Oculus is a big company , and that means it has a big annual conference – Oculus Connect. Now on its third year, Connect 3 spans three days, each jam-packed with developer sessions.
Most of those sessions aren’t available to stream, and many are a bit over the average user’s head, anyway. But the company does stream some content, most noticeably its keynote, which happens at 10AM Pacific on October 6.
You can watch it here, in this very post (look up, you can’t miss it!), or you can watch it on Twitch. You can also watch on NextVR, if you already have a virtual reality headset.
So, what’s expected from the keynote? Oculus Touch. The company’s much-anticipated, and needed, motion tracking controllers are almost certainly going to debut at the show. They may even be announced for full retail release. A torrent of leaks appeared prior to Oculus Connect, many with pricing and release dates. All signs point towards November 23, at a price around $200 US dollars.
Touch will likely take the lion’s share of the attention. The company is expected to not only announce it, but also show what it’s for, and how it will be used to provide experiences that match, and possibly exceed, its competitor – HTC’s Vive.
Still, there will be other announcements. We expect many of them will focus on game exclusives and partnerships. Oculus’ controversial support of content designed only for the Rift may not be popular, but there’s little sign the strategy will be abandoned. If anything, Oculus Touch may reinforce it.
And there may be a few surprises, though they could be of a technical nature. This is a developer conference. While the keynote is meant for a general audience, previous connects have seen personalities like John Carmack take the stage for some talk about how Oculus hardware was built, and why Oculus believes it has the best solution for modern VR.
If you’re at all curious about VR, you won’t want to miss this keynote.
