Despite still being several months away from its actual launch, the Oculus Rift is already making headlines. Interested customers are afraid that it would cost too much, their concern might be right. Though Oculus hasn't given an exact price for the virtual reality headset yet, its founder, Palmer Luckey, is hinting that it might cost at least $350.
The Oculus Rift has been anticipated since the first prototypes were released and demoed by YouTube video gaming stars. The headset even became more popular after social network giant Facebook acquired the company in 2014.
Consumers will be able to buy the VR headset when it launches in 2016. However, they will also need to prepare some serious cash and a high-end desktop rig.
Luckey said that the Oculus Rift probably cost more than $350, according to Escapist. He added that they are even "roughly in the ballpark."
Of course, the high estimation for the price has an explanation. Luckey said that they have improved the device since the DK1 prototype. The company wanted to bring a high quality experience as much as possible.
Oculus has a large leeway in launching an expensive VR device. For starters, they are owned by the multi-billion dollar Facebook.
Facebook might be investing for the long run, according to Forbes. Initial product launches reveal what's wrong and what has potential. It will give the company feedback from the early adopters and developers.
Seeing the grand potential of VR experience, other tech giants have followed suit already. Sony is noted to be working on the PlayStation VR while Valve is working with HTC for the steamVR/HTC Vive.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is taking a different approach. The upcoming HoloLens device features augmented reality instead of VR. Redmond has demoed its features in previous conferences.
Oculus Rift will sport a 2160 x 1200 display powered by OLED, according to Alphr. It will also have a separate camera to track the head movements of the user for a better 3D environment and immersive experience.
High-end desktop rigs are required. A recommended GPU is the NVIDIA GTX 980 GPU. Laptops are out of the question, however, there are newer models with the said desktop GPU which will be able to support the VR device.
The Oculus Rift will undoubtedly be expensive. Will the hefty price tag be worth it?
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