Few new pieces of technology have raised the pulse of the gaming community quite like the Oculus Rift. Which explains why the Oculus Rift DK2 is such a hotly anticipated piece of kit.

The Oculus Rift DK2 is the second iteration of this Kickstarter funded, Facebook-owned virtual reality headset. After the early prerelease in 2012, DK2 is the second development kit made available to investors and early adopters.

The DK2 stands for Development Kit 2, which is a clear indication that this is still very much a prototype. Codenamed “Crystal Cove,” the Oculus Rift DK2 is a wearable virtual reality headset. It uses a pair of OLED 1080p screens to provide visuals, an audio jack for headphones, a USB port for expansion and an external camera to watch you while you play. There is also a built-in IR sensor. The Oculus Rift DK2 connects to a computer using USB for power and HDMI for graphics. It uses internal gyroscopes and an accelerometer to track movement.

Improvements over the first Oculus Rift abound, including upgraded visuals from 720p to 1020p, reduced lag, new OLED screens to avoid motion sickness, the inclusion of headphones and the removal of the small dev box between the headset and computer.

While the DK2 is definitely a big leap forward, there is still a long way to go until this is ready for production. Even the developers themselves don’t know when it will be ready. However, this version is a big step in development that is beginning to show real potential.

For now, unless you simply cannot wait to try it, or are a developer who wants in on what will be a virtual reality revolution, the Oculus Rift DK2 isn’t ready for investment just yet. Given time and the continued pace of development it has shown so far, it soon will be.

Jesmond Darmanin is a technology enthusiast who has his own blog at www.itnewsblog.com.

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