye seeing extra area to the right. The field of view (FOV) is more than 90 degrees horizontal (110 degrees diagonal), which is more than double the FOV of previous VR devices from other companies, and is the primary strength of the device. The resolution is 1280×800 (16:10 aspect ratio), which leads to an effective of 640×800 per eye (4:5 aspect ratio). However, since the Rift does not feature a 100% overlap between the eyes, the combined horizontal resolution is effectively greater than 640. The image for each eye is shown in the panel as a [[barrel distortion|barrel distorted]] image that is then corrected by [[Pincushion distortion|pincushion effect]] created by lenses in the headset, generating a spherical-mapped image for each eye.

Initial prototypes used a [[Hillcrest Labs]] [[3DoF]] head tracker that is normally 125&nbsp;Hz, with a special firmware that John Carmack requested which makes it run at 250&nbsp;Hz, tracker latency being vital due to the dependency of virtual reality's realism on response time. The latest version includes Oculus' new 1000&nbsp;Hz Adjacent Reality Tracker that will allow for much lower latency tracking than almost any other tracker. It uses a combination of 3-axis [[Gyroscope|gyros]], [[accelerometer]]s, and [[magnetometer]]s, which make it capable of absolute (relative to Earth) head orientation tracking without drift.<ref name="update11" /><ref name="AutoFU-1"/>

The development kit 1 also included interchangeable lenses that will allow for simple [[dioptric correction]].

The entire source for the Rift DK1 was released to the public in September 2014, including the firmware, schematics, and mechanicals for the device. The firmware is released under a [[simplified BSD license]], while the schematics and mechanicals are released under a [[Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0|Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License]].<ref>{{cite web|title=OculusVR/RiftDK1|url=https://github.com/OculusVR/RiftDK1|website=github.com|accessdate=29 September 2014}}</ref>

===HD Prototype===
In June 2013, a prototype of the rift that used a 1080p LCD panel was shown at [[Electronic Entertainment Expo]]. This step forwards to twice the number of pixels as DK1 significantly reduced the [[Screen-door effect|screen door effect]] and made objects in the virtual world more clear, especially at a distance. The poor resolution had been the main criticism of the DK1.<ref>{{cite web|title=E3 2013: New 1080p Oculus Rift with Unreal Engine 4|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/11/hands-on-new-1080p-oculus-rift-with-unreal-engine-4|work=IGN|accessdate=2013-11-01}}</ref>

This HD prototype is the only prototype of the Rift shown to the public which did not turn into a publicly available developer kit.

===Crystal Cove Prototype===
In January 2014, an updated prototype codenamed "Crystal Cove" was unveiled at [[Consumer Electronics Show]], which used a special low-[[persistence of vision]] [[OLED]] display as well as a new motion tracking system that utilized an external camera to track infrared dots located on the headset. The new motion tracking system would allow the system to detect actions such as leaning or crouching, which was claimed to help alleviate sickness experienced by users when the software did not respond to these actions.<ref name=verge-crystalcove>{{cite web|title=Oculus reveals Crystal Cove prototype virtual reality headset with intriguing OLED display|url=http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/7/5284918/oculus-rift-crystal-cove|work=The Verge|accessdate=January 7, 2014}}</ref>

===Development Kit 2===
[[File:Oculus Rift development kit 2.jpg|thumb|The Development Kit 2]]
In March 2014 at GDC, Oculus announced the upcoming Development Kit 2 (DK2) which began shipping in July 2014.<ref name="Announcing the Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 (DK2)" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-rift-dk2-review-dk1-comparison-vr-headset/ |title=Road to VR: The Oculus Rift DK2, In-Depth Review and DK1 Comparison|date = July 27, 2014|accessdate = February 17, 2015 |publisher = roadtovr.com |last = James |first = Paul}}</ref> This is a small refinement of the crystal cove prototype, featuring several key improvements over the first development kit, such as having a higher-resolution (960×1080 per eye) low-persistence OLED display, higher refresh rate, positional tracking, a detachable cable, and the omission of the need for the external control box.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-rift-developer-kit-2-dk2-pre-order-release-date-specs-gdc-2014/ |title=GDC 2014: Oculus Rift Developer Kit 2 (DK2) Release Date and Pre-order |last=Lang |first=Ben |publisher=roadtovr.com |date=March 19, 2014 |accessdate=2014-03-25}}</ref>

A teardown of DK2 revealed that it incorporates a modified [[Samsung Galaxy Note 3]] smartphone display, including the front panel from the device itself.<ref name=verge-gn3dk2>{{cite web|title=New Oculus Rift dev kit uses front of a Galaxy Note 3 as its screen|url=http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/31/5956589/new-oculus-dev-kit-uses-front-of-galaxy-note-3-for-display|website=The Verge|accessdate=31 July 2014}}</ref>

In February 2015, Oculus announced that over 100,000 DK2 units had been shipped up until that point.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://twitter.com/brendaniribe/status/565888922362728449|title = Brendan Iribe on Twitter: "Over 100k DK2's and tons of Gear VR's in the wild -- can't wait to see what the community creates. Everyone's a pioneer!"|date = February 12, 2015|accessdate = February 14, 2015|website = [[Twitter]]|publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>

===Crescent Bay Prototype===
In September 2014, during the Oculus Connect conference in Los Angeles, Oculus once again presented an updated version of the Rift, codenamed Crescent Bay. This version has a greater resolution than the DK2, a lower weight, built-in audio, and 360-degree tracking thanks to the presence of tracking LEDs in the back of the headset.<ref name=CrescentBay>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-unveils-new-crescent-bay-rift-model-with-in/1100-6422451/|title=Oculus Unveils New Crescent Bay Rift Model With Integrated Audio, 360 Tracking|date=2014-09-20}}</ref> Oculus has also licensed software library RealSpace3D, which is expected to provide the Rift with [[Head-related transfer function|HRTF]] and reverb algorithms.<ref name=CrescentBay/> During a panel at [[South by Southwest#2015|SXSW 2015]], titled "Explore the Future of VR", it was publicly announced for the first time that the prototype uses two screens instead of one as previously thought.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/13/8212205/oculus-crescent-bay-two-screen-vr-headset-palmer-luckey|title = The Oculus Crescent Bay is a two-screen VR headset|date = March 14, 2015|accessdate = March 14, 2015|website = The Verge|publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>

===Consumer Version===
On May 6, 2015 Oculus VR announced that the consumer version of the Rift will ship in Q1 2016 with pre-orders starting in late 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=First Look at the Rift, Shipping Q1 2016|url=https://www.oculus.com/en-us/blog/first-look-at-the-rift-shipping-q1-2016/|website=oculus.com|date=6 May 2015}}</ref>

The consumer version is an improved version of the Crescent Bay Prototype, featuring per-eye displays running at 90 Hz with a higher combined resolution than DK2, 360 degree positional tracking, integrated audio, a vastly increased positional tracking volume, and a heavy focus on consumer ergonomics and aesthetics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oculus.com/en-us/blog/first-look-at-the-rift-shipping-q1-2016/ |title=Blog — First Look at the Rift, Shipping Q1 2016 &#124; Oculus - Oculus VR |publisher=Oculus |date= |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

===Successor===
In June 2015, Oculus revealed that due to the rapid innovation in the VR industry, it intends to release a successor to the Rift in around 2 years from the Rift release, and that it is already being worked on.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/06/22/7537103.aspx |title=www.GameInformer.com |publisher=www.GameInformer.com |date=2015-06-22 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://uploadvr.com/oculus-rift-cv2-palmer/ |title=Oculus Already Working on the Second Consumer Version of the Rift, Says Palmer Luckey - Virtual Reality & Oculus News and Events |publisher=Uploadvr.com |date=2015-07-07 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

==Hardware==

===The Rift===
In order to work, the Rift must be connected by a cable to a PC running [[Microsoft Windows]] that will run the software (it is not a standalone device). This computer should be equipped with a powerful GPU at least equivalent to a NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD 290, and a CPU at least equivalent to Intel i5-4590.<ref>{{cite web|title = Blog — The Rift’s Recommended Spec, PC SDK 0.6 Released, and Mobile VR Jam Voting {{!}} Oculus - Oculus VR|url = https://www.oculus.com/en-us/blog/the-rifts-recommended-spec-pc-sdk-0-6-released-and-mobile-vr-jam-voting/|website = www.oculus.com|accessdate = 2015-06-16}}</ref>

The Rift uses an OLED panel for each eye, each having a resolution of 1080x1200. These panels have a refresh rate of 90 Hz and globally refresh, rather than scanning out in lines. They also use low persistence, meaning that they only display an image for 2 milliseconds of each frame. This combination of the high refresh rate, global refresh and low persistence means that the user experiences none of the motion blurring or judder that is experienced on a regular monitor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gizmodo.com/heres-the-final-oculus-rift-coming-in-early-2016-1710650824|title=Here's The Final Oculus Rift, Coming In Early 2016|author=Sean Hollister and Sean Buckley|publisher=Gawker Media|work=Gizmodo|accessdate=June 17, 2015}}</ref>

It uses high quality lenses to allow for a wide field of view.<ref name="oculus.com"/> The separation of the lenses is adjustable by a dial on the bottom of the device, in order to accommodate a wide range of interpupillary distances. The same pair of lenses are used for all users, however there are multiple facial interfaces so that the user's eyes can be positioned at a different distance. This also allows for users wearing glasses to use the Rift, as well as users with widely varying facial shapes.

Headphones are integrated, which provide real time spatialised binaural audio. This was developed from technology licensed from RealSpace 3D Audio, by Visisonics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-rift-dk2-realsense-3d-audio-preview-download/|title=A Preview of Oculus' Newly Licensed Audio Tech Reveals Stunning 3D Sound (download) - Road to VR|author=Paul James|work=Road to VR}}</ref>

The Rift has full [[Degrees of freedom (mechanics)#Six degrees of freedom|6 degree of freedom]] rotational and positional tracking. This tracking is performed by Oculus's Constellation tracking system, and is precise, low-latency, and sub-millimeter accurate.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

===Constellation===
Oculus's positional tracking system, used to track the position of the user's head as well as other VR devices, is called 'Constellation',<ref name=Constellation>{{cite web|url=http://vrfocus.com/archives/17005/palmer-luckey-explains-oculus-rifts-constellation-tracking-and-fabric/|title=Palmer Luckey Explains Oculus Rift's Constellation Tracking and Fabric - VRFocus|work=VRFocus|accessdate=June 17, 2015}}</ref> consisting of an external infrared camera which optically tracks VR devices.

The Rift, or any other device being tracked by the system, is fitted with a series of precisely positioned infrared LEDs under or above the surface, set to blink in a specific pattern. By knowing the position of the LEDs on the objects and their pattern, the system can determine the precise position of the device with sub-millimeter accuracy.<ref name=Constellation/>

Constellation can be used with a single tracking camera or with multiple cameras working together. One tracking camera will be included with the Rift, and users will be able to purchase additional cameras separately and position them to gain a higher total tracking volume, including tracking the volume of an entire room.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uploadvr.com/oculus-rift-room-scale/|title=Room scale rifting. Oculus rift positional tracking with Touch|work=Virtual Reality & Oculus News and Events|accessdate=June 17, 2015}}</ref>

Oculus will allow third party peripheral manufacturers to create devices that are tracked by the system, providing an API for them to use.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lang |first=Ben |url=http://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-to-open-rift-constellation-positional-tracking-api-to-third-parties/ |title=Oculus to Open 'Constellation' Positional Tracking API to Third-parties |publisher=Road to VR |date=2015-06-25 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

===Gamepad===
{{Main|Xbox One Controller}}
As a result of a partnership with [[Microsoft]], every Rift sold will include an [[Xbox One Controller|Xbox One Wireless Gamepad]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Stuart Dredge |url=http://www.theguardian.com/technology/live/2015/jun/11/liveblog-facebook-oculus-vr-rift-e3 |title=Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to ship with Xbox One controller – as it happened &#124; Technology |publisher=The Guardian |date=2015-06-11 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref> The purpose of this inclusion is that, according to Oculus, the majority of games in development for the Rift require a gamepad and do not use motion controllers such as Oculus Touch, so this will allow all users to play those games.<ref>{{cite web|author=Elizabeth Bogart |url=http://uploadvr.com/palmer-luckey-speaks-candidly-about-xbox-one-controllers-being-bundled-with-the-rift/ |title=Palmer Luckey Speaks Candidly About Xbox One Controllers Being Bundled with the Rift - Virtual Reality & Oculus News and Events |publisher=Uploadvr.com |date=2015-06-12 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

===Oculus Touch===
Oculus is also releasing a pair of controllers to be used with the Rift, called Oculus Touch. The controllers are sold as a pair, and are mirrors of each other- one for each hand. They are lightweight, wireless, handheld [[Motion controller#Gaming|motion controllers]] featuring a joystick, buttons, and two triggers- one for grabbing and one for shooting or firing. The controllers are fully tracked in 3D space by the Constellation system, so that the user sees them in virtual reality responding to their real world counterpart, giving the user the sensation of their hands being present in the virtual space.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/11/oculus-touch/|title=Oculus Previews "Oculus Touch" Handheld Motion-Tracking Haptic Controllers|author=Josh Constine|publisher=AOL|work=TechCrunch|accessdate=June 17, 2015}}</ref>

Oculus Touch also features a completely new system for detecting finger gestures made when holding the devices. This allows the user to perform actions like giving the thumbs up or pointing to objects or other users in virtual reality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/134252-what-is-oculus-touch-and-how-does-it-work-with-the-new-oculus-rift|title=What is Oculus Touch and how does it work with the new Oculus Rift?|author=Elyse Betters|work=Pocket-lint|accessdate=June 17, 2015}}</ref>

Oculus Touch will not be included with the Rift, and will instead be sold separately, released a few months after the Rift.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techradar.com/news/wearables/oculus-touch-will-be-in-your-hands-within-the-first-half-of-2016-1296512|title=Oculus Touch will be in your hands within the first half of 2016|author=Nick Pino|work=TechRadar|accessdate=June 17, 2015}}</ref>

==Software==

===Oculus Home===
When the user puts on the Rift, as detected by an internal proximity sensor, and no other content is being outputted to the headset, they are presented with ''Oculus Home''. This is the default environment of the Rift, allowing the user to launch VR applications they own, see if their friends are using the Rift, and purchase virtual reality content on the ''Oculus Home'' store, all without ever taking the headset off.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techradar.com/news/wearables/oculus-home-is-the-rift-s-homebase-1296412 |title=Oculus Home will let you buy games straight from the Rift |publisher=TechRadar |date= |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

''Oculus Home'''s store will be curated to only allow applications that run smoothly on the recommended hardware and experiences will be given ratings for their comfort (such as causing motion sickness or jump scares), however developers do not have to use ''Oculus Home'' to distribute content for the Rift, it is entirely optional.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/12/oculus-app-store/ |title=Oculus App Store Will Require Pre-Approvals, Comfort Ratings, Tax |publisher=TechCrunch |date=2015-06-12 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

A key feature of ''Oculus Home'' will be to allow users to buy an application while inside a VR environment preview of that application, instead of simply a 2D store page.<ref>{{cite web|last=Robertson |first=Adi |url=http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/11/8766943/oculus-rift-home-virtual-reality-interface |title=Oculus Rift portal will let you demo games in VR |publisher=The Verge |date=2015-06-11 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

===Runtime/Drivers===
The Rift does not appear to the user's operating system as a typical monitor. Instead, custom Oculus [[Device driver|drivers]] and a [[Runtime library|runtime]] service are used to allow applications to output directly to the Rift, bypassing the operating system and allowing for high refresh rates and low latency regardless of the user's setup.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://static.oculus.com/sdk-downloads/documents/Oculus_User_Guide_0.4.4.pdf |format=PDF |title=Oculus User Guide|publisher=Static.oculus.com |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

The user must have this Oculus PC runtime and the drivers installed in order to use the Rift. The runtime service facilitates stereoscopic separation, lens optical distortion, and the advanced rendering and driver techniques needed to deliver a high quality VR experience.

===SDK===
Content for the Rift is developed using the Oculus PC SDK, a free proprietary [[Software development kit|SDK]] available for [[Microsoft Windows]] (OSX and Linux support is planned for the future). This is a feature complete SDK which handles the difficult aspects of making content for a virtual reality headset for the developer, such as the optical distortion and advanced rendering techniques.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://developer.oculus.com/ |title=Creators — Home &#124; Oculus |publisher=Developer.oculus.com |date=2015-02-02 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

The Oculus SDK is directly integrated with the popular game engines [[Unity (game engine)|Unity 5]], [[Unreal Engine 4]], and [[Cryengine]]. This allows for developers of non-VR content to create content with little to no VR-specific code.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.unity3d.com/2015/06/09/unity-5-1-is-here/ |title=Unity 5.1 is here! – Unity Blog |publisher=Blogs.unity3d.com |date= |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unrealengine.com/vr-page |title=VR |publisher=Unrealengine.com |date= |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://vrfocus.com/archives/17544/cryengine-gets-oculus-support/ |title=CryENGINE Gets Oculus Support |publisher=VRFocus |date=2015-06-19 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

The Rift is an open platform, and thus developers do not need any approval or verification to develop, distribute, or sell content for it, and do not have to pay any licensing fees. The SDK however cannot be modified or reused for other purposes without permission.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jarvis |first=Matthew |url=http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/oculus-rift-will-be-an-open-platform-avoid-console-tactics-insists-founder/0152576 |title=Oculus Rift 'will be an open platform', avoid 'console tactics', insists founder &#124; Games industry news &#124; MCV |publisher=Mcvuk.com |date=2015-06-23 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

Content developed for the Development Kit 2 will be compatible with the Rift, however content developed for the Development Kit 1 will have to be upgraded to the latest SDK version to be compatible.

==Applications==

===Gaming===
Oculus has stated that the Rift is primarily a gaming device and that their main content focus will be gaming.<ref>{{cite news|author=Dan Kedmey |url=http://time.com/3918081/oculus-rift-release-date-microsoft/ |title=Oculus Rift Headset Available Early 2016, Xbox Controller Included |publisher=Time.com |date=2015-06-11 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

Existing games with a first person or fixed-camera perspective can be ported to VR with some development effort, however Oculus has stated that the best virtual reality games will be those that are designed for the Rift from the start.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=addUnJpjjv4 |title=Connect: Developing VR Experiences with the Oculus Rift |publisher=YouTube |date=2014-10-29 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

A number of [[AAA (video game industry)|AAA games]] have already added Rift support (and can be played with the Development Kit 2), including ''[[Project CARS]]'', ''[[Elite: Dangerous]]'', ''[[Euro Truck Simulator 2]]'', and ''[[Dirt Rally]]'', as well as a number of [[indie games]] such as ''[[Aaaaa!]]'' and ''[[Ether One]]''. Fans and hobbyists have also modded support for the Rift into several popular titles which allow for extensive low-level modding, including ''[[Minecraft]]'' and ''[[Flight Simulator X]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=142&t=17489 |title=Meant to be Seen - View topic - Minecrift release archive |publisher=Mtbs3d.com |date= |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://flyinside-fsx.com/ |title=FlyInside - Virtual Reality Flight Simulation |publisher=Flyinside-fsx.com |date= |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

In June 2015, [[Crytek]] announced a VR game called ''Robinson: The Journey'', the first [[Video game developer#Third-party developers|third party]] AAA VR exclusive game announced for the Rift.<ref>{{cite web|last=Purchese |first=Robert |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-06-15-crytek-announces-vr-game-robinson-the-journey |title=Crytek announces VR game Robinson: The Journey • |publisher=Eurogamer.net |date=2015-06-15 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

At the release event for the Rift in June 2015, Oculus announced 9 launch titles for the Rift, including ''[[Eve: Valkyrie|EVE: Valkyrie]]'' by [[CCP Games|CCP]] and ''Edge of Nowhere'' by [[Insomniac Games]]. It also announced that it was working with other developers including ''Final Fantasy'' developer [[Square Enix]] , ''Guitar Hero'' developer [[Harmonix]], and ''The Order: 1886'' developer [[Ready at Dawn]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Webster |first=Andrew |url=http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/11/8766703/oculus-rift-launch-games |title=These are the first Oculus Rift games |publisher=The Verge |date=2015-06-11 |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref><ref>http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/06/11/e3-2015-square-enix-harmonix-among-oculus-publisher-partnerships</ref>

In July 2015, Oculus revealed that it was fully funding more than 20 [[Second-party developer|second party]] high production value games made exclusively for the Rift, one of these being [[Insomniac Games|Insomniac]]'s ''Edge of Nowhere''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Parfitt |first=Ben |url=http://www.develop-online.net/news/oculus-studios-funding-20-games/0208843 |title=Oculus Studios funding 20+ games &#124; Latest news from the game development industry &#124; Develop |publisher=Develop-online.net |date= |accessdate=2015-07-17}}</ref>

===Non-Gaming===
====Media====
Oculus is including ''Oculus Cinema'' as a free application , which will allow the Rift to be used to view conventional movies and videos from inside a virtual cinema environment, giving the user the perception of viewing the content on a cinema sized screen.<ref>http://www.cnet.com/news/virtual-reality-and-the-silver-screen-a-match-made-in-heaven/</ref> There are also a number of third party virtual cinema applications that offer extensions of this concept such as multiple users watching the same movie in the space virtual space.<ref>http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2014/07/riftmax-theater-is-a-multi-user-virtual-meeting-space/</ref>

The Rift also offers the opportunity to view new types of media that are difficult or impossible to view on regular monitors; 360° 3D videos and 'virtual reality movies' (an entirely new medium).

Spherical videos (commonly called 360° videos) can be viewed simply by the user moving their head around, and the Rift opens up the possibility for stereoscopic spherical videos (commonly called 360° 3D videos). In September 2014, NextVR announced that they would be using a $200,000 camera rig to produce 360° 3D content for the Rift, incluing short films, as well livestreaming live events such as sports or concerts in 360° 3D.<ref>http://www.roadtovr.com/nextvr-stereoscopic-360-degree-vr-cam-uses-180000-worth-of-red-6k-cameras/</ref><ref>http://www.slashgear.com/nextvr-aims-to-transform-sports-entertainment-forever-05372279/</ref> In July 2015, Oculus announced a deal with Canadian film company Felix & Paul Studios to produce 360° 3D videos for the Rift.<ref>http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-07/17/oculus-rift-joins-felix-and-paul-vr-film-studios</ref>

The Rift also supports new medium of entertainment experiences, which Oculus calls 'virtual reality movies'. Oculus has established Oculus Story Studio to develop this type of content for the Rift, a team which has multiple former employees from major VFX companies such as [[PIXAR]] and [[Industrial Light & Magic|ILM]]. Oculus Story Studio showed off its first VR movie, ''Lost'', at the [[2015 Sundance Film Festival]], gaining positive reviews from attendees.<ref>http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/27/oculus-story-studio-is-the-pixar-of-virtual-reality/</ref><ref>https://vimeo.com/117849907</ref><ref>http://www.fastcompany.com/3041482/fast-feed/oculus-debuts-pixar-quality-virtual-reality-short-at-sundance-film-festival</ref>

The studio intends to have 5 VR shorts released with the Rift at launch, including ''Lost'', ''Bullfighter'', ''Henry'', ''Dear Angelica'', and ''Kabloom''.<ref>http://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-story-studio-promo-video-reveals-5-vr-short-films-works/</ref>

====Social====
Oculus believes that social applications will be the most popular virtual reality experiences in the long term.<ref>http://venturebeat.com/2014/03/25/zuckerberg-paints-a-surprising-future-for-oculus-vr-the-most-social-platform-ever/</ref> A number of social applications for the Rift are in development, and it is expected that there will be significant competition in the sector.<ref>http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2015/06/25/second-life-creator-linden-lab-prepares-to-test-parallel-vr-universe/</ref>

In May 2015, ''AltspaceVR'' launched a public beta for DK2 owners to try out their social VR platform. AltspaceVR allows people to inhabit a shared virtual space with spatial voice communications, cast content from the internet on virtual screens, interact with objects (allowing activities such as playing chess or other board games), and supports extra hardware like eye tracking and body tracking.<ref>http://fortune.com/2015/05/20/altspacevr-social-vr/</ref><ref>http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/06/01/411233592/getting-physical-and-emotional-in-virtual-reality?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=alltech&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews</ref>

In 2013, [[Philip Rosedale]], the founder of [[Second Life]], left [[Linden Lab]] to work on a new virtual world desinged for the Rift, called ''[[High Fidelity Inc|High Fidelity]]'', which will link thousands of user-hosted virtual environments together into a consistent virtual world.<ref>http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2013/10/philip-rosedale-leaves-linden-lab.html</ref><ref>http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/19/5732386/high-fidelity-philip-rosendale-telepresence-second-life-hands-on</ref>

In May 2015, [[Linden Lab]], the company behind [[Second Life]], announced that they too were working on a new virtual world, codenamed ''Project Sansar'', built for virtual reality headsets such as the Rift and [[Gear VR]]. Like Second Life, Sansar will be hosted on Linden's servers and lease virtual land to players, on which they can build and sell virtual items and services (which Liden will take a cut of). Linden Lab hopes to release Sansar by the end of 2016<ref>http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2015/06/25/second-life-creator-linden-lab-prepares-to-test-parallel-vr-universe/</ref>

====Industrial/Professional====
As well as consumer uses, the Rift has attracted significant interest from industry and professional spheres for productivity enhancement, visualisation, and advertising.

A number of architecture firms have been experimenting with using the Rift for visualisation and design. With the right software, the Rift allows architects to see exactly what their building will look like, and get an understating of the scale that is impossible on a traditional monitor.<ref>http://www.sentinelsource.com/mcclatchy/virtual-reality-technology-expands-to-a-blitz-of-uses-including/article_862a0069-845f-57a4-b564-12a1280c1e8e.html</ref>

In early 2015, [[Audi]] started using Rift Developer Kit 2's at dealerships to help customers configure the car they are interested in, as well as to see what driving a race in the car would be like.<ref>http://www.autoblog.com/2015/01/19/audi-reveals-virtual-reality-dealership-in-a-briefcase/</ref><ref>http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/06/26/audi-partners-somo-create-fan-experiences-using-google-glass-and-oculus-rift</ref>

The [[Norwegian Army]] has been experimenting with the Rift Development Kit 2 to allow for a greater situational awareness of armoured vehicle drivers and commanders.<ref>http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/5/5682942/the-norwegian-army-is-using-the-oculus-rift-to-drive-tanks</ref>

==See also==
* [[Project Morpheus (virtual reality)|Project Morpheus]]
* [[HTC Vive]]
* [[Gear VR]]
* [[Google Cardboard]]
* [[Virtual Boy]]
* [[Grounded Vindaloop]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
<!--ref name="oculusshare">{{cite web|url=http://www.techyhunt.com/2014/08/19/oculus-rift-specs-features-price/|title=Oculus Rift Specs, Features, Price|accessdate=September 22, 2014}}</ref-->
<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19085967|title=Oculus Rift virtual reality headset gets Kickstarter cash|publisher=BBC|date=August 1, 2012|accessdate=August 1, 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoFU-1">{{cite web|url=http://www.roadtovr.com/2012/10/25/oculus-rift-headtracker-adjacent-reality-1695 |title=Former Apple Talent Developing Oculus Rift Headtracker, "9 DOF" and 760Hz Gyro Sampling |publisher=Roadtovr.com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>
<ref name="update11">{{cite web|url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game/posts/316239 |title=Oculus Rift: Step Into the Game by Oculus » Online Pre-Orders Live! – Kickstarter |publisher=Kickstarter.com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoFU-2">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=140&t=14777 |title=Meant to be Seen – View topic – Oculus "Rift" : An open-source HMD for Kickstarter |publisher=Mtbs3d.com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>
<!-- THIS REF IS NOT USED PLEASE USE IT<ref name="AutoFU-3">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtbs3d.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13128:john-carmack-talks-vr-at-quakecon-2012&catid=35&Itemid=73 |title=The #1 Stereoscopic 3D Gaming (S-3D Gaming, 3D Gaming) Resource &#124; Meant to be Seen – John Carmack Talks VR at QuakeCon 2012 |publisher=Mtbs3d.com |date=August 4, 2012 |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>-->
<ref name="eurogamere3">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-06-07-john-carmack-and-the-virtual-reality-dream|title=John Carmack and the Virtual Reality Dream|work=[[Eurogamer]]|last=Welsh|first=Oli|date=June 7, 2012|accessdate=August 1, 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="g4tvrosenberg">{{cite web|url=http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/725013/hands-on-with-oculus-rift-john-carmacks-virtual-reality-goggles/|title=Hands-On With Oculus Rift, John Carmack's Virtual Reality Goggles|work=G4TV|last=Rosenberg|first=Adam|date=June 14, 2012|accessdate=August 1, 2012}}</ref>
<!-- Unused Source, please use it<ref name="eurogamerkickstarter">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-08-01-john-carmacks-snazzy-vr-headset-takes-to-kickstarter-with-the-oculus-rift|title=John Carmack's snazzy VR headset takes to Kickstarter with the Oculus Rift|work=[[Eurogamer]]|last=Matulef|first=Jeffrey|date=August 1, 2012|accessdate=August 1, 2012}}</ref> -->
<!-- Unused Source, please use it<ref name="AutoFU-4">{{cite web|url=http://www.roadtovr.com/2012/08/03/watch-the-quakecon-vr-keynote-tonight-live-at-7pm-est-oculus-rift-kickstarter-passes-1-million-under-36-hours/ |title=Watch the QuakeCon VR Keynote Tonight Live at 7PM EST. Oculus Rift Kickstarter Passes $1 Million Under 36 Hours " Road to Virtual RealityRoad to Virtual Reality |publisher=Roadtovr.com |date=August 6, 2012 |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>-->
<ref name="AutoFU-5">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=120&t=15522 |title=Oculus Rift pre-order open now |publisher=Mtbs3d.com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>
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<ref name="uscinteractive">{{cite web|url=http://interactive.usc.edu/2012/06/12/mxr-lab-members-and-alum-get-play-at-e3/|title=MxR Lab Members and Alum Get Play at E3|last=Nelson|first=David|date=June 12, 2012|publisher=[[University of Southern California]]|accessdate=August 2, 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="uscmxr">{{cite web|url=http://projects.ict.usc.edu/mxr/|title=MxR|publisher=[[University of Southern California]]|accessdate=August 2, 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="uscmxrpeople">{{cite web|url=http://projects.ict.usc.edu/mxr/meet/people/|title=People|publisher=[[University of Southern California]]|accessdate=August 2, 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoFU-21">{{cite web|url=http://projects.ict.usc.edu/mxr/diy/fov2go-viewer/|title=FOV2GO Viewer|publisher=[[University of Southern California]]|accessdate=March 12, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoFU-22">{{cite web|url=http://www.projectholodeck.com/ |title=Project Holodeck " Project Holodeck |publisher=Projectholodeck.com |date=May 17, 2013 |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoFU-23">{{cite web|url=http://www.roadtovr.com/2012/07/20/project-holodeck-seeks-to-create-a-low-cost-full-motion-vr-gaming-environment-with-the-help-of-the-oculus-rift-hmd/ |title=Project Holodeck Seeks to Build a Platform for Virtual Reality GamesRoad to Virtual Reality |publisher=Roadtovr.com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>
<ref name="TF2">{{cite web|url=http://www.geek.com/articles/games/valve-to-show-off-oculus-rift-ready-team-fortress-2-at-gdc-20130116/|title=geek.com: Valve to show off Oculus Rift-ready Team Fortress 2 at GDC}}</ref> -->

<ref name="Announcing the Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 (DK2)">{{cite web|url=http://www.oculusvr.com/blog/announcing-the-oculus-rift-development-kit-2-dk2/ |title=Announcing the Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 (DK2) |publisher=Oculus VR |date=March 19, 2014|accessdate=2014-05-06}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{Kickstarter|1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game}}

{{Mixed reality}}
{{Facebook navbox}}

[[Category:American inventions]]
[[Category:Facebook acquisitions]]
[[Category:Head-mounted displays]]
[[Category:Kickstarter projects]]
[[Category:Oculus Rift]]
[[Category:Virtual reality]]

Revision as of 18:57, 4 August 2015

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