Oculus Connect 2 caps off today and consumers can look forward to an innovative new way to play games in the near future.
Several big announcements came out of Oculus Connect 2, the biggest being the announcement of the Samsung Gear VR, a fully consumer based Oculus, the previous Gear VR only being made available for developers and early adopters. The new Gear VR will compatible with the entire line of Samsung smartphones. The Gear VR will not only include a vast library of mobile games, but also the Oculus Arcade that will feature more than 20 classic arcade titles such as Pac-Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, Gauntlet and more. Most notably from OC2 was the announcement of Minecraft for the Rift and Gear VR, as well as an exclusive Adventure Time game titled Adventure Time: Magic Man’s Head Games.
Outside of games, the Gear VR will also have Oculus Video, creating a virtual theater to watch movies, Netflix and even Twitch. The Gear VR will be priced at 99 dollars and is set to release in November.
Another big announcement out of OC2 was the Oculus Touch, a pair of VR controllers that pair with the Rift. These devices, which resemble Wii nunchucks with rings orbiting around them, will offer a new level of precise control when coupled with the Rift. Several games have been revealed that work with the Touch, most notably Medium a design tool that allows creators and players to sculpt virtual models offering an unparalleled level of detailing and creativity.
But the Touch won’t simply be a design tool, as showcased by Bullettrain, a fast-paced shooter that combines gunplay with a bit of motion control as players can catch bullets to throw them back at their opponents. A trailer showcasing several games that will include the Touch in a fun and exciting ways can be seen here.
Oculus also announced their new “Oculus Ready Program,” a partnership program with Asus, Dell, and Alienware to create machines powered by NVIDIA, AMD and Intel that will be compatible and optimized for Oculus use, cutting out a lot of the work and upgrading required to use Oculus on most PCs. Alongside the Oculus Ready Program, Oculus announced a new software development kit, as well as new features to the Oculus platform.
While no official release date has been announced for a consumer based Oculus Rift, the official Oculus website does state a potential Q1 2016 release.
