Oculus VR unveiled its "Crescent Bay" headset during their 'Oculus Connect' developer conference held last weekend. The new headset is a revised version of their previous model, which now includes 360-degree motion tracking and integrated audio via the built-in headphones, reports Tech Spot.
However, Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe emphasized this is not a consumer model of their Oculus Rift device, nor is it a developer kit.
""This prototype shows off the features, the quality, the presence that we need to deliver for consumer VR," Iribe said during his keynote speech.
He did say, though, that "this is along the path, much like Crystal Cove was -- this is not the consumer product. It's much closer, but it's not the final thing," referring to the finished product that can finally be made available in stores.
The "Crescent Bay" headset now carries a much-improved display with higher resolution plus higher refresh rate. Oculus did not confirm any specs about the new headset, but Kevin Ohannessian of Fast Company writes, "if the company stuck to the unofficial roadmap that they discussed in the past, this headset is 1440p and running at 90 frames per second--the DK2 was 1080p at 75 FPS."
The lenses have also been improved and is now more adaptable to a wider range of face shapes, with positional tracking allowing for users who kneel or even lie down.
There is no deadline set by the company yet with regards to the availability of the VR headset, according to Financial Times, although the Rift headset has already sold 130,000 development kits over the past two years and is expected by industry observers to be on sale within 2015.
Oculus looks to develop virtual reality technology to be used beyond simple video gaming into a wider functional range such as TV, video, and communications. Iribe said during the developer conference that Oculus' mission "is to transform gaming, entertainment and the way we interact."