The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is available for pre-order now for $600 and begins shipping on March 28 with two games, “EVE Valkyrie” and “Lucky’s Tale.”
That’s a steep price tag for the headset, and you’ll need to shell out even more cash for a computer powerful enough to run games and experiences on the Rift.
How much would such a computer cost?
If you were to buy or build your own computer for the Rift, expect to spend around $1,000.
But Oculus has an easier solution: the company is teaming with Asus, Dell, and Alienware (Dell’s gaming hardware division) to make “Oculus-ready computers” with recommended specs that start at $1,499. You get the whole Rift package — the headset, an Xbox One gamepad, a camera for tracking the headset and an Oculus Remote — plus a computer that can run it, all for $1,499.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves: $600 for the headset is a ridiculous amount of money.
The Price aside and all, this hardware is pretty awesome;
The headset, dubbed “Oculus Rift,” provides a virtual reality experience to users by plugging in to a powerful PC. The PC then runs virtual reality games and other experiences through a wire to the headset. The effect is a shockingly real sense of immersion — so-called “presence — that makes you feel as though you’re actually wherever you’re looking at.
Standing at the top of The Wall in the “Game of Thrones” VR experience? It feels like you’re actually there, vertigo and all.
In a diving suit, deep under the ocean, watching a massive blue whale float past? Its enormity is evident — menacing, even.
This is the concept of “presence” in virtual reality, and it’s something that Oculus VR’s headset nails as well or better than anyone else out there.
