14 DAY TRIAL // Good news for mobile phone users who are also into gaming, as Oculus VR has just announced that native apps for its brand new ecosystem called Oculus will be launched on three major smartphone operating systems: Android, iOS and Windows Phone.
The information has been recently confirmed by Nate Mitchell, VP of Product Oculus, during his keynote for Oculus Connect. Keynote speakers also included Brendan Iribe, Michael Abrash and John Carmack, who also shared details on the Oculus Platform and the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.
For those unware of what Oculus Rift is and why is so important for smartphone users to get native apps for the upcoming ecosystem, here is a quick rundown of the virtual reality headset.
The Rift is being developed by Oculus VR, an ex-independent company that ran a successful Kickstarter project back in September 2012 and raised more than $2.4 million (€1.86 million).
The company developing the Oculus Rift has been recently acquired by Facebook, but it continues to function as a separate entity within the social networking giant.
Several versions of the Oculus Rift have already been released on the market, but they were prototypes aimed at developers. According to the company, the consumer version of the virtual reality headset is supposed to be available for purchase beginning April 2015.
Smartphone users will be able to browse Oculus Rift content from their mobiles
Those who already got themselves one of the several versions of the Oculus Rift developer kits can already play some of the games that support the virtual reality headset.
Our Oculus Rift review can offer those who want in-depth technical details on the device all the information they need.
Along with the consumer version of the Oculus Rift, the manufacturer plans to launch a platform where users can browse and purchase content for the virtual headset.
According to Nate Mitchell, Oculus VR will also launch 2D native apps for Android, iOS and Windows Phone, so those who own the Rift can browse the Oculus platform and possibly make purchases directly from their mobile devices.
Given the fact that the consumer version of the Rift is not supposed to go on sale until April 2015, it’s a bit too early to confirm an exact release date for these Oculus native apps, but we expect more details to be available as we’re getting closer to its launch.
For more details on the Oculus Platform and the Rift, make sure you watch the Oculus Connect keynote twitch below. Information on the 2D native apps is available in the video from 1:05:00, but details are a bit scarce on how they will work.
