14 DAY TRIAL // The VR industry is nascent at the moment, and while it's mainly an accessory for gaming or entertaining systems, mainly PCs, prices will reflect, however, in the launch of a series of exclusive devices that will cost users well over $350.
Being pushed forward as the beacon of VR entertainment, Oculus Rift is getting closer to launch, and although we predicted it would cost more than $300 dollars, a recent Palmer Luckey interview at RoadToVR website showed that the final price would go well over $350 (€312). During the Oculus Connects developer conference last week, Oculus VP Nate Mitchell announced that the first model of the Oculus Rift would arrive with a bundled Xbox One Controller. Adding to that info, Palmer Lucker, the founder of Oculus VR, stated that “We are roughly in that [$350] ballpark, but it is going to cost more than that.”
Apparently, the reason behind this price increase is Oculus’ desire to build a high-quality product, as the product’s materials will not only be well received by reviewers but by common users as well, who will carry the word around, spiking up sales. In short, no compromises will be made when building the commercial version of the Oculus, which is supposed to be considerably better than the DK1, DK2 and Crescent Bay prototypes given to developers all this time.
The first-generation VR devices are expensive because they are unique
Another explanation for why the prices are high for the first-generation VR headsets is that everything is custom made just for each of these devices, since they are not mass-produced. The commercial version of Oculus Rift will use a custom AMOLED display, lenses, and special tracking sensors. All in all, most parts of the new headset are among the first in their class to be mass-produced, so expect some hefty prices.
No official price has been revealed by Palmer Luckey yet, but it's very likely it will cost as much as a new game console in the $400 price range. It’s very possible that prices will drop considerably in the months following the release, period in which Oculus will observe how exactly the products will evolve on the market.