Opinion – Oculus Is Fumbling The Rift Launch In New And Exciting Ways

It isn’t easy launching a new consumer-electronics product.

It isn’t easy launching a new consumer-electronics product. That goes double when you are pioneering a new media format that has been discussed, dissected, and debated for more than three years. But even with those considerations, Oculus is making big mistakes as it works to get the Rift to market.

The company recently threw mud in the eye of people who have been waiting months since pre-ordering. Rather than focus on fulfilling outstanding orders, Oculus is diverting hardware to retail and other online outlets.

This weekend, Best Buy will be demoing the Riftin 48 locations with a very small number of units on hand for purchase. Oculus encourages pre-order customers to try their luck there, and if successful, you can keep your benefits (early access to Touch controller ordering, discounts on Rift-compatible PCs, and copies of Lucky’s Tale and EVE Valkyrie).

A brick-and-mortar presence isn’t the piece that is alarming. Starting to get in front of more consumers is crucial, and something I’ve been advocating since launch day. The small number of units on hand is necessary from a retailer perspective, as Best Buy is offering space to demo and understandably needs something actionable in return.

But opting to send units to Amazon and the Microsoft Store is absurd. Oculus is setting up a situation in which someone ordering from one of these outlets could very well end up with one before someone who has been holding a pre-order spot for nearly four months.

Oculus' slow slide in the eyes of eager enthusiasts began in January, as the company built excitement leading to the Rift’s pre-order campaign. Oculus held the hardware’s price close, only revealing it at the exact moment it began taking orders.

Given the $600 price tag and the resulting sticker shock, I can forgive the approach. Since Oculus wasn’t taking money up front for pre-orders, people could voice their interest and fully consider later. Or, they would have been able to if the servers didn’t melt.

To Oculus’ credit, pre-orders didn’t “sell out.” The company kept taking orders (and is even now), giving people estimates of when the hardware would ship. Unfortunately, locking in a pre-order even 40 minutes after they went live meant you’d be waiting months beyond the March 28 launch to get your headset. And when the order servers are fighting back as you’re trying to lock one in, it can be frustrating.

But people had a chance to cool off and get used to their order timing. Headset shipment estimates were timed out as late as July, but in the following weeks, disappointment gave way to acceptance.

Then Oculus hit another stumble. On April 2, just six days after launch, the company alerted pre-order customersof a delay. A shortage of an unspecified component had caused a production shortfall, and even those who had been told their unit would be sent in the first three weeks of availability were affected.

On April 12, the magnitude of the delaycame into focus. Rift shipments were now bumped back four to six weeks. However, the company still hasn’t gone into detail about what’s holding things up.

Today, many customers holding pre-orders are watching in disbeliefas Oculus diverts some units to other retailers that could go to assuaging frustrated, but still excited and loyal early adopters. This is, put simply, the quickest way to burn a bridge with the people Oculus needs most in its early days.

VR lives and dies by the enthusiasm of early adopters. Oculus’ decision to allow other online retailers to sell units outside of the pre-order queue douses the flames of excitement in icy cold disrespect.

Worse, the company has made no statement since yesterday’s dumbfounding announcement. The company has said nothing to pre-order customers, has offered no apology or explanation, and has not updated on whether it has fully corrected the component issue or otherwise accelerated production.

It’s time for Oculus to correct course. The company began its life due to a Kickstarter groundswell of consumer enthusiasm. Unless things change rapidly, that excitement will be snuffed out as VR enthusiasts look elsewhere. With HTC in the market and Sony poised for a fall launch, Oculus isn’t the only game in town. The company might be the thought leader, but it’s letting devout followers of the technology it pioneered slip away from it.