Rolling out new technology has never been easy, and VR is having a number of its own logistical problems. Both HTC and Oculus have had difficulties honouring early pre-orders, and as we learned earlier this month, Rift pre-orders are lagging behind schedule due to component shortages.
Oculus acknowledged the problem at the time, promising free shipping anywhere in the world to those affected by the delays. According to a new Verge report though, some early purchasers are learning that they might not receive their unit for months – some as late as June. Oculus provided a statement to the site in order to allay concerns.
"The component shortage impacted our quantities more than we expected, and we've updated the shipment window to reflect these changes," a spokesperson said.
"We apologize for the delay. We're delivering Rifts to customers every day, and we're focused on getting Rifts out the door as fast as we can. We've taken steps to address the component shortage, and we'll continue shipping in higher volumes each week. We've also increased our manufacturing capacity to allow us to deliver in higher quantities, faster. Many Rifts will ship less than four weeks from original estimates, and we hope to beat the new estimates we've provided."
For those of us who haven't pre-ordered a Rift, doing so now would get us a unit by August. That seems like a long time to wait, but to put things into perspective: even comparatively simple technology like the PS4 can dry up quickly due to demand, so if anything it's a healthy sign for the platform.
According to Palmer Luckey himself, the company won't divulge what components they're running short on.
We always hate letting people down. Can't share any specifics on the component shortage, but we are doing our best. https://t.co/vEFlpWBTGvApril 12, 2016
