pre-kickstarter funder thread

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German
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by German »

Hey Palmer, when are the partial refunds going to be issued?
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by Mel »

PalmerTech wrote:
Mel wrote:I would like mine signed. :)

How do I go about getting it?
If anyone wants to get it signed, several options:

1) We can arrange to transport your unit to me, have it signed, then sent back.
2) I can send you a signed control box cover that would be easy to swap on. I would sign the front of the unit, but I want to be careful about it. Several people have been working on webcam tracking solutions, probably better for everyone to have a uniform surface on the front of their Rift. :)
Is it possible for me to send just the face plate of the visor? (Sorry...I haven't watched the tear-down videos so I don't know what it looks like in pieces.)
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by lnrrgb »

and a few words about pre-kickstarters getting in on TF2 hats, or not - as we cannot log into the sales page for an update. Not that having a virtual Rift is a super big thing, cuz hey, we got the real deal anyway. just curious.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by defactoman »

All I want is a T-Shirt that I can wear while I give all these Rift demonstrations I do. Someone I was demoing to told me if I was going to evangelize something, that I should do it wearing the t-shirt ;-)
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by sambeckett »

PalmerTech wrote:As for the other things, hold tight. You will all be getting another package.
its been almost 45 days since you told us to hold tight :)

I hate to keep asking.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by Alkapwn »

sambeckett wrote:
PalmerTech wrote:As for the other things, hold tight. You will all be getting another package.
its been almost 45 days since you told us to hold tight :)

I hate to keep asking.
I thought you were selling your Rift anyways no? And I thought they hadn't started shipping out the t-shirts and stuff. I'm assuming once they start, everyone will get their stuff.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by druidsbane »

*bump* :)

Any idea if you will be sending us signed covers for our control boxes? Also, as some of us have two kits can we get two covers? Any idea if that second package is missing in action? Loving the Rift by the way and glad to see everyone will be getting theirs by the end of May! Next up, the Rift 1.5 hardware iteration we can all start waiting for? :)
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by sambeckett »

It has been over a year since the pre-kickerstarter backers sent you money.

We were the first 30 people to send you $500

You now have received over 18 million dollars. ****18 million dollars**** WOW

But we haven't received the rest of our reward.

Since you have been so hugely successful please fulfill your promise to your early backers.

I figure since we were the earliest investors we should get 1/30th of 1% of your company or .0003 of your value each, or $9000 if your valued at 30 million today. OR maybe confirmation on that early pair of HD glasses and final retail version.

Congrats on the money and the grand vision of the VR future!
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by German »

I'd really just like the $200 he said he'd refund back. I've emailed him once already and no response.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by Valez »

German wrote:I'd really just like the $200 he said he'd refund back. I've emailed him once already and no response.
This is a valid point.
sambeckett wrote: [...]
I figure since we were the earliest investors we should get 1/30th of 1% of your company or .0003 of your value each, or $9000 if your valued at 30 million today.
[...]
This is ridiculous on so many levels.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by sambeckett »

Why is it ridiculous?

The company was valued at prob at more than 30 million if they received 16 million in funding,
http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/06/22 ... t-funding/

They made 2.3 million from kickstarter, and prob twice that on site pre-orders for the ALPHA hardware.
The HD unit will sell 10x as much, earning them 20 million+

9k to the first 30 people that gave them money (500$+) when they had no money is not a big request at all.

Oculus rift is a huge success and will continue to be based on everyone in the industry.
It has received great news, great reviews, and is in a new industry.
It like investing in the iphone before anyone knew what it was.

I wish my $500 was a fractional share......
I have money and if I could I would invest today, but it is a private company.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by ElectroPulse »

sambeckett wrote:Why is it ridiculous?

The company was valued at prob at more than 30 million if they received 16 million in funding,
http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/06/22 ... t-funding/

They made 2.3 million from kickstarter, and prob twice that on site pre-orders for the ALPHA hardware.
The HD unit will sell 10x as much, earning them 20 million+

9k to the first 30 people that gave them money (500$+) when they had no money is not a big request at all.

Oculus rift is a huge success and will continue to be based on everyone in the industry.
It has received great news, great reviews, and is in a new industry.
It like investing in the iphone before anyone knew what it was.

I wish my $500 was a fractional share......
I have money and if I could I would invest today, but it is a private company.
Why is it ridiculous? Because by that logic, all Kickstarter backers should have stock in the companies that they back as well... From what I can tell (and admittedly I wasn't around back then to see all this going down), it was basically a pre-order. You did not "invest."
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by German »

sambeckett wrote: They made 2.3 million from kickstarter, and prob twice that on site pre-orders for the ALPHA hardware.
The HD unit will sell 10x as much, earning them 20 million+
They didn't make $2.3 million from Kickstarter since they sold Rifts at or very close to cost. After the sourcing issues, it's possible they even lost money at first.
9k to the first 30 people that gave them money (500$+) when they had no money is not a big request at all.
It is a huge deal in business terms. This wasn't an investment. When they received venture capital, they did not disclose these fantasy fractional shares(worth about $270,000 by your math) you want. The VCs could pull their money based on that alone, if they were to try do this retroactively. The VCs didn't give them money to give it away. VC money is not even income or profit.
I wish my $500 was a fractional share......
I have money and if I could I would invest today, but it is a private company.
Then you should have contacted Palmer then and made an investment. The $500 we paid was not an investment or payment for a fractional share of the company.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by TheHolyChicken »

sambeckett wrote:I figure since we were the earliest investors we should get 1/30th of 1% of your company or .0003 of your value each, or $9000 if your valued at 30 million today. OR maybe confirmation on that early pair of HD glasses and final retail version.
sambeckett wrote:Why is it ridiculous?
It's ridiculous because you didn't buy shares in the company, neither did you make any kind of investment; you bought a PRODUCT, at what was essentially cost price for the components and Palmer's time. If you can't see why expecting some kind of giant cash bonus is ridiculous, I don't really know what more to say.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by sambeckett »

I love how you guys know the cost to manufacture the glasses and material cost, care to share? I am sure they made a profit. A business exists to make money, not to lose money. They wouldn't get funding if they were losing money on the hardware. It is not like this is a platform which they make money from games. They don't have a mp3 store, video store, or bookstore. This hardware is not a loss leader like a Kindle/mobile phone/game console. It is an accessory like a monitor/mouse/headphones.

We were promised something that has yet to be delivered($200 refund or maybe 2nd HD unit, or other things such as a signed unit, t shirts, and other rewards.) I was just speculating what our early cash should be worth today IF it was a real investment ( which I know it wasn't - obviously )

I am not sure why after such success we have been forgotten about, seems awkward. I know if I started something that just got a huge investment 16 MILLION I would stop to thank the first 30 people that gave me my first seed money. Shouldn't take more than a hour out of your day.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by TheHolyChicken »

I was just speculating what our early cash should be worth today IF it was a real investment ( which I know it wasn't - obviously )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W25_jgiY51I
sambeckett wrote:We were promised something that has yet to be delivered($200 refund or maybe 2nd HD unit, or other things such as a signed unit, t shirts, and other rewards.)

I am not sure why after such success we have been forgotten about, seems awkward. I know if I started something that just got a huge investment 16 MILLION I would stop to thank the first 30 people that gave me my first seed money. Shouldn't take more than a hour out of your day.
While I disagree with much of what you've said, I fully agree with you here. You guys were promised a refund of the difference, and/or something "special", and for you guys to have still not received that at this point is starting to feel uncomfortable and frankly quite disappointing (especially as it seems that information and communication has been thin on the ground). Come on Oculus guys, get on it already.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by PalmerTech »

It is not Oculus, the fault is all mine. I dropped the ball on following up with pre-Kickstarter backers, I know I need to make it right.

Everything should be resolved next week. Anyone who is unhappy with the solution can have a full $500 refund and consider their Rift a gift.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by lnrrgb »

I requested a second unit, back when Palmer asked for confirmation of shipping information. That is what I got - 2 units. Now there were statements made about perks for pre-k funders, but I never received any of them. I figured that not pushing too much would be best. They were busy, and it was just perks. What I most hope for is carrying though on the promise of being a bit special to Palmer when the 2nd generation/retail version comes about. We were supposed to make it to a special list, with somewhat early access to new stuff. I have yet to see any of that come to light as well. He is busy. What a whirlwind it has been. I am patient. Will it pay off......? Who knows.... it ought to...
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by German »

Anyone hear anything from Palmer this week?

edit: Looks like I spoke too soon, just got an email from Paypal with the $200 refund.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by sambeckett »

I am super excited about the v2 developer hardware! Will wait as long as necessary! Rift the world baby!
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by German »

Some new information sambeckett or just general excitement over the CES stuff?

I do hope we get first access to the new hardware but I'm not going to hold my breath. :)
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by sambeckett »

just general excitement :)
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by druidsbane »

Time to revive this thread just in time for GDC '14 :) I'm hoping there is a DK2 announcement and some sort of preorder opened up! Please feel free to voice your opinions unless you've moved on ;)
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by dmarcos »

Hi there,

Another pre kick starter backer here. I'll be hanging out on Wednesday at GDC. I hope we get early access to the new sdk. Crossing my fingers. I'll try to reach out the oculus folks at the conference. I'll keep you updated if I get any info.

Diego
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by Alkapwn »

Looks like the DK2 is officially up for pre-order. I couldn't get through though.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by German »

Alkapwn wrote:Looks like the DK2 is officially up for pre-order. I couldn't get through though.
I got an order in but the site charged my card twice(according to online banking) and the order process was left in a failure state with an internal error. Contacted support.

I also emailed Palmer to ask why we weren't notified/allowed to pre-order first like he promised but oh well, haven't heard anything from him in a year. Didn't expect much more really, he was super gracious with what he did do for us.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by Alkapwn »

German wrote:
Alkapwn wrote:Looks like the DK2 is officially up for pre-order. I couldn't get through though.
I got an order in but the site charged my card twice(according to online banking) and the order process was left in a failure state with an internal error. Contacted support.

I also emailed Palmer to ask why we weren't notified/allowed to pre-order first like he promised but oh well, haven't heard anything from him in a year. Didn't expect much more really, he was super gracious with what he did do for us.
Mine kept timing out too. I soooo wanted to be first. But after the numerous timeouts in both Paypal, and credit card I gave up for a bit and started checking my e-mail just to see. I didn't know if I should e-mail Palmer directly, but then didn't wanna seem greedy or feel like we were bugging him or expecting anything. Like you said, he's done a bunch already for us. Let me know if you hear back from him by any chance. Would like to know whether or not to place my order yet or not.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by sambeckett »

I just emailed Palmer,I hope he remembers us and we are on the short list for dev 2 units!
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by sambeckett »

What did Palmer do for you guys? I did receive the the first kit a few days before Kickstarter backers, but nothing else.no extras or refund.said I rather wait for dev2 than get a partial refund of the 500$

Very excited!
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by druidsbane »

Didn't get anything special for DK1 other than that we were in first batch I believe (that's special enough for me considering how many ordered and what the backlog was). Palmer replied to an email I sent a short while ago about DK2, not confirming it, but just saying that if it were released he will send us all an email with instructions, essentially that we'd order (on the site as usual) and he would make sure it gets out in earlier batches if we send our order numbers in response to that email. Hope I didn't misunderstand but either way DK2 in July is awesome!!! I really do love what Oculus is doing and believe in them fully.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by sambeckett »

Congratulations on the Facebook acquisition. That is tremendous news.Th e dreams of my child hood will now be reality for my kids. Stay safe and take care of yourself with your new riches.your company has a very important world changing task to complete and now you have the tools in hand. Can't wait to show off version two to my family and friends and discuss your huge success!
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by Okta »

Image

Thanks guys, your contribution was really appreciated!
Last edited by Okta on Wed Mar 26, 2014 9:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by druidsbane »

I'm cautiously optimistic. As long as Oculus can remain independent then this is huge and will be a big win for all of us. Once VR hardware is established I'm sure there will be many competing software platforms, my only concern is for the Oculus founders themselves whom I respect greatly and want their vision of VR to succeed and hope that it can only be enhanced through their relationship with FB, not replaced by it. They know what they are doing and I am still looking forward to what they will release and know it will both honor their vision and respect their users.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by German »

Okta wrote: Thanks guys, your contribution was really appreciated!
Heh, yeah, we only bankrolled his first $10,000.

"Don't be bitter.... don't be bitter."

But seriously, I don't like the spin Palmer is spewing. He's not indie nor independent now. This was an acquisition not an investment, he's Facebook now. Facebook is a bad company but I still hope he's able to get what he wants to do accomplished before they come in and mess it up.
Last edited by German on Wed Mar 26, 2014 11:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by dmarcos »

After the kickstarter was announced Palmer asked me whether I wanted a refund of the 200 dollars we paid extra. I told him to keep the money for future research because I really believed in what they were doing. The facebook deal might not turn as bad as it seems but today I feel sad. I work at Mozilla and I have the best job I can imagine. I told my girlfriend several times that the only reason that might make me quit my job would've been an opportunity to work at Oculus. Today that option doesn't look that appealing anymore.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by sambeckett »

It seems from E3 that the dev kit 2 has been sent out to a bunch of partners.

Is it time to send out the pre-kickstarter backer dev 2 kits?

I would love to get started testing out my code with it!

thanks again!
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by Alkapwn »

Anyone get a shipping notification yet? Looks like the shipping dates may be closer to end of July since we're about half way through already.
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by Okta »

CONTROVERSY WITH FACEBOOK AND CROWDFUNDING:
The $25 pledge, the $40,000 payoff: Kickstarter offers absolutely no equity positions in companies. Pledges go toward projects for various reasons,
including presales of products (like Oculus Rift), goodies like T-shirts, or even just personal thanks. Equity, on the other hand, gets much more complex.

An initial investment, known as a seed round, typically requires a company to give up 15% to 30% of its interest in the company, split between an employee option pool and investors.

Oculus Rift's efforts on Kickstarter netted $2.4 million when it set out to only bring in $250,000. That indicates significant user interest in the product, but does not really help with a valuation.

However, let's say that Oculus Rift launched a crowdfunding equity round capped at $250,000 for 20% of the company. This system could offer investments at a variety of levels including $25.

This would give the company a $1.25 million valuation. The $2 billion price tag would have yielded a roughly 1,600 times return. That would have made the $25 pledge for an Oculus Rift T-shirt

(plus $15 for shipping and handling) worth about $40,000. A $500 investment would yield a return of $950,000. In reality, it's not quite that straightforward: equity investors would be susceptible to having their investment

watered down by additional fundraising rounds. But this example provides some idea of the reason that some people eagerly anticipate equity crowdfunding. (- Mashable)
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by V8Griff »

Let's not resurrect this BS again. :roll:

Kickstarter funders got what they paid for and indeed much more than what was promised. The REAL value was added by the early cash & VC funders and the guys on the team.

(Sure I'd have liked a piece of the Facebook cash but that wasn't what was on offer)
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Re: pre-kickstarter funder thread

Post by Okta »

V8Griff wrote:Let's not resurrect this BS again. :roll:

Kickstarter funders got what they paid for and indeed much more than what was promised. The REAL value was added by the early cash & VC funders and the guys on the team.

(Sure I'd have liked a piece of the Facebook cash but that wasn't what was on offer)
What about the pre-kickstarter guys in this thread who may have had individual agreements with Palmer. Time to hit up yo lawyers fella's lol yeaaaaahhh Boooy!!

Give me some more tears griff.

TRolloolll :twisted:
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Notch on the FaceDisgrace buyout.
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