Oculus Rift engineer killed

In a sad turn of events, the engineer and co-founder behind the Oculus Rift VR headset was killed last week.

Andrew Scott Reisse, who was the computer graphics engineer and co-designer on the project, was hit by a car that was being pursued by police in Santa Ana, California, on Thursday, 30 May 2013.

Police say the car was driven by 21-year-old Victor Sanchez, who was driving recklessly around the area before the pursuit began.

Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe and chief software architect Michael Antonov issued a statement regarding the passing of Reisse.

“Andrew was a brilliant computer graphics engineer, an avid photographer and hiker who loved nature, a true loyal friend, and a founding member of our close-knit Oculus family,” the statement reads.

“Some of us have known Andrew since college, and have worked with him at multiple companies beginning with Scaleform in Maryland which he helped start at age 19, then at Gaikai in Aliso Viejo which brought him out to California, and finally at Oculus where he was a co-founder and lead engineer.”

“Andrew’s contributions span far and wide in the video game industry. His code is embedded in thousands of games played by millions of people around the world.”

“Words can not express how sorely he will be missed or how deeply our sympathy runs for his family. Andrew will always be in our thoughts and will never be forgotten. We love you Reisse.”