Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe is giving gamers hope: He said on stage at Web Summit in Ireland today (via TheNextWeb) that a consumer version of the Oculus Rift headset is “months, not years away.” The VR device has already gone through multiple iterations, including two shipping developer devices, and more prototypes that evolve and improve its underlying tech.

Don’t get too excited, though: Iribe also said that it will be “many months” before a full consumer launch, and said that what’s still keeping things from being finalized is creating an input mechanism suitable for VR use. Gamepads, mice and keyboards aren’t quite right for immersive experiences, but recent Oculus acquisition Carbon Design is likely at work creating the company’s VR-specific solution as we speak.

Iribe also cautioned his rivals to avoid rushing to market, citing disorientation and motion sickness as real problems that need addressing before anything ships. He’s likely referring to Sony with this sentiment, which has shown significant progress in its own VR projects.

Overall, Iribe’s comments don’t have me anticipating a release even early next year – it’s more likely he’s projecting next fall or into 2016, since anything under two years would technically match with his statement.