We’ve learned what the big announcement from Oculus is, which was shared on stage at The Game Awards in Los Angeles tonight.
The announcement wasn’t about when the Rift would be available (or how much it will cost), so we’re stuck with the “Q1 of 2016,” timeframe for now.
However, 23-year-old Oculus founder and Rift inventor Luckey did announce a new made-for-VR game called Rock Band VR in partnership with Harmonix during a fun vignette with DragonForce and some brief stage time. It’ll be available early 2016, Luckey said.
We're excited to announce we've partnered with @Harmonix to bring @RockBand to the Rift in 2016! https://t.co/nbfcVBkSde #TheGameAwards
— Meta Quest (@MetaQuestVR) December 4, 2015
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Here’s the full announcement from The Game Awards:
Some epic Rock Band VR for ya! #WorldPremiere #TheGameAwards https://t.co/kh0BJC1Av3
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 4, 2015
And the trailer:
If you’re familiar with the Rock Band series, you can imagine what Oculus and Harmonix have cooked up. You’ll be experiencing playing an instrument from the perspective of a member of the band, but the few seconds of gameplay shown in the trailer look pretty damn awesome and immersive.
Check that out — @oculus Touch controller around the neck of the guitar could provide accurate guitar placement. pic.twitter.com/TYPmZYp3EV
— Ian Hamilton (@hmltn) December 4, 2015
“Looking out at the crowd and feeling like you really are a rock star is an incredible experience,” Luckey said.
During his time on stage, Luckey said that the two teams worked on this for quite a while, and that there will be this and other titles available at Rift’s launch, whenever that might be. For now, Rock Band VR is a solid enough flagship experience to make me say “Take. My. Money. Oculus.” I don’t care if I look like an asshole playing it.
