Rumour: Oculus Rift could experience further delays due to component issue

Oculus Rift has really struggled to meet its launch targets.

At first, it seemed like the company hadn't built enough to meet demand, but then it was later reported that it was missing several parts and so there was a delay in the manufacturing process.

However, a new rumour has surfaced today from Taiwan which casts a much darker shadow on the proceedings.

DigiTimes Research has suggested that the reason the headset has suffered from horrendous delays is because there are issues with its key component, the Fresnal Lens.

Oculus adapted the lens, allowing it to maintain high-end performance while also shrinking the optics. However, there are suggestions that Oculus us struggling to replicate this in mass quantities, leading to further delayis

The lenses are apparently susceptible to cracks, so extra care must be taken when putting them together. As a result, there are suggestions that there could be further delays, meaning some pre-orders may not be fulfilled until August.

Considering the Fresnal Lens is a core part of the headset, if these issues cannot be resolved, it's possible the headset may also need a redesign, which could set things back even further as new components may not work with existing hardware.

Of course, this is still a rumour and it remains unconfirmed, but it would go a long way to explaining some of the issues Oculus seems to be having over the past few weeks.

If there is a further delay, could Oculus be running the risk of taking itself out of the VR race altogether? Especially with HTC Vive pretty much having the market to itself, and Playstation VR only a few months away.