Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Palmer Luckey hand delivered the first Oculus Rift to this lucky guy

By Aliya Barnwell March 27, 2016

Oculus Rift, Palmer Luckey — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Oculus Rift is here at last. Somewhere in Alaska, a man named Ross Martin will snuggle down in front of his computer to play with the first retail Oculus Rift in consumer hands. Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus, delivered it to him personally.

The official retail launch is this Monday, March 28, but Luckey told Polygon “I’ll be damned if some random delivery guy is going to get the satisfaction of delivering the first Rift.” Ross Martin was the earliest intrepid individual to pre-order an Oculus, hence he is the first to receive one. Not only that, but he received it in a box thoughtfully signed by the founders.

Related Offer: See Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and desktop Bundles here

Luckey streamed the exchange via Facebook Live, commemorating all his hard work since 2009. If you’re wondering “Why Facebook Live? Why not Periscope, or why not just Youtube it?” remember Oculus is a Facebook company now. The little VR system that launched on Kickstarter in 2012 was acquired by the social media corporation in early 2014 for a whopping $2 billion.

Personally delivering the first Rift to Alaska!

Posted by Palmer Freeman Luckey on Saturday, March 26, 2016

Oculus pledged, in three separate posts, to remain independent. Hopefully Facebook influence stays limited to an outlet for Oculus company news.

As far as personally flying the first backer their product and sharing that joy with the world, it seems a classy touch by Luckey. To venture forth on a delivery mission to the coldest state in America draped in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts was a bold choice.

In the video Martin thanked Luckey for coming out personally. “I think people online really appreciate all the transparency and outreach that you do.” If video views are any indication, over 100,000 have appreciated it so far.

“You have to make sure that you have fun with it or something,” Luckey told Martin. We’re sure he will. Unfortunately, Martin will have to wait to try his Rift out. He can’t really play it until the software goes live.

@colto1000 @pittsburghjoe2 Palmer really wanted to let me play early but there’s all kind of legal snaggles. So, Monday it is!

— Ross Martin (@RossDM) March 27, 2016

If you haven’t already pre-ordered a Rift, you may have to wait a few months, but you can put yourself on the list.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Aliya Tyus-Barnwell is a writer, cyclist and gamer with an interest in technology. Also a fantasy fan, she's had fiction…

Computing

Power up your tech game this summer with Dell’s top deals: Upgrade for a bargain

Dell Techfest and best tech on sale featured.

One of the best times to upgrade your tech stack, be it your desktop, a new laptop, or some high-resolution monitors, is when great deals are to be had. Well, I'm here to share that thanks to Dell's top deals, you can power up your tech game and have most of the summer to make it happen. Maybe you're happy with your current system or setup. That's excellent, but you're likely considering upgrading somewhere, and that's precisely what these deals are all about. Dell has a smorgasbord of deals on laptops, desktops, gaming desktops, monitors, accessories, and so much more. We'll call out a few of our favorite deals below, but for now, know that you should be shopping this sale if you're interested in anything tech-related.

What summer tech should you buy in Dell's top deals?

Computing

I love the MacBook Pro, but this Windows laptop came surprisingly close

Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

There are some great machines in the 15-inch laptop category, which has recently been stretched to include the more common 16-inch laptop. The best among them is the Apple MacBook Pro 16, which offers fast performance for tasks like video editing and the longest battery life.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 is aimed not only at other 16-inch Windows laptops but also at the MacBook Pro 16. It offers many of the same benefits but at a lower price. Can it take a place at the top?
Specs and configurations

Computing

How to set an ‘Out of Office’ message in Microsoft Teams

Person using Windows 11 laptop on their lap by the window.

Many people use Microsoft Teams regularly to communicate with colleagues both inside of the office and remotely. It is considered one of the most efficient ways to ensure you can stay in contact with the people on your team, but what if you need to let people know you’re not readily available? Microsoft Teams has a method for you to set up an "Out of Office" status for your profile to let staff members know when you’ll be gone for the afternoon, for several days on vacation, or for an extended period.
Where do I go to set up my ‘Out of Office’ status for Teams?
It is important to note that your Microsoft Teams and Outlook calendars are synced. This includes your out-of-office status and automatic replies. So, whatever you set up in Microsoft Teams will reflect in Outlook. Similarly, you can set up your out-of-office status in Outlook, and it will be reflected in Teams; however, the former has a more straightforward instruction.

First, you can click on your profile icon in Teams and go directly to Schedule an out of office, as a shortcut. This will take you to the settings area where you can proceed. You can also click the three-dot icon next to your profile icon, then go to Settings > General, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. There, you'll find out-of-office settings and click Schedule.