Oculus is planning quite the bumper year if the next few tech events are anything to go by. Today, the Facebook-owned company announced that upcoming standalone headset Oculus Quest would be on demonstration at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 and PAX East, as well as confirming a return to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this year.
Oculus Quest doesn’t have an official release date just yet, simply a ‘Spring 2019’ window – VRFocus expects the announcement will happen during F8 2019, just like Oculus Go the year before. In the run-up to launch Oculus is building that anticipation for the headset by taking it to GDC 2019 in San Francisco next month and PAX East in Boston shortly after.
While no specific videogames have been mentioned for either event, expect some surprises in-store. In a blog post, Oculus’ Head of VR, Nate Mitchell teased a new title from Face Your Fears developer Turtle Rock Studios, saying: “With Oculus Quest and much more on the horizon, expect more of that same magic we all felt in the beginning. I’ve been getting some time in with the games we’re bringing to GDC and PAX East, like the latest from Turtle Rock Studios. It reminds me of playing Zelda back when I was a kid—that sense of awe and wonder and larger-than-life adventure.”
As for E3 2019, this marks a serious return for Oculus – which hasn’t had a booth there since 2016. The company has confirmed that newly announced Asgard’s Wrath by Sanzaru Games and Oculus Studios will be playable there. More detailed specifics have yet to be released.
Oculus being at E3 2019 will be a massive boost for VR at the event. As VRFocus has previously discussed, there was going to be a massive VR hole left thanks to the departure of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) for the first time in the event’s history. With the launch of Oculus Quest likely to have occurred by the time of E3 2019 in June, the company will have three head-mounted displays (HMDs) to demo and available at retail. Hopefully, it’ll have an impressive stand to match.
As Oculus release further details, VRFocus will keep you updated.