Virtual Reality, The Future Of Gaming?

[W1nTry]

^^ WIN

[Arcmanov]

Well well well...here we are almost two years later.

Now we know the consumer version of the Oculus Rift is 600 US dollars.


I am truly, TRULY torn, and saddened by this.
On one hand, I'm glad that FB was able to probably help Oculus make the best damn VR headset to date, and so they feel that the current price is justified.

Consider Oculus' founder Palmer Luckey's statements in 2013...  http://kotaku.com/whoops-i-found-this-quote-thanks-to-this-tweet-it-s-f-1751441651

Gamers are not known to be the most affluent population of people. If something’s even $600, it doesn’t matter how good it is, how great of an experience it is — if they just can’t afford it, then it really might as well not exist. We’re going for the mainstream, but time will tell what the market is.

Now Mr Luckey has stated that even at $600, they're selling it at a slight loss.  That may or may not be true.

So then what is FB's, and by extension, Oculus' plans to 'go for the mainstream' at this price point?
It's already been stated time and again that a pretty high-spec PC is required to even run the O-Rift decently.
Most likely the people pre-ordering and maybe buying it day-one are those same gamers Mr Luckey talked about in 2013.

Now despite the high-price...all of the initial pre-orders units have been sold out, but it's hardly likely that this number would be enough
to consider the O-Rift a financial success.  What does this mean?  Well, for the short-term at least...those hardcore tech/gaming enthusiasts
with money to burn will be all over it.  The rest of us?  Well, some sucking of salt may have to suffice for now. 


I'd really like to read your thoughts on this latest development.

Has Oculus already priced themselves into irrelevancy?

Consider the fact that Sony has an over 30 MILLION install-base of PS4s in the wild already.
I don't have to tell you what would happen if their Morpheus VR headset were to come in at a price-point of about $400 US or less.
Those of us with PS4s and gaming PCs who may have been considering an O-Rift may very well flock to the Morpheus in droves.
More so if there is a killer-app.  Eve: Valkyrie (which is coming with the Rift) has also been confirmed for the Morpheus.
That's a reason right there for me to consider it.  Ace Combat 7...which, incidentally is EXCLUSIVE to PS4 has a VR component as well.
That's another reason for consideration.


...and what of the HTC Vive?

Rumor has it that it may launch at an even GREATER price point than the O-Rift.



It seems like 'The Future Of Gaming' is gonna need lots of coin for us to keep up.

[TriniXaeno]

Price is high, yes but that's a launch price, for early adopters.

Don't forget the PS3 60GB launched at US$599

Now even the 500GB models kicking dog @ $250

Only a matter of time before it becomes reasonable. Especially as so many alternatives coming to market.

[woodyear99]

Yeah the Vive will most likely be more expensive than rift.

http://goo.gl/tykDg1

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

[MessiaaH]

Question is, who buying a rift?

[TriniXaeno]

I'm hyped but quite happy to wait for the next generation of VR before putting one in the home.

Will be satisfied to check out a demo unit and play with it a bit for now.

[Arcmanov]

Price is high, yes but that's a launch price, for early adopters.

Don't forget the PS3 60GB launched at US$599

Now even the 500GB models kicking dog @ $250

Only a matter of time before it becomes reasonable. Especially as so many alternatives coming to market.

This is a common, but flawed argument.

It's not a fair comparison...the PS3 was a whole gaming system, and also the cheapest Blu-Ray player in existence at the time.  That was HUGE.

The Rift?  Not so much....and it's just a fancy peripheral.  You can't even call it a 'platform'.


I feel Sony might just get my VR money yes.

[TriniXaeno]

Well if you want to look at it from that angle;

Exhibit A,

The AMD R9 Nano, a gaming peripheral launched at US$649 and currently selling for $619



http://www.amazon.com/Radeon-4096-Bit-DisplayPort-Graphics-R9NANO-4GB/dp/B0159FY7RC/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1452262275&sr=1-2


My PS3 was bought for one game and one game alone. Street Fighter IV.

Similarly, my Xbox was bought for Halo alone.

And yes, I'd do it again.

A one trick pony can still make a solid case as a platform/peripheral/console. Granted it has to be a very good trick to move numbers but it does not need to have a ton of titles at launch.

It is fair to say that VR is a new platform and early adopters can be expected to pay hand over fist to get in the game (pun intended).

I'll wait and watch as the smoke clears. Three heavy hitters are in the ring, something's bound to go down fast (and here is hoping that's the price)

[Berzerk]

http://www.ign.com/wikis/oculus-rift/PlayStation_VR_vs._Oculus_Rift_vs._HTC_Vive_Comparison_Chart

good info.