Some leaked information?

[AlexiGVS]

I hope it's not a repost. I found some interesting information about CV1 release date.
Some thoughts? Fake?

I have been debating whether or not to post this. I've decided to do it. Since I am under a NDA, I want to be careful about keeping my identity secret. This will be my only post using this account.
Since the Facebook acquisition, a new and vastly improved CV1 is being planned. With all the resources we have now, the team is planning to custom-make some of the key components. The screen will be one of these components. The main goal with these new screens is to decrease the space between pixels. There are other things being considered, but none have been set in stone.
Unfortunately, designing and manufacturing these parts will take some time. As a result, CV1's release date has been pushed back to late Q1 of 2015, although it may end up being Q2 if any unforeseen complications pop up (and they always do, so keep that in mind.)
There is talk of releasing a lower-spec consumer version (still better than DK2) by Q4 of 2014, and then releasing the improved version with custom-parts later. If this ends up happening, the improved version will simply be CV2 and will be released in late 2015. This has not been decided yet and is still being debated internally.
To end this on a good note, having tried many of the prototypes we have internally, you guys haven't seen anything yet!

http://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/22ukqd/i_work_at_oculus_and_i_have_information_about_the/

[Leahy]

Well I'd prefer a 1440p rift next May instead of a 1080p Consumer version in Q4 2014 and have to buy another in Q4 2015. I can understand that they could make more money in the short term that way though. In the long term they would just be distancing themselves from their dedicated fans and perhaps a competitor might be more interesting in the future. I'll for sure buy all of them but I really think 1080p just isn't quite good enough for a consumer version

Of course this is all just wild speculation

[AlexiGVS]

I see myself getting a Sony after the Oculus DK2, (because it makes sense developing for PS4 as well) rather than replacing DK2 with CV1.

I think CV1 will be MUCH better than DK2 and Morpheus..

[ElectricMucus]

Fake as fuck.

lol at anybody who sincerely hopes CV1 will be coming out this year. :lol:

[Gizmotweak]

Mid 2015 sounds logical.

I dont expect a 2014 CV1 now that they can go big.

I bet the farm on CV2 being the new CV1 and coming in mid 2015.

I don't actually have a farm, but if I did...

With DK2 out i dont think it matters if they beat Sony to market...sony is playstation only anyway...unless they suddenly announce for PC...then all bets are off.

Glad i ordered the DK2, now i will have plenty of time ot get up to speed before the release of the consumer version.

[captaintrips]

We don't need CV1 yet. I'd be fine if they pushed it back to 2015. While the community here is ready... the world is not, nor are the developers. You release it right now, and there's nothing for it. There won't be anything for it by the end of 2014. There might not even be anything for it during 2015. In fact, half the stuff for it is all alpha, beta, or just low grade demo development which won't impress the masses. In case you haven't noticed... the demo's have come to a grinding halt over the past while. Rarely do I see anything new posted on Oculus Share center or Riftenabled. And then your're going to have to prove it will do something more than just 10 year old games (which I know it can) at affordable prices (which the hardware required is going to turn off most).

Personally, I like this yearly development kit cycle we are seeing so far. I'd like to see a DK3 this time next year, and then *maybe* a retail version by the end of 2015 or spring/summer 2016. It really doesn't matter whether someone like Sony ends up releasing one as they have nothing to show for if they do. Maybe a launch game or two. And for consoles, it'll likely end up like the Kinect... great hardware, no software. Remember... console market wants it cheap, they want it fast, and they want little to do with anything other than laying on the couch and powering on the TV and system/controller at most. They are inherently lazy... and by that I mean they are not tinkering types and lack the enthusiastic approach of anything outside maybe a new game or console release. They fail to comprehend the importance and depth of any new technology. Anything else is just more work for them to do, and more money. They don't have the mindset to comprehend the potential or scale of additional hardware... they quite literally live in the "here and now" and lack the technical interest and patience of the PC crowd. Their mentality is not to invest time and effort, but rather complete and move on. Games and peripheals are completely "fly by night" to them... which is ironic, considering they'll use the same hardware in their console for years on end, yet I am grumpy after only several months of having the same CPU and GPU.

So I'd much rather see Oculus take their time refining stuff, pushing developers to start pumping out apps, than rushing to release it and have it flop due to little to no dev support. The rush to commercialize and capitalize is what ultimately destroys a product. I think they know that, and I think they are currently taking the right steps to make sure that doesn't happen.

[ThreeEyes]

"Leahy" wrote:
Well I'd prefer a 1440p rift next May instead of a 1080p Consumer version in Q4 2014 and have to buy another in Q4 2015. I can understand that they could make more money in the short term that way though. In the long term they would just be distancing themselves from their dedicated fans and perhaps a competitor might be more interesting in the future. I'll for sure buy all of them but I really think 1080p just isn't quite good enough for a consumer version

Of course this is all just wild speculation

In the PAX East interview Cerebral posted above, Luckey says CV1 will be higher res than DK2 but that seems to be all he really says specific. But from listening to what he says (in that part of the interview as well as part 1), it does sound like CV1 is being pushed out to accommodate more new and custom tech. How much new and custom tech is hard to say because Palmer doesn't except that getting some of it going costs "hundreds of millions of dollars". I would bet that has to do with the display itself but only they know what he is referring to.

With the PAX interview and the Facebook development, he seems to keep saying CV1 will be better but doesn't say how much better or when we'll see it. Since DK2 is 1080P and CV1 (whenever it is coming out) is "higher resolution" the next logical step is 2560x1440 or higher. While it would be a significant improvement over DK2, I'm not waiting until late this year or even mid to late next year to see it.

I do agree that marketing multiple versions in such a short time period is wasteful and also makes it harder for developers since they have to support the different versions. But DK2 is not a retail setup and it could be that whatever other goodies planned for CV1 can be accommodated by double stick taping them onto the DK2 and plugging them into the USB port. Just as the latency tester was made available after DK1, whatever fun thing could be made available after DK2 if necessary and it may not be necessary.

And just a comment about what Luckey said in that PAX interview - he seems to be thinking way out into the future about how much of an impact VR will have over things like big screen TVs and such. He talks about the waste in manufacturing, packaging, shipping, and selling big screen TVs and also virtual 180 or 360 degree displays for sims/games. He is right but I don't think the VR market penetration is going to be what he speculates it will. It will take a long time for people sitting together to watch a movie or TV show are able to interact with each other wearing goggles the same way they can with a TV in front of them and no goggles.

I think VR will see much faster acceptance and use in the sim/gaming world and the replacing everyday experiences thing is way off in the future. I think that is obvious but he seems to stress how much VR will change everything. I think that's a bit utopian/dystopian.

[Itsinthemind]

"captaintrips" wrote:
We don't need CV1 yet. I'd be fine if they pushed it back to 2015. While the community here is ready... the world is not, nor are the developers. You release it right now, and there's nothing for it. There won't be anything for it by the end of 2014. There might not even be anything for it during 2015. In fact, half the stuff for it is all alpha, beta, or just low grade demo development which won't impress the masses. In case you haven't noticed... the demo's have come to a grinding halt over the past while. Rarely do I see anything new posted on Oculus Share center or Riftenabled. And then your're going to have to prove it will do something more than just 10 year old games (which I know it can) at affordable prices (which the hardware required is going to turn off most).

Personally, I like this yearly development kit cycle we are seeing so far. I'd like to see a DK3 this time next year, and then *maybe* a retail version by the end of 2015 or spring/summer 2016. It really doesn't matter whether someone like Sony ends up releasing one as they have nothing to show for if they do. Maybe a launch game or two. And for consoles, it'll likely end up like the Kinect... great hardware, no software. Remember... console market wants it cheap, they want it fast, and they want little to do with anything other than laying on the couch and powering on the TV and system/controller at most. They are inherently lazy... and by that I mean they are not tinkering types and lack the enthusiastic approach of anything outside maybe a new game or console release. Anything else out side of that is just more work for them to do, and more money. They don't have the mindset to comprehend the potential or scale of additional hardware... they quite literally live in the "here and now" and lack the technical interest and patience of the PC crowd. Games and peripheals are completely "fly by night" to them... which is ironic, considering they'll use the same hardware in their console for years on end, yet I am grumpy after only several months of having the same CPU and GPU.

So I'd much rather see Oculus take their time refining stuff, pushing developers to start pumping out apps, than rushing to release it and have it flop due to little to no dev support. The rush to commercialize and capitalize is what ultimately destroys a product. I think they know that, and I think they are currently taking the right steps to make sure that doesn't happen.

I largely have to agree with what you are saying. Content is important. Sony created some very safe demos at their launch and I think they will do anything in their power to make sure the launch titles sell their HMDs and are safe for consumption. If I am not mistaken Oculus are putting resources into software in order to impress the wider public. I personally feel I will need at least another year for my own project, which is relatively simple, and the longer I am working on it the more I discover the cracks. I think that is one of the reasons developers are more cautious showing off their projects. The more is shown, the more critical we become of quality and standards, after the first enthusiasm is dissipated.

I am sure Epic and other content houses who have shown enthusiasm for VR will take a similar cautious approach. It could even be that the simpler immersion experiences, such as remote concerts and sports events etc, which only require camera work, may be first to the market as a safe option. I don't think Sony would like to be the first to be sued if somebody has a heart attack because they were frightened to death by the experience. It will have to be just right and develoment time is important.

[KaTsuoo1]

BS... They would be out of their mind if they even would consider to release another version just around half a year after the first one. I can only see this happening if they get some serious competition and they decide that they got the be the first one out, but then also, that they have to have the best hardware.

[captaintrips]

"KaTsuoo1" wrote:
BS... They would be out of their mind if they even would consider to release another version just around half a year after the first one. I can only see this happening if they get some serious competition and they decide that they got the be the first one out, but then also, that they have to have the best hardware.

They have very, very big expectations to meet to overcome the past failures of VR. I don't think they are going to rush anything at all despite what is released by other companies between now and then. It has to be absolutely perfect when CV1 comes out the door. Anything less and its doomed.

NOW, that's a double edged sword. The problem at hand is all the other guys creating VR headsets are going to ride the wave of Oculus's popularity; trying to get a cash grab to be the first one out. The scary part about that is, of course, if another company does release it's headset before Oculus, and its half-assed or utterly lacking, and then everyone uses that to say "so VR still sucks", gives consumers another failed impression, and its shunned once again before Oculus ever gets the chance to release their product. Of course, I don't want Oculus rushing their product just to beat the other guy in hopes of saving the day from some knock-off VR company from ruining the new buzz they've worked soooo hard to reignite in the field. BUT... I don't want to see VR die from some scumbag who tried to beat Oculus to the punch and release something that ruins it for everyone.

For example... all these knockoff wannabe Rift headsets that let you use your Cellphone as the screen? Yeah, that kind of crap is going to ding the VR crowd. I'm sorry, but its uber-gimmicky. And sadly, there's ALOT of them popping up. They need to just go away until Oculus can rub the consumer the right way. Because when the Rift does ship retail, and its as awesome as they say it will be (and I know it will be), then anything from there on out that sucks, the consumer will simply say "This is nowhere near as good as the Oculus headset", instead of "Well, this (insert cellphone-based headset here) just outright sucks... so, I guess the oculus will suck too". That's what we don't want to happen.

My biggest fear is that the Facebook Acquisition of Oculus may hurt their efforts in securing the future of VR... but not because Facebook sucks and wants to micromanage it (because im sure that's not the case), but rather because you'll have all these cheapo fly-by-night knockoff companies wanting a piece of that pie and suddenly say "WELL IF I RELEASE THIS, MAYBE SOME HUGE MEGA CORPORATION WILL BUY ME FOR A BILLION DOLLARS TOO!". And then we are suddenly flooded with tons and tons of mediocre VR products. I really hope that doesn't happen... but, I'd be lying if I said its probably not already starting. Though I give Oculus credit where its due... It truly appears that unlike most, who sell out for quick cash, that Oculus is not taking that money for themselves, but to pump it all into research and development. They "shook hands with the devil" to make a better product... not make more money. Very rare kind of epicness in business nowadays.

It's a awesome but very very dangerous time for VR right now. I think the world is holding its breath to see just how it turns out.... willing to forget and forgive for past limitations and failures in consumer VR. Things have to fall into place just perfectly, or its over.

[ThreeEyes]

I'd love to see a graph of DK2 sales over time with various interview dates marked on it.

I bet DK2 sales are going up right now... 😄