Oculus Rift Surpasses Kickstarter Goal In Matter Of Hours

We knew that the Oculus Rift VR headset would be popular when it hit Kickstater, but now we have a better idea of just how popular it is. The Rift has already rocketed past its Kickstarter goal of $250,000, managing to do so just a few hours after the campaign went live. This isn't the first time this happened, with OUYA accomplishing the same thing just a few weeks back.

The amount of money being pledged to the Oculus Rift project is still rising fast, sitting at $411,303 as of this writing. This first batch of headsets is intended for developers only, with a version aimed at consumers planned for release next year. Given the Kickstarter's meteoric rise to success, that consumer version of the Oculus Rift seems like it has an excellent shot at becoming a reality.

Most of the lower tiers get you Oculus Rift posters and t-shirts (some of the signed by the Rift team), and it isn't until pledging $275 that you get the actual unit. The headset for the $275 tier comes unassembled, tasking developers with putting it together themselves. Pledging $300 gets you a pre-assembled unit, and all tiers featuring the Oculus Rift as a reward also come with a copy of Doom 3: BFG, the first (of what we hope is many) Rift-optimized game. Of course, with this campaign aimed squarely at developers, all of the higher tiers come with access to the SDK, so developers can start plugging away as soon as they receive their Rift.

We have to say that doing a Kickstarter for Oculus Rift developers is a pretty good idea. Not only does it allow the Oculus team to receive early feedback from those who will be working with the product the most, but it also gives developers ample time to experiment before the consumer version becomes available next year. It looks like we're not the only ones who think that, as people continue to throw money at this Kickstarter. With 30 days left to go, Team Oculus has the potential to raise massive amounts of money, so stay tuned.