This headset is going places
The $2.4 million-generating Kickstarter for the Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset was merely the beginning, it would seem. With developer kits for the device out in the wild and excitement rising, Oculus VR, Inc. has secured $16 million in Series A funding.
Matrix Partners and Spark Capital co-led the round. “In our estimation, Oculus is one of the only companies in the space with something completely new and disruptive,” said Spark founder Santo Politi. “They have the right team, capital and vision to take virtual reality beyond console gaming and into everyday computing.”
As for the Oculus team itself, CEO Brendan Iribe is looking ahead: “There are still many challenging problems to solve, but with the support of these great investment partners, and our passionate community, we will continue to hire the brightest minds and stay laser focused on delivering the very best virtual reality platform possible.”
I’m so interested to see how the Rift performs once the floodgates open and anyone can order a consumer-ready unit from the website. Can a VR headset — even one that’s by most accounts a well-made piece of tech — really catch on in a meaningful way?