Oculus VR is looking to support its virtual reality headset, the Rift, on smartphones, though company CEO Brendan Iribe has downplayed the idea of making it compatible with game consoles.

oculus rift launch consoles smartphones

In an interview with Edge, Iribe said consoles were "not a focus" but that Oculus would like to integrate the Rift with "next-gen cellphones" such as the next iPhone:

"I love consoles but internally we're a lot more excited about where mobile's going to go, and being able to plug it right into a next gen cellphone. It's the innovation, and how fast cellphones are now improving - where we'll be with the next Galaxy or the next iPhone compared to where consoles are. Those things are almost doubling every year, compared to a console that's just stuck it out for eight years."

Iribe also said Oculus is hoping to launch a consumer model of the Rift in 2014:

"Consumer release-wise we haven't set a date yet - it's not going to be this year but we would love it to be next year. We don't want to announce any dates because frankly we just don't know when it's going to be really ready for the consumer market."

A development kit for the Oculus Rift is already available to purchase for $300 (£200). The virtual reality device allows gamers to control the head movement and perspective of in-game characters by physically moving their head in the real-world.

It is currently only compatible with PCs. As well as looking into smartphone support, Iribe has said he would like to drive down the price of the Rift as far as possible, potentially offering the hardware for free when bundled alongside virtual reality games.

IBTimes UK has tested the Oculus Rift, explaining that first impressions were "super positive" and that the device was appealing due to its simplicity.