The hype around virtual reality has been building for years.

On Monday, the Oculus Rift finally started shipping to folks who pre-ordered the headset for $600 — either in February when pre-orders first went live, or years ago when Oculus launched its monumental Kickstarter campaign in 2012.

Left: The first development kit for the Oculus Rift, which shipped to Kickstarter backers. | Right: the first consumer version Oculus Rift, which shipped this week to pre-order customers. Ben Gilbert / Tech Insider

We've been using it for a week, playing VR games and watching VR movies, and we've got a quickie breakdown of how to set up the Oculus Rift and enjoy the virtual revolution already in-progress.