Dear backers,

The deadline to respond and claim your free Rift is tomorrow, Sunday, January 31.

If you've responded already there is no need to do anything. We'll be in touch when the Rifts are ready to ship.

If you need to make any changes to your address, you may do so until Sunday, January 31 at 11:59pm EST. Only your address may be updated via the Kickstarter survey. If additional information needs to be changed, you may message us with the note "I NEED TO UPDATE" and we'll contact you next week to collect updated information.

A few notes:

- Please don't leave your updated information in the comments or messaging, if you let us know you need to update your information, we'll send you an email next week.

- The VAT field is for your VAT #, not your VAT rate. If you do not have a VAT # you may leave this field blank.

- Good news for backers located in Austria and Switzerland: the Rift can now be shipped to those countries. If you previously identified your country as Austria or Switzerland, we will assume you would like to receive a Rift, regardless of the reward you originally selected. No further information is required.

Thanks, Oculus

Friends,

On August 1, 2012, we launched a Kickstarter campaign to seed the development of a groundbreaking virtual reality headset – Oculus Rift.

Tomorrow, we'll be opening Rift pre-orders on Oculus.com. This is a major milestone on the path to putting great VR in the hands of millions.

You’re going to experience thrilling adventures in Lucky’s Tale and Edge of Nowhere, feel your heart race as you scale mountains in The Climb, and become a rockstar in Rockband VR. You’ll create and share something magical in Oculus Medium and participate in the ultimate space dogfighting in EVE: Valkyrie. As one of the early supporters of Oculus, you helped make this revolution happen. And before we open Rift pre-orders to the world, we wanted to share one more special update with you, our Kickstarter community.

As a small token of our appreciation for your support, all Kickstarter backers who pledged for a Rift development kit will get a free Kickstarter Edition Oculus Rift! And like all Rift pre-order purchasers, you’ll receive a bundled copy of Lucky’s Tale and EVE: Valkyrie.

To claim your free Rift, fill out the survey you’ll receive from Kickstarter before February 1, 2016 and provide a shipping address that is located in one of the 20 countries Rift is launching in. For those who don’t live in one of those 20 countries, we’re working on an alternative, and you can let us know your preference in the form.

You were there at the beginning of our journey -- we couldn’t have done it without you. Today marks a new chapter.

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Thank you!

-- Palmer, Brendan, Nate, Michael

We’re incredibly excited to welcome over 1,500 industry leaders and developers to Connect 2 in Hollywood, CA! Registration has officially opened and we have an awesome few days ahead.

Tomorrow starting at 10 am PDT, we’ll be livestreaming the keynotes on our official Twitch channel.

And Gear VR owners can view the keynotes in a whole new way – inside virtual reality. You can get a 360 stream of the keynotes via NextVR’s app. Stay tuned for an updated NextVR app before 10 am tomorrow. Just launch Oculus Home, select the Oculus Connect 2 icon, and enjoy front row seats at the Dolby Theater.

The Dolby Theater in HollywoodThe Dolby Theater in HollywoodThe Dolby Theater in Hollywood

The Dolby Theater in Hollywood

Over the next three days, we’re going to have 30 talks focused on all things virtual reality. Developer sessions kick off today at 1 pm, and you can learn more about each session with the Oculus Connect 2 app for iOS and Android. The app also lets you sign up for Rift and Touch demos to experience Henry, Toybox, and more!

Try the latest and greatest mobile VR games, apps, and experiences at the Samsung Gear VR Cafe located in the Dolby Ballroom. You don’t have to sign up in advance – just head over and join the fun.

Palmer greeting the Connect 2 Community

Please join us for a welcome reception tonight starting at 6:30 in the Dolby Ballroom. Welcome to Connect 2!

— The Oculus team

Today we’re excited to share more details about ‘Henry’, the second VR experience from Oculus Story Studio.  

‘Henry’ is a comedy directed by Ramiro Lopez Dau, formerly of Pixar, about a cuddly hedgehog who loves hugs. Unfortunately, his prickly spikes often scare his friends away. Then, on his birthday, he makes a special wish that changes everything. 

 Short sneak peek into the making of ‘Henry’

"Empathy for a character is one of the most important fields for us to explore in virtual reality. And with Henry, we wanted to create a character that had special bond with the audience. The first time I saw Henry in VR - saw him turn towards me and look right at me - it was incredible. I knew then that we were at the beginning of something special. These characters in VR can feel truly alive, and Henry is a first glimpse of that magic." - Ramiro Lopez Dau 

With ‘Henry’, we wanted to bring the audience closer to a film character than ever before. Led by former Pixar VFX supervisor Inigo Quilez, ‘Henry’ introduces advanced visual effects that bring the character to life, allowing him to respond to your movements and make eye contact with you inside the virtual world. 

 

The story of ‘Henry’ is narrated by special guest, Elijah Wood! 

We introduced ‘Henry’ to the film community in Hollywood, and we’re looking forward to sharing the experience with everyone when the Rift ships in Q1 2016. 

 

 You can learn more about VR filmmaking on the Oculus Story Studio website. 

-- The Oculus Team

Oculus Connect 2 registration is now open! This year, Connect will bring together more than 1,500 of the top developers, engineers, and creators working on virtual reality September 23-25 in Hollywood, CA.

Visit the Oculus Connect 2 website to register and submit your application. You’ll be notified via email in August if your application is accepted and you’ll then be able to complete your registration and pay the registration fee. We’ve also added a new indie and student pricing tier at $95 USD.

Call for Oculus Connect 2 Submissions

This year at Connect 2 we’re doubling the number of talks, and we’re looking for more great presentations from developers who want to share their work and experience with the community.

We’re especially interested in receiving submissions that fall within the following Connect tracks:

VR Engineering – These talks will cover technical details of developing for PC and mobile platforms, including best practices for optimizing performance, minimizing latency, and mastering advanced rendering techniques. Game and App Design – These talks will focus on design and development principles for creating new VR games, apps, and experiences that are innovative, immersive, and fun. Cinematic VR – These talks will share lessons around combining elements of traditional film, games, theatre, and performance art to create unique VR experiences that place the audience inside the story and virtual world. More details on how to submit your talk are available on the Oculus Connect 2 website.

Invited speakers will receive a complimentary event pass and hotel accommodations. The submission deadline is 11:59pm PST on August 3, and you’ll be notified via email in August on whether your talk has been accepted.

We look forward to seeing you there!

— The Oculus team