Id Software founder John Carmack has joined Oculus VR as chief technology officer.
Carmack, best known for programming classic shooters Doom and Quake, will lead development of the gaming headset from the firm's new office in Dallas, Texas, it's confirmed.
ZoomAccording to a statement issued to Polygon, Carmack's new position at Oculus will not affect his duties as technical director at Id Software.
A spokesman said: "John has long been interested in the work at Oculus VR and wishes to spend time on that project. The technical leadership he provides for games in development at id Software is unaffected."
Carmack co-founded id Software in 1991 and is best known for programming the industry-leading engines behind Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake and Rage. He also works part-time at Armadillo Aerospace, the private rocket-building enterprise he founded.
In a message posted on Twitter, Carmack said the shared responsibilities will increase his workload.
My time division is now Oculus over Id over Armadillo. Busy busy busy!— John Carmack (@ID_AA_Carmack) August 7, 2013
He said in a statement: "The dream of VR has been simmering in the background for decades, but now, the people and technologies are finally aligning to allow it to reach the potential we imagined.
"I'm extremely excited to make a mark in what I truly believe will be a transformative technology."
In a further comment posted on the Oculus website Carmack said he ranks the peripheral's inception among he favourite memories.
"I have fond memories of the development work that led to a lot of great things in modern gaming - the intensity of the first person experience, LAN and internet play, game mods, and so on.
"Duct taping a strap and hot gluing sensors onto Palmer's early prototype Rift and writing the code to drive it ranks right up there.
"Now is a special time. I believe that VR will have a huge impact in the coming years, but everyone working today is a pioneer. The paradigms that everyone will take for granted in the future are being figured out today; probably by people reading this message.
"It's certainly not there yet. There is a lot more work to do, and there are problems we don't even know about that will need to be solved, but I am eager to work on them. It's going to be awesome!"
Oculus cofounder and CEO, Brendan Iribe added: "To build the best virtual reality experience, we're putting together a team of the brightest minds, and John Carmack is at the top of the list. It's a true honor.
"A pioneer of 2D, 3D, and now VR, John continues to define the future of computer graphics and gaming. We share John's commitment to providing the world with open platforms that inspire innovation and creation."
