Oculus Connect took place today in Hollywood, and was also broadcast over the internet via Twitch. During this event, Oculus VR announced a new prototype VR headset codenamed "Crescent Bay" which CEO Brendan Iribe called "as big a leap as from DK1 to DK2," the company's first two developer kits.
The new headset has 360 degree tracking and integrated audio, as well as improved performance "that allows better presence," said Iribe during the live-streaming event. Crescent Bay is also a good deal lighter than the earlier prototypes.
The headset "allows for sustained presence...this allows you to achieve the impossible and believe you are in a world comfortably," he said. "It's getting much, much closer to the consumer version of Rift."
The company also announced its Oculus Platform, the store which developers will use to distribute apps for VR devices. The Platform will be available starting this fall on the mobile-based Samsung Gear VR headset, and will also move to PC and smartphone apps later on.
The Platform can be accessed directly from inside a VR space "so that anyone can dive in and explore "the Oculus ecosystem from the start" and is designed for "primarily content discovery and acquisition," said Nate Mitchell, Oculus VR's VP of Product.
Two other announcements of note from the event were: a partnership with Unity, developers of a popular game engine and game authoring tools, and an offshoot of main company called "Oculus Research" which will be "the first well-funded VR research team in 20 years," according to Oculus Chief Scientist Michael Abrash.
