Intel and Oculus Bring Virtual Reality Experience to Best Buy Stores across the US

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
On May 7, Intel and Oculus will unveil the first retail demo of Oculus Rift, giving people an opportunity to try out the long-awaited virtual reality headset, connected to an Intel-powered PC. The demo will take place in 48 Best Buy locations nationwide, exclusively those with The Intel Experience – a dedicated in-store zone that showcases the latest emerging technologies and amazing experiences that Intel brings to life. Currently, Intel® Core™ i5 and Core i7 processors are the only processors that meet Oculus’ recommended specifications for the full Rift experience, which renders realistic images and natural interactions.
 
So they've got enough units to roll out to show at Best Buys all over the country and even sell at retail in limited quantities but if you ordered one direct you're likely still waiting for it. Nice middle finger you've got there, Oculus.
 
Disclaimer: If you are feeling sick after 10 minutes of use, please vomit in one of the 4 cans placed around the display.

This is stupid.
 
Dwango said:
So they've got enough units to roll out to show at Best Buys all over the country and even sell at retail in limited quantities but if you ordered one direct you're likely still waiting for it. Nice middle finger you've got there, Oculus.
Click to expand...

Yup. Mine isn't slated for shipment until the 9th-19th (ordered 12 minutes after launch). I'll probably just try to get one from BB or Amazon and cancel my preorder.

Oculus Rift Hits Stores This Weekend, Some Still Waiting on Pre-orders - IGN
 
My face is ready...

abreva-cream.png
 
Since they are screwing over the pre orders don't expect any real support or service. I got two words for Occulus Rift one starts with F and the second one ends with u. VR is just another worthless fad anyway.....
 
zalazin said:
Since they are screwing over the pre orders don't expect any real support or service. I got two words for Occulus Rift one starts with F and the second one ends with u. VR is just another worthless fad anyway.....
Click to expand...
Here is my ETA as of this morning.

Order Status
Pre-order
Tracking #
(TBA when your order ships)
Order #
6130000XXXXX
Estimated Ship Date
7/25/2016 - 8/4/2016
 
Nukester said:
Mainly just vague. Don't really feel like it's a solid communication.
Click to expand...
Well, FWIW that was just a cut and paste off the Oculus Order History page, there is a lot of other information there.
 
Nukester said:
Did you order for reviewing or for yourself? Are you not concerned about the time limitations of wearing this before starting to feel ill? I remember the when the shutter glasses came out for nVidia. I got suckered into that. They made me sick.
Click to expand...
Reviewing - Yes - Yep
 
Just got my rift yesterday evening. Had a few hours with it. It's definitely a mixed bag. Not surprising as it's first gen. Project cars is all kinds of awesome with a steering wheel + pedal setup. i'm going to see if I can further tweak gfx settings though as I just used it as is. I felt my titan-x was being under utilized :). I need to get my hotas properly setup for ED before jumping to far into it, but I want to try that out. I had problems with eve valkyrie and constant ship spinning, but I suspect it's because my rudder pedals were plugged in and eve has no control options I could find. Stupid non customizable game. It sure looks perty though.

Now the unfortunate part of all of this is I have a Vive coming in tomorrow. I ordered the Vive because of the constant delays with the rift. I logged into cancel my vive order yesterday after my oculus experience and saw the tracking number... Anybody need a vive in the austin area? :).

On actual topic, nothing really surprising they are doing with putting them in retail stores with pre-orders still behind. People will be angry, but companies do this all the time with launch day in store sales and pre-orders being separate.
 
Dawill said:
Just got my rift yesterday evening. Had a few hours with it. It's definitely a mixed bag. Not surprising as it's first gen. Project cars is all kinds of awesome with a steering wheel + pedal setup. i'm going to see if I can further tweak gfx settings though as I just used it as is. I felt my titan-x was being under utilized :). I need to get my hotas properly setup for ED before jumping to far into it, but I want to try that out. I had problems with eve valkyrie and constant ship spinning, but I suspect it's because my rudder pedals were plugged in and eve has no control options I could find. Stupid non customizable game. It sure looks perty though.

Now the unfortunate part of all of this is I have a Vive coming in tomorrow. I ordered the Vive because of the constant delays with the rift. I logged into cancel my vive order yesterday after my oculus experience and saw the tracking number... Anybody need a vive in the austin area? :).

On actual topic, nothing really surprising they are doing with putting them in retail stores with pre-orders still behind. People will be angry, but companies do this all the time with launch day in store sales and pre-orders being separate.
Click to expand...

Did using the device for extended periods make you feel a bit sick?
 
P4B said:
3d tv's google glass smart watches annnnnd
Click to expand...

Enough already! Until you've personally experienced a Rift or a Vive, you are spouting uninformed nonsense. Seriously. I got the Vive just last week (Rift is due in another week or two) and this isn't going away and it isn't a fad. It's MIND BLOWING as to what this tech does. It's definitely Gen 1, but it is here to stay. It is only going to improve as the tech advances, but this shit is real! Trust me on this.
 
Last edited:
I ordered a Rift the second day of preordering. No clue when it's due. I bought it for combat flight simulators. Now I see that Vega is not exactly overjoyed with the flightsim experience and I'm having some doubts. I'm going to check the Rift out when it comes to a Best Buy near me. If I'm not happy with how it fits with my glasses or the resolution I'll cancel my preorder. Next gen will mostly go wireless and fix most of the ergonomical gripes people have with the Rift and Vive.
 
So glad I ordered a Vive in late March instead of the Rift. I don't think I could take the ass fucking Oculus is dishing out.
 
Got my Vive today, got a shitload of stuff to do Wednesday and head out of town Thursday. :\
 
  • Like
Reactions: Youn
like this
Must use Intel CPU cause so awesome! Note: VR system is completely performance dependent on non-Intel GPU!

When PC games are played at very hi-res we all know the GPU is the bottle neck. So I can't see how a AMD FX-CPU with a $600+ GPU, wouldn't kick ass all over a i5/i7 with Intel GPU.
Seems like some classic Mind-Share marketing to me.
 
funkydmunky said:
Must use Intel CPU cause so awesome! Note: VR system is completely performance dependent on non-Intel GPU!

When PC games are played at very hi-res we all know the GPU is the bottle neck. So I can't see how a AMD FX-CPU with a $600+ GPU, wouldn't kick ass all over a i5/i7 with Intel GPU.
Seems like some classic Mind-Share marketing to me.
Click to expand...

I actually upgraded from an 8350 FX CPU to an i7 4790K not that long ago with the same 980 GTX and the performance gulf is pretty damn wide there. The Intel CPU with the 980 absolutely stomps the 8350 with the 980 in every real world test I've run. I've run AMD CPUs almost exclusively since the original Athlon but they're definitely running second fiddle to Intel's stuff at this point.
 
I finally get to test this fancy VR shit out after only having the Galaxy Gear to play with. Lets see how hard they sell this thing to me and my friends.
 
I'm actually happy they are doing this as the only local (computer) gamers I know are in the same boat as me, afraid to drop that kind of cash on Gen1 before checking something out first ... I have some friends from where I used to live that have preordered but are in the same situation as everyone else here so I can't get their opinions yet either - I may even be able to buy one before them, but that might not be so friendly...
 
Dwango said:
I actually upgraded from an 8350 FX CPU to an i7 4790K not that long ago with the same 980 GTX and the performance gulf is pretty damn wide there. The Intel CPU with the 980 absolutely stomps the 8350 with the 980 in every real world test I've run. I've run AMD CPUs almost exclusively since the original Athlon but they're definitely running second fiddle to Intel's stuff at this point.
Click to expand...
Reading comprehension -1!
 
Supercharged_Z06 said:
Enough already! Until you've personally experienced a Rift or a Vive, you are spouting uninformed nonsense. Seriously. I got the Vive just last week (Rift is due in another week or two) and this isn't going away and it isn't a fad. It's MIND BLOWING as to what this tech does. It's definitely Gen 1, but it is here to stay. It is only going to improve as the tech advances, but this shit is real! Trust me on this.
Click to expand...
I'm sure it is mind blowing, but if the shovelware continues to drown out the quality products, VR has no future. The price also needs to come down if it is going to break into the mainstream.
 
Litfod said:
By that logic, Steam has no future.
Click to expand...
Comparing a piece of expensive gaming tech with only a handful of games available for it with a free global gaming platform with ten thousand games and tens of millions of users isn't very logical.

I don't know why the virtual reality crowd gets so defensive when people say VR needs actual games instead of tech demos, walking experiences and shovelware. MIND BLOWING magic that impresses mom doesn't move gaming hardware. Especially not $800 gaming hardware.
 
Maybe people get defensive because they don't understand why VR has to reach mass-appeal in this first generation. Doesn't it just need enough to keep development and enthusiasm up? Can't it survive as a niche product for a few generations until things get cheaper and more immersive?

If the answer is "no, it needs mass appeal NOW!" then please explain in more detail beside just a gut instinct. Some people like myself are genuinely curious, not trying to say you're wrong...
 
crusty_juggler said:
I don't know why the virtual reality crowd gets so defensive when people say VR needs actual games instead of tech demos, walking experiences and shovelware. MIND BLOWING magic that impresses mom doesn't move gaming hardware.
Click to expand...

Sold a lot of Wiis, though, didn't it?

I don't know why some people are so aggressively anti-VR when they have zero invested in it either way. Maybe it's because if it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy then they'll have their precious "told you so" moment, and also it will excuse them from having to spend any money. But, tiresome, smug gloating aside, no one "wins" if VR fails.

And I've said repeatedly that I don't expect a long term future for VR, so I have nothing to be defensive about. But unlike people who are seemingly chasing the thrill of watching it crash and burn, I think it will be superseded by AR and that there'll be no need for separate VR devices.

And if you don't believe AR has a future, well then you're a fool.
 
VR has a future, but it's within an AR device that offers the necessary FOV and fill/density... which is a longer ways away it seems

so yea, for now we have separate devices but they'll eventually be combined to a single "HMD" with software that is either VR or AR...
 
Gen 1 tech is good. I thought the DK2 was good enough that it could have been released as a consumer product. I haven't had the chance to play with a CV1 yet. I'll probably keep using my DK2 until it just plain stops working, or the next gen comes out. 4K's getting cheaper, DP1.4 is out(ish), and lenses won't be getting any worse. Plus, curved screens are becoming commonplace. Gen 2 should be just about perfect. Elite Dangerous is amazing. Project Cars is great. Anything FPS still has issues. I really want a Warcraft/Starcraft/Dawn of War/Command and Conquer or even Civ style game where you don't have a fixed viewpoint, though. Maybe Black and White 3 - With a different name, since Lionhead was shuttered by Microsoft.
 
Nukester said:
Disclaimer: If you are feeling sick after 10 minutes of use, please vomit in one of the 4 cans placed around the display.

This is stupid.
Click to expand...

Is puking and getting sick really that common? I've only had my Vive a few days and I was under the impression that the roomscale style Vive games are less likely to cause sickness, but I'm pretty much a newbie right now and don't know much about VR.
 
Ryan7968 said:
Is puking and getting sick really that common? I've only had my Vive a few days and I was under the impression that the roomscale style Vive games are less likely to cause sickness, but I'm pretty much a newbie right now and don't know much about VR.
Click to expand...

No, at least for me it isn't. Where it comes more into play is within sims or games where you are doing barrel rolls or aggressive maneuvers where your body/inner ear is really expecting things like gravity/inertial shifts to happen and doesn't get those inputs. Also games where viewpoint locomotion is occurring but you are sitting still (especially strafing or going up/down steps) can really induce nausea pretty fast. Best to avoid these particular VR situations at first... or get used to them over time by slowly going there and building up... i.e. growing your VR legs. Jumping right into these sorts of experiences from the get go can really get some people sick fast.

I've never experienced any discomfort from any form of roomscale type VR - where your motions are 1 for 1 between reality and VR.
 
Ryan7968 said:
Is puking and getting sick really that common? I've only had my Vive a few days and I was under the impression that the roomscale style Vive games are less likely to cause sickness, but I'm pretty much a newbie right now and don't know much about VR.
Click to expand...

Well, google reviews of these things. Most reviewers warn of feeling nausiated after 10 to 15 minutes of use. I guess it matters on what you are doing with it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top