Earlier this week Oculus suggested people waiting through delays for their Rift pre-orders to be fulfilled could head over to Best Buy to try and pick one up. While the VR headset would only be available in “extremely” limited quantities, its availability in physical stores is a keystone moment in the evolution of the Kickstarted headset.
Now we’ve got confirmation from Best Buy that the $600 VR system from Facebook will only be available starting on May 7 at the same 48 stores which will feature Rift demos. Unfortunately, anyone who enjoys what they see from those demos and wants to buy a system is likely to be told it is back-ordered for months online and sold out in stores.
A variety of factors means getting your hands on a Rift is still going to be really hard. Demand and supply for the Rift is a bit out of balance at the moment, so new devices are selling for a profit on Ebay and some early adopters are so anxious to get one they’d be willing to try their luck at a store.
The stores with Rift demos, as well as the extremely limited supply of Rifts, are spread across 25 states. You can set up an appointment for one of those demos here.
California (10 stores)
- 11301 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064
- 3675 Pacific Coast Hwy, Torrance, CA 90505
- 12118 Lakewood Blvd, Downey, CA 90242
- 500 West Minister Mall Rd, Westminster, CA 92683
- 901 South Coast Dr, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
- 59 North Broadway Plaza, Chula Vista, CA 91910
- 2460 E. Charleston Rd, Mountain View, CA 94043
- 1127 Industrial Blvd, San Carlos, CA 94070
- 1717 Harrison St, San Francisco, CA 94103
- 6110 Birdcage Centre Lane, Citrus Heights, CA 95610
Florida (4 stores)
- 116 Grand Regency Blvd, Brandon, FL 33510
- 1900 W International Spdwy Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114
- 4001 W 20th Ave, Hialeah, FL 33012
- 8450 S Dixie Hwy, Miami, FL 33143
Oregon (3 stores)
- 3300 Gateway Street, Springfield, OR 97477
- 9630 SE 82nd Ave, Clackamas, OR 97266
- 9739 NE Cascades Pkwy, Portland, OR 97220
Texas (3 stores)
- 1730 Pleasant Pl, Arlington, TX 76015
- 9607 Research Blvd, Austin, TX 78759
- 9378 North Central Expressway, Dallas, TX 75231
Illinois (3 stores)
- 2117 North Prospect Ave, Champaign, IL 61822
- 1432 Butterfield Rd, Downers Grove, IL 60515
- 6525 Grand Ave, Gurnee, IL 60031
Pennsylvania (3 stores)
- 801 Bethlehem Pike, North Wales, PA 19454
- 310 Commerce, Fairless Hills, PA 19030
- 430 Home Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15275
Missouri (2 stores)
- 1608 NW Chipman Rd, Lees Summit, MO 64081
- 3450 South Glenstone Ave, Springfield, MO 65804
Indiana (2 stores)
- 2323 Sagamore Pkwy S, Lafayette, IN 47905
- 6502 N Grape Rd, Mishawaka, IN 46545
Ohio (2 stores)
- 5800 Britton Pkwy, Dublin, OH 43016
- 445 Howe Ave, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
16 States Each Have One Best Buy With The Rift On May 7
- 2288 East Williams Field Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85295
- 611 Marks St, Henderson, NV 89014
- 261 West 2100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
- 8363 West Franklin Rd, Boise, ID 83709
- 9369 Sheridan Blvd Westminster, CO 80030
- 17364 Southcenter Pkwy, Tukwila, WA 98188
- 340 West Market, Bloomington, MN 55425
- 825 Pilgrim Way, Green Bay, WI 54304
- 2020 E Grand River Rd, Okemos, MI 48864
- 2537 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
- 1125 Woodruff Road, Suite 1200, Greenville, SC 29607
- 237 Crossroads Blvd, Cary, NC 27518
- 5799 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041
- 2643 Housley Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401
- 300 Commons Way, Bridgewater, NJ 8807
- 1851 Sunrise Hwy, Bay Shore, NY 11706
