Oculus unveils consumer model of its Rift VR headset

Facebook-owned virtual reality (VR) firm Oculus has officially unveiled the consumer model of its Rift VR headset. The unveiling of the headset - which immerses the users in amazingly realistic 3-D environments - comes three years after the public launch of a prototype device.

Taking the wraps off the Rift VR headset at a launch event held in San Francisco on Thursday, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe announced that the headset will likely be available for purchase in the 2016 first quarter.

Though Oculus has not made any formal disclosure about the likely pricing of the Rift VR headset, it has been earlier stated by the company that the cost of the headset, when paired with all the PC hardware required for running it, will not exceed $1,500.

The Oculus Rift VR headset, which straps around the wearer's head, will come with built-in headphones, a wireless Xbox One controller and an adapter for Windows 10. The device will apparently bring about a transformation in the manner in which people play video games and watch movies.

Explaining the change which Oculus Rift will bring to video-game play and movie-watching, tech website Re/code's Associate Editor Eric Johnson said: "Your entire field of view is the game or is the movie. It's the whole experience."