The eagerly anticipated Oculus Rift virtual reality headset will support PC as well as the Android operating systems, the company’s CEO has confirmed.
Following reports that the company was planning on outing two versions of the headset, one for Android and one for PC, Brendan Iribe stepped in to clear up the confusion.
He says there’ll be a single device that will connect to multiple platforms, once the exciting gaming peripheral goes on sale to the public next year.
He told Engadget: ”We will be delivering a single Oculus Rift which is a tether to multiple different devices, and now we’re looking to also support tethering to a mobile device.
“I think people will be pretty surprised with what set of devices we’re able to make this work on. We are focused on just a few right now, basically just to stay focused so that we can deliver a great experience on a couple devices first. Then over time we’ll have that span out.
“We’re testing the latest Android phones, tablets and gaming devices to see what delivers the best VR experience,” added Iribe without mentioning specific handsets.
“When we do release [the Android SDK], and we say it works with this set of devices, and here is the SDK, and here are the demos and samples…when people try them they’re blown away with how well they work. It’s coming soon, but not ready to release a date,” he said.
Currently the plans are for the Oculus Rift to support Windows, Mac and Linux laptops and desktops, while Android support is likely to arrive later in the life cycle.
The Android phones will powerful graphics chips, processing power not to mention substantial battery power in order to support Rift. However, chief technology officer John Cormack reckons they won’t need to wait for the introduction of new, more powerful Kepler GPUs before Android support can be introduced.
He said: “I don’t think it’s going to require that full Kepler capability. I think we’ll be able to deliver on an even earlier chipset than that.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
