With pre-orders still unfulfilled, Oculus rolls out to US retail

The Oculus Rift headset will this weekend be available to buy from retailer Best Buy in the US – despite the fact that many pre-orders remain unfulfilled.

Oculus launched over a month ago, but manufacturing problems have left many pre-order customers waiting for their headsets. However, stock that could have been shipped to these cuastomers has now apparently been re-routed to US retail.

We know that many pre-order customers are still waiting for their Rifts, so we’re offering those customers a chance to purchase Rift from retail instead – while keeping their pre-order benefits, like the EVE: Valkyrie Founder’s Pack and priority status for Touch pre-orders,” it has said.

Starting May 6th, if you’re interested, simply go to your order status and let us know you’ve purchased a Rift at retail, and we’ll cancel your pre-order. Your EVE: Valkyrie entitlement will appear in your order history. A small number of Rifts will be available for purchase at select Best Buy stores starting May 7th and online from Microsoft and Amazon, starting May 6th at 9am PST. Quantities will be extremely limited while we catch up on Rift pre-orders.”

Oculus doesn’t charge fro pre-orders until the headset is shipped, making the pill slightly less bitter. However, that someone could potentially walk away with a headset this week while another who pre-ordered months ago is still waiting is unlikely to go down well.

Best Buy will also allow consumers to book into an in-store VR demo.