If you have been affected by Oculus Rift pre-order delays and you happen to live in the US, then you may be able to skip the line entirely and pick up a Rift at retail. With the first Rift units expected to show up in stock at Best Buy this week, Oculus has announced that if anyone that pre-ordered chooses to buy a retail unit instead due to earlier availability, then they can still retain their pre-order bonus games and priority status for the Oculus Touch controllers later this year.

The Oculus Rift will be available at 48 Best Buy stores in the US to start off with as part of the ‘Intel Experience', which kicks off on the 7th of May. From there, limited stock will be available at the Microsoft Store and Amazon, stock will also hit more Best Buy stores over the Summer, though availability will be limited while Oculus tries to catch up with pre-orders.

In a blog post on the Oculus site, the company said: “We know that many pre-order customers are still waiting for their Rifts, so we’re offering those customers a chance to purchase Rift from retail instead – while keeping their pre-order benefits, like the EVE: Valkyrie Founder’s Pack and priority status for Touch pre-orders. Starting May 6th, if you’re interested, simply go to your order status and let us know you’ve purchased a Rift at retail, and we’ll cancel your pre-order. Your EVE: Valkyrie entitlement will appear in your order history.”

KitGuru Says: I imagine those with late shipping dates for their pre-orders will be quite interested in this. If those that pre-ordered end up picking up a Rift at retail instead, that frees up some more pre-order stock, which will hopefully alleviate delays a bit. 

Become a Patron!