The first Oculus Rift consumer headsets are out for delivery and we have all been waiting patiently for a knock at the door from UPS.
Now, the first order has been hand-delivered to Ross Martin in Anchorage, Alaska. The knock at the door wasn’t from UPS, but instead a surprise visit from Oculus founder Palmer Luckey himself. Ross Martin, who is described as a VR enthusiast and indie developer, was the first person to pre-order the Rift when it opened up in early January.
Users who were following Palmer Luckey on Facebook got a pleasant surprise this morning to see Luckey live-streaming from Alaska, capturing his celebratory delivery and unboxing of the Rift headset. The Rift box donned autographs from Oculus team members Michael Antonov, Brendan Iribe, Nate Mitchell, and Luckey.
As the Hawaiian shirt and flip flop wearing Luckey strolled into Martin’s Alaska office, you could tell the kid billionaire was genuinely excited to make the delivery. It was hard to tell if Martin was equally excited, but he must have been on the inside. Right?
Moments after posting the first video, another live video went up wit some additional background information about Martin. Palmer was excited to learn that the recipient of his first Rift lived up to all of his Alaskan preconceptions – a son of a dog mushing Native Alaskan.
As an Alaskan myself, this one was particularly amusing. When I moved to the lower 48 as a young kid, my childhood was spent explaining to disappointed kids across the Pacific Northwest that not all Alaskans ride sleds and live in igloos.
Ross Martin of Alaska receives Rift delivery from Palmer Luckey
This was the first Rift to be delivered, but many more will be arriving Monday when the Rift officially launches. Most people will have to wait a bit to order the $599 Rift headset. The device is currently on back-order for the next several months on the Oculus site.
