This news was all but inevitable at this point. During this week’s UploadVR Gamecast (our podcast dedicated 100% to VR gaming) we discussed what we expected to see happen at E3 this year and Oculus partnering with the PC Gaming Show was always a definite possibility. Now, via press release, UploadVR has been informed that Oculus, the makers of the Oculus Rift, will definitely be a participant at the show.
Since Oculus does not have their own press conference or a formal stage to make announcements, this will likely serve as the replacement. The company will be joined by several other prominent gaming brands, such as AMD, Razer, Microsoft, Paradox Interactive, Bohemia Interactive, Square Enix, and several others. While the content of their involvement is still under wraps, we can make several assumptions. It’s E3, so at the very least expect something new to be announced in some way.
For one thing, everyone is anticipating that we will finally get a concrete release date for the Oculus Touch motion controllers. If not a date, at least a launch month. We should also hopefully learn more about some of the Oculus Touch exclusive titles, such as Dead and Buried, The Unspoken, and VR Sports Challenge, as well as the ones we don’t know much about yet.
Another possibility is the rumored Xbox VR integration. Since Microsoft is also a participant at the PC Gaming Show, and will likely want to keep their own press conference that morning directly focused on the Xbox One, this would be an ideal opportunity to announce some type of Xbox-Rift integration. Whether that takes the form of headset compatibility, the Oculus Store being cross-platform, Xbox brands like Forza or Halo getting VR support on Rift, or something else, it’s a highly likely scenario. Or who knows, what if they teamed up with Sony instead in some type of Voltron-esque hyper-VR partnership?
Other possibilities include updates on the shipping situation that continues to plague the reception of Oculus’ debut headset, although it’s starting to overcome that issue. More game announcements are always a possibility as well, in addition to other potential peripherals – such as standalone tracking cameras, or Oculus Remotes being available for individual purchase. Since the Rift has only been out for a few short months since GDC, this is Oculus’ chance to put the spotlight back on themselves given that Valve won’t be at E3, as usual, and the Vive is seemingly absent from having any sort of formal presence at the PC Gaming Show.
If you can’t make it to the show, here are the two main ways to watch it live on Monday. It starts livestreaming at 10AM with the actual conference running from 11:30AM – 1:00PM, with an hour long Aftershow lasting until 2:00PM. Here’s how you can watch it:
- Twitch stream: http://www.twitch.tv/pcgamer
- YouTube Gaming stream: https://gaming.youtube.com/pcgamer
Oculus has declined the opportunity to provide any statements regarding what they’re showing at this time, but you should expect more details and news about the event next week.
