Soon Oculus Rift customers will be able to test and purchase the VR headset at physical Best Buy locations, despite the fact that there are pre-order customers who are still waiting for their headsets to arrive.
Oculus is actually counting on some of their customers to head to cancel their online pre-orders and head to physical stores. “We know that many pre-order customers are still waiting for their Rifts, so we’re offering those customers a chance to purchase Rift from retail instead – while keeping their pre-order benefits, like the EVE: Valkyrie Founder’s Pack and priority status for Touch pre-orders,” Oculus stated in a blog post. “If you’re interested, simply go to your order status and let us know you’ve purchased Rift at retail, and we’ll cancel your pre-order.”
The Rift will be available at Best Buy on May 7th. Oculus will also be launching a new service called Oculus Live. Oculus Live will allow customers to schedule an appointment with Best Buy to try out the Oculus Rift.
The Rift will also be available online from Amazon and Microsoft at 9:00 a.m. PT on May 6th. Those who order from the Oculus store right now will have to wait until August for their order. Oculus told Polygon that they will “focus on shipping pre-orders,” with only “a very small amount” of units being set aside for retail. Oculus has stated that a component shortage is the reason behind the delays.