While the official release date has yet to be announced, Oculus, the virtual reality firm owned by Facebook, announced on Wednesday that it will be shipping its first VR headset for public during the first quarter of next year.

According to a report by IBTimes, Oculus posted a statement on its official website informing that the company will be accepting preorders from some time "later this year." While Oculus has promised to share details regarding the hardware as well as software of the system prior to the actual shipments start. Meanwhile, employees of Oculus have already started posting open calls for third-party developers.

Oculus has said that it will share the technical specifications of the VR headset next week. In fact, the company has hinted at a large presence at video gaming conference E3 in June.

The statement released by the company said, "In the weeks ahead, we'll be revealing the details around hardware, software, input, and many of our unannounced made-for-VR games and experiences coming to the Rift. Next week, we'll share more of the technical specifications on the Oculus blog."

Oculus also claimed, "Virtual reality is going to transform gaming, film, entertainment, communication, and much more. If you're interested in building a next-generation VR game or application, everything you need to start developing for the Rift is available at the Oculus Developer Center."

Although Oculus has not announced the price of its first VR headset yet, Oculus Rift developer kits are already available and being sold for $350. According to Oculus CEO Palmer Luckey, the final retail price of the much-anticipated device will be something between $200 and $400. Earlier, Luckey had said that he was in favor of starting the delivery of Oculus Rift this year itself.

Currently, the Oculus software is also available in the Galaxy Gear VR headset, which comes for $200. However, the downside is that the user needs to have a particular expensive Samsung smartphone handset to operate it.