VR cybergoggles maker Oculus have insisted they’re nonetheless making a subsequent technology Rift headset regardless of one other key departure from the corporate. Brendan Iribe, the co-founder and former CEO of Oculus, is the most recent individual to have upped sticks from guardian firm Facebook following some inside restructuring of their VR division final week, in keeping with a brand new report from TechCrunch, and was, till yesterday, meant to be heading up the event of the so-called Rift 2.
Iribe introduced his departure on Facebook yesterday, saying he was “moving on” and looking out ahead to his “first real break in 20 years”, however the TechCrunch report suggests the choice was intently tied with the obvious cancellation of the aforementioned Rift 2. According to a supply near the matter, Iribe and his Facebook overlords had “fundamentally different views on the future of Oculus that grew deeper over time,” and that Iribe wasn’t all in favour of a “race to the bottom” over efficiency.
However, whereas the destiny of the Iribe-led Rift 2 is presently unknown, Facebook have since reiterated {that a} subsequent technology Rift continues to be very a lot on the playing cards. “While we can’t comment on our product road map specifics, we do have future plans, and can confirm that we are planning for a future version of Rift,” a Facebook consultant informed TechCrunch.
Likewise, Nate Mitchell, one other co-founder and present head of Oculus, tweeted final evening to say that they’re “still driving forward on the Rift/PC platform with new hardware, software and content,” re-inforcing the message given by Mark Zuckerburg on the current Oculus 5 keynote the place he stated they’re undoubtedly engaged on “a new version of Rift.”
Loads of questions right now about the way forward for Rift — we’re nonetheless driving ahead on the Rift/PC platform with new {hardware}, software program, and content material.
Lots of nice stuff within the works. More to share within the months forward.
— Nate Mitchell (@natemitchell) October 22, 2018
It would appear, then, that the Rift 2 continues to be going to be a factor, simply perhaps not the particular model that Iribe was meant to be engaged on. I assume we’ll by no means know. Still, this can little question come as reassuring information for anybody apprehensive that Facebook have been shifting their focus a bit an excessive amount of towards standalone VR cybergoggles such because the entry-level Oculus Go and newly-announced Oculus Quest as an alternative of spending a while with their previous pal Rift over on PC. It’s nonetheless far too early to invest when a possible Rift 2 would possibly ultimately come out, in fact, however it could seem it’s protected from the digital actuality bin for the foreseeable future.
