We heard late last month that the John Carmack-endorsed Oculus Rift VR headset would be hitting Kickstarter any day now, and it turns out today is that day.
that the John Carmack-endorsed Oculus Rift VR headset would be hitting Kickstarter any day now, and it turns out today is that day. The project has just launched on the crowd-funding site with a goal of $250,000. To reach that, the team (led by company founder Palmer Lucky) is offering a variety pledge options, starting with posters and t-shirts for $15 and $25 (or $10 for a simple thanks), and of course the headset itself that is initially only being offered as a developer kit. It will set you back $300, which also includes a copy of Doom 3 BFG , and is expected to start shipping in December (signed kits and a complete bundle are available as well). Those that act fast can also snag one of 100 unassembled prototype kits, which run $275 and ship a month earlier in November. Despite that developer-only status, though, the project is already off to an impressive start -- it's raised over $50,000 as of this writing. You can find the usual video overview of the project after the break.
The 100 prototype kits are now sold out, and the project itself has already sailed past the $100,000$150,000 mark. John Carmack also clarified on Twitterthat he's not "backing" the project in any official capacity, only endorsing it as a "wonderful advancement in VR tech."
Update 2: And the project has now easily met its goal on the first day. Those interested are still able to make a pledge any time over the next 30 days.