Developments in the tech industry saw many observers and game-related companies alike shift their focus into virtual reality gaming. In this new frontier, one of the pioneers is the Oculus Rift, a VR headset that people first saw in a Kickstarter campaign last year. 

Now, Oculus has already shipped some developer models of the Rift, to help game industry experts, primarily game developers, check out how to integrate virtual reality gaming with the current platform.

The consumer version of the Oculus Rift will be rolling out next year. Although no specific details are available as of yet, observers agree that the Oculus Rift's consumer models will be shipped out before the end of spring or start of summer 2016, when most highly-anticipated and triple-A titles are launched.

Many people have interchanged the developer kits already released and the upcoming consumer Oculus Rifts. However, both VR headsets differ greatly from one another. 

Design 

Since it is part of the early development of the headset, the Rift dev kits are much bulkier and clumsier to control than the consumer ones. The final Oculus Rift that will be rolling out next year will be more slender and refined. Aside from having an integrated VR audio system, the new Rift will also feature adjustable lenses for gamers with glasses, features that were absent in the developer kit. In addition, the consumer version will be made lighter to allow more comfort even in prolonged use.

Hardware changes

Together with the design, the consumer Rift will also feature hardware changes. The upcoming models will already have hand controllers called Oculus Touch, courtesy of a partnership between Oculus and Microsoft. Additionally, the Oculus Touch will allow players to use hand gestures for Windows 10 and Xbox One games.