This is sure to cause frustration for those who are still waiting on pre-orders. Oculus opened pre-orders for the VR headset back in January and Rift began shipping in late March, but ran into delays due to unexpected shortages. To set things right, Oculus removed all shipping and handling charges for remaining pre-orders.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the initial launch, Oculus has decided to move forward with the promotion, which will likely draw the ire of those still waiting. To counter any hard feelings, Oculus has decided to offer one last peace offering. Anyone who has an existing pre-order and is able to purchase Rift from a retailer during this time, will have their existing pre-orders cancelled while still retaining all of the pre-order bonuses, such as the EVE: Valkyrie Founder’s Pack and priority status for Touch pre-orders.
It is quite a situation Oculus has put itself in. While the company has obviously made efforts to make up for a shaky launch and loss of customer confidence, pushing a promotion that offers available units to new patrons is sure to feel like a slap in the face to those that pre-ordered. However, they cannot claim that they have no options and Oculus seems to be putting in genuine effort in its quest for penance.
Those that want to attempt to buy a unit in store, or those that want to experience Oculus Rift for themselves, can visit select Best Buy stores on May 7. The demos will offer several unique experiences including virtual reality vignettes with Dreamdeck, rock climbing with the appropriately named The Climb, and the ability to explore alien worlds in Farlands.
Source: GameSpot
