With the Oculus Rift’s seemingly high $599 price tag coming as quite a surprise to the VR community, one might be tempted to think that it would put a major dent in pre-orders. Indications from Oculus suggest it may only be a vocal minority who have been turned off by the cost.

At a Dell hosted event at CES 2016, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey and Dell’s Frank Azor took to a small stage to talk about the future of VR and how it would impact the computing industry. In addition to Azor talking up Dell’s commitment to VR going forward, Luckey seemed quite enthusiastic about pre-orders for the Rift.

“Pre-orders are going much better than I ever could have possibly expected,” said Luckey. “There are a lot of people who are getting into virtual reality that I think are not even necessarily the gamers who have been waiting; they’re just hearing about it now or hearing about it recently and they’re convinced enough to pre-order. Hopefully they’re convinced enough to actually use it.”

oculus-rift-with-peripherals
The Oculus Rift package includes a headset, positional tracking sensor, Xbox One controller, and Oculus Remote, as well as two bundled games.

Luckey also told Polygon, “I can’t talk about numbers, but we sold through in 10 minutes what I thought we were going to sell through in a few hours.” An Oculus representative told me separately that people at the company were “all smiles” regarding the performance of pre-orders.

oculus rift carrying case (6)
See Also: Oculus Rift Pre-Order ETA is Now June for New Orders

After a long journey from a 2012 Kickstarter, Oculus finally put the hotly anticipated Rift up for pre-order this week on January 6th. Based on a predominantly negative reaction and lots of discussion from the VR community, the $599 price tag landed higher than Oculus had set the expectation, but this may not have put much of a dent in the headset’s sales after all.

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Late last year, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Oculus parent company Facebook, set initial VR headset expectations relatively low during an earnings call.

“So we’ve said often that we think that virtual reality and augmented reality could be the next big computing platform. But just to put that in perspective and compare it to the development of previous computing platforms, like phones and computers, I think the first smartphones came out in 2003,” Zuckerberg said in response to a question posed by a representative from USB. “And in the first year, I think BlackBerry and Palm Treo were the initial smartphones that came out. I think they each sold in the hundreds of thousands of units. So just to kind of give a sense of the time frame that we’re thinking about this and how we expect this to develop, that’s how we’re thinking about that.”

We don’t expect Oculus to share any specific pre-order figures unless they’re truly exceptional, as that info will be of competitive nature until the company’s two major competitors (HTC Vive and PlayStation VR) give their own prices and take pre-orders.

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Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • CURTROCK

    $599.00 is more than a game console, but it’s the wrong comparison. A better comparison is the cost of a smart phone, or tablet. The new iPhones cost $649 & $749. Or, how about comparing it to the cost of a high end OLED tv? When you look at the tech stack in the RIFT, and consider Oculus is the 1st company to design/manufacture/distribute a product that is almost 100% custom made parts, $599 is unprecedented in its affordability. Even if Rift did NOTHING else other than to provide you with a personal IMAX viewing experience, it would be a phenomenal step forward from regular TV or PC monitor viewing. Complaining about how much the PC costs to drive the Rift, is comparable to complaining about how much the gas for your new car costs. 1 year of Auto cost will add up to far more than the cost of a Rift ready PC. Is it fair to compare the cost of a Rift+PC to owning & maintaining a car? Depends on your priorities. A car can transport you down the road. The Rift can transport your awareness to infinity & beyond. No limits. I’ve often said before, that as long as it’s cheaper than buying a car, I’ll be buying the Rift. I’m in Canada, and the Rift/PC bundle wil cost me approx $2500. I’ve been waiting for VR since seeing Lawnmower Man in theatres in 1992. I will gladly spend $2500 to experience and own the reality of VR. For those that feel the cost of VR is excessive or prohibitive, waiting for subsidies and price drops is a viable option. Probably won’t have to wait too long. Oops, I think I just accidentally penned an Op-Ed. Lol

    • gnarppy

      a smartphone is a standalone integrated device, so it’s not a better comparison

      • Evangeliman

        it is if you think that people buy those waaaaaay more often. and dont bat an eyelash at 600 usd pricetags. hell if you pay some company 70usd a month you can get one of thoes flashy new iphlops for 299usd! haha. no.

    • SpartanView

      A cell phone is a computing platform that most people use 4+ hours a day, that you need for communication and information gathering purposes.

      The Rift is a peripheral, not a computing platform… That most people will maybe use 6 hours a week, 2 or 3 months after ownership.

      I would wager a lot of people who pre-ordered on a whim, think they are going to skate by with less than recommended specs, and are going to be very dissapointed when they get nauseous and sick from stuttering.

      • Evangeliman

        haha ill use mine all the time. even if its just for 3D gameplay in games with no motion or directional tracking.

        • SpartanView

          I honestly hope that ends up being the case. I suppose it will come down to whether or not the headset is comfortable enough for constant use, and whether or not browsing and general pc use will be better supported with the CV1. It was a nightmare to try and transition from desktop, to gaming with the DK2, and was one of my chief, albeit few complaints.

          • Rob Xsiq

            you didn’t use the virtual desktop assistant? its a free download.

          • SpartanView

            I did, however there were a lot of issues launching games from it, and required too much work to switch to and from for gaming, as I never felt much need to just browse the Web with it.

            I must say though, that I really enjoyed the interface of it for desktop browsing alone, and the look of it, especially the curved floating desktop were neat.

        • Mitt Zombie

          Right….
          Nobody ever bought stuff planning not to use it, but their sure is a lot of unused junk in people’s closets.

    • Eddie Yasi

      I’d say the best comparison is a top-of-the-line PC video card. Those often go for $600 or more. This price is not outrageous in that respect. Their primary mistake were some comments that made it sound it would be in a lower price range.

      They can’t cheap out, this has to be a premium experience or else people will think VR is still a lot of hype. I’m glad they’re not doing that.

      • Klokinator

        Exactly. I don’t want some shitty smartphone viewing experience, I want THE premium VR experience. That’s why I’m getting Oculus and not the Vive or some other competitor. They invented the technology and perfected it, not their competitors.

        • Pre Seznik

          The VIVE in it’s current state is comparable or better than Oculus in certain aspects (FOV). And it’s still being developed.

          • Andy

            Based on what the DK2 model? I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions until you have actually tried out the commercial release unit. They have already stated that the DK2 release was far less capable that the final version.

          • Evangeliman

            more of an oculus guy my self. but most of the comparisons between the vive and the oculus rift where from the consumer preview model at recent conventions. there are very minor changes from that version to the one up for preorder. it seems the vive is aiming to be just a slight bit more robust. the headset it self has more accurate (or more fast) tracking than the oculus and slightly better FOV. that added tech tho comes with more expensive hardware, and possibly more computing overhead. right now i think the most important aspects in VR are the visual experience and directional tracking.

        • John R

          If you want “THE” premium VR experience, HTC Vive’s whole aim is to provide that; the Oculus is trying to do a “premium” experience at a consumer price meaning it won’t be “THE” premium experience.

          Also, if you actually knew what you were talking about, you would know that a lot of help came from Valve in the development of the Oculus Rift; Valve had also already been working on VR and HMD before the Oculus Rift began official development.
          The HTC Vive is Valve’s headset being manufactured by HTC. So, really, if you want to go for the one who “invented” the technology and the one offering “THE” premium VR experience, HTC Vive beats Oculus at both.

          Just an FYI – I’m not a Vive fanboy, I think the price is going to be too excessive to waste the money on; forcing lighthouse to be bundled with it is going to push it even higher too.
          Equally, I believe Oculus is going about it wrong with not bundling Oculus Touch with the Rift; they said they weren’t going to rush to market to avoid risking damaging VR’s potential and now that competitors have shown up they went against that.
          VR needs motion controllers, at the least, for a more immersive experience that isn’t novelty and less developers are going to design primarily for motion controllers if VR users aren’t guaranteed to have them.

          • Lukimator

            That’s not true, there are plenty of experiences that wouldn’t benefit from motion controllers at all. They would benefit from tracked gloves though, but we don’t have those do we?

          • Shiz

            Then don’t use them? It’s not like you HAVE to use the motion controllers to be able to use it.

          • Lukimator

            So why am I paying $200 extra for something I wont use?

          • care package

            It is true. Add on peripherals are always a fail in the console world. Developers won’t take the time to develop to use the touch if not everyone is going to have them. They definitely won’t develop games specifically catered to the touch controllers, where otherwise they would if it was included.
            The only advantage/hope there is, is running games made for the Vive, and that’s only if valve feels like being nice and making everything cross compatible. So far it seems like they are.

        • Shiz

          It’s really sad how uninformed people think that the Oculus is “THE premium VR experience” and not the Vive. Maybe you should look more into it before making a judgement?

          • sirlance

            Agree the vive is much better…can’t wait for my to ship in april

          • care package

            Vive is the premium VR experience, but only for short durations, and only for specific types of games. There are many types that will still be a seated experience, such as FPSs that require a lot of traversing (who wants to teleport everywhere?), 3rd person platformers, racing games, etc.
            This is where the Rift shines. Lighter headset, integrated headphones. Much higher comfort level for long term gaming.

        • Rob Xsiq

          yeah, Vive is higher end and will no doubt cost more actually. You get all the benefits of the OR, but also the added capabilities of the 10×10 space to wander in.
          But, I think most VR content will be aimed at the Oculus because that will be the standardbearer for all..oculus folks cant walk around, nor can the plethora of other headsets..so a person coding for VR will focus in on the majority, with only a few select titles making use of the room frame of the vive.

          • care package

            This is exactly what I am trying to explain to people. A standing experience the Vive offers is a novelty thing. Sure it’s more impressive to folks, but standing experiences are only suited for short duration gaming. People are generally lazy and will always end up back on their butts. Look at the Wii. It’s novelty wore off fast. The Rift wins hands down for comfort, so it wins hands down for long term (seated) gaming. I have both preordered, but I might cancel the Vive order. As much as I’d love to try it, I’ve realized it’s just not suited for my situation. Plus once the touch controllers are released, it will come with another tracking camera for more room scale experiences. Good enough for me.

          • sirlance

            You are absolutely wrong…the vive ‘s experience beats oculus by a country mile….you can sit with s vive too…until oculus can do room scale it will remain 2nd in the VR world

          • care package

            Absolutely wrong about what? You just tell me I’m wrong about something then go off on your opinions about how the Vive is so much better. Also, no kidding you can sit with the Vive. Is anyone saying you can’t? Who thinks you can’t sit with the Vive?

      • Pre Seznik

        Why a graphics card? VR is a display device with interactivity/control features that are integral to the experience. So it’s closest to an arcade cabinet, but since that’s not a home product, TVs and monitors are what it’s competing against.

        • Evangeliman

          and decent monitors start at 400 usd, slightly better ones 550 and “high-end” or specialized come in at 700-1200 usd and all this difference for alot of them is simply the tech used to display an image with less already almost unnoticeable flickering or other small issues that most people dont even notice exist.

      • cahn

        Totally agree. They shouldn’t have said $350. I was waiting for VR since it kickstarted checking news on it almost everyday yet hesitated when the price $599 was announced on preorder. After thinking over it, I realized its not that expensive but that $350 talk tricked me into thinking that it’s over priced. And now, I gotta wait till June to get Oculus…

        • Evangeliman

          at the time they were aiming for a final product more similar to the original DK which absolutely could have been $350. but after lots of testing and feedback they figure the hardware would not perform well for extended or repeated use. especially for an “average” user. it needed faster refresh rates and better resolutions, as well as further customized lenses and tracking. those things drove the price up. if anyone is surprised at this move than they are stupid or weren’t paying attention. its a bit of a different scale, but thats like thinking it was cool we landed at the moon, and then balking at how much time and money was spent on the feat.

    • DonGateley

      “Even if Rift did NOTHING else other than to provide you with a personal
      IMAX viewing experience, it would be a phenomenal step forward from
      regular TV or PC monitor viewing.”

      True enough but we will have to wait at least 5 years for display and processor technology to make that possible in any way close to what we are accustomed to with monitor or TV viewing and what the general consumer market will accept. It is not an argument that is relevant today.

      This device has to justify itself on gaming and gaming alone. A satisfactory presentation within it of anything that comes through a camera is a long way off.

      So today it comes down to a question of whether $1500 is too much to spend on a gaming console and viewer that has great effects and within the gaming community it most certainly isn’t.

      • MuffyT

        Not true. I have a DK2 and viewing movies on that is actually quite entertaining. I’ve said this a lot but the thing that’s going to be the selling force behind VR is not gaming or multimedia entertainment. It’s going to be porn. It’s been the driving force behind most major new innovations. The Web blew up in popularity and grew exponentially because of pornography. I’m not saying the Web wouldn’t be what it is now if it weren’t for pornography, but it was developed and updated much faster because of it.

        There are actual sex toys, one for male and one for female, that can pair up from across the world and react to whatever is being done to the toy it’s paired with. This was developed specifically because of VR. I don’t know about you but I think that’s pretty damn incredible.

        Not to mention breakthroughs in filming for 180 and 360 degree videos built for VR, something nobody really bothered with until it became more popular.

        Palmer stated himself that they could have shipped something for $400 that wasn’t anywhere nearly as good, and you’d still need a $1000 PC to use it. He figured why not tack on an extra $200 to make it as good as it can be since the $1000 prerequisite is still there. And he’s right. Most folks who have the money to have PC builds like that don’t mind spending more money on peripherals, and I assure you any number of them would have been upset if the CV1 was a slighly better devkit than a much better platform (I know I would).

        As someone who owns a DK2 and a $1000 PC, I’d definitely be upset if the CV1 was basically a DK2 2.0. I’m very glad that it isn’t and I don’t mind paying the extra money to get that.

        • DonGateley

          I totally agree. Porn fans will generally accept a much lower picture quality. It just doesn’t require more to get the desired result and the features of immersion, rotation and 3D are fantastic. The same cannot be said of the general cinematic audience (including users of, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, StreetView, etc.) People reporting on made-for-VR videos have been nearly unanimous in their dissatisfaction. They are used to far, far better pictures than the resolution of an old standard definition TV, which is the best you can get from any current HMD, including the Rift, over the FOV of a virtual screen except possibly for the Avegant Glyph which currently presents just too small a view port.

          It remains to be seen whether porn fans will be willing to fork over the dollars for something like a Rift when something like a Homido and a phone give about equivalent results within the domain. I think not. The Rift and its ilk are strictly a gaming devices until display resolution is radically improved.

      • CURTROCK

        If you want to “dumb-down” the incredible experience of VR to comparing it to gaming on a console, that’s your opinion. You have been shitting on everything Oculus has done, since they joined up with FB. Many others have done the same. Despite all the fucking haters out there, Oculus has released what appears to be a revolutionary and premium VR product. It’s priced perhaps $100-$200 more than expected. If this is an insurmountable financial barrier to some, then VR is not for you, at the present time. It will get cheaper. So, enjoy your console in the meantime, while REAL VR enthusiasts rejoice at the birth of a new medium.

        • DonGateley

          Excuse me, but fuck you.

          • Klokinator

            Nah, fuck you mate.

      • DontGetMeStarted

        I would have to say that my most enjoyable moments on DK2 were not games, but going to Museums, Hanging out at the Bus Stop wit Totoro, Watching a movie in a movie theater (I have anxiety issues so this was amazing for me). I have to say over all the games I played were puzzle esque games or games were the people on the outside could play a long too. It was really an amazing experience.

    • hmm

      I seem to recall a particularly cogent point made by Carmack several years ago regarding how the Rift would not just be introducing a new VR market to consumers, but also potentially sweeping aside an existing industry of the ultra high-cost HMDs and simulators that served the likes of research, military, etc. $600 may seem like a lot if you’re comparing it to a $300 console, but it may as well be free if you’re comparing it against simulator setups that could easily cost hundreds of thousands or millions. That’s not to say that Rift will be something that will be applied anywhere and everywhere, but at $600 it’s a very cheap hedge investment to make for any company, University, research lab, etc that *may* have a use for it.

    • Mitt Zombie

      Great, you can get on your goggles, get in your VR car and go to your VR job and get paid in VR money!
      A car is used for things like buying food and getting to work!

      But yes, if you are willing to pay extra for the first generation of stuff that will be outdated soon then go for it. It may be well worth it for some people for the experience.

    • Makai Ookami

      “Even if Rift did NOTHING else other than to provide you with a personal IMAX viewing experience, it would be a phenomenal step forward from regular TV or PC monitor viewing. ”

      Absolutely wrong.

      Headplay, Sony HMZ-T2 Wearable HDTV 2D/3D, and dozens other devices say “hello”

      Headplay was around over a decade ago for around $450ish. Their website shut down years ago, now they’re back up and running though this time as a headset for $250 for racing drones it appears.

      So clearly it’s not just enough to have come out with an HD iMax experience, because these products have existed for over a decade.

  • Lucio Lima

    How many Rift have been sold? 1 million ? 2 million? 3 million? 4 million? 5 million ?No, just a “few hundred thousand”! And that’s a bestseller? No, it’s a big failure!

    • John Smith

      A new product needs to sell 5 million within a week of its release or it’s a failure?

      • Lucio Lima

        Yes! Rift is not an ordinary product. Because Rift is being awaited since several years!

        • George Vieira IV

          Early adopters always have to pay more to get a production of a product up to the numbers that allow for cheap manufacturing. Be glad others are willing to pay this price.

          • Maria da Cunha

            The problem is that Oculus walked telling us for years that Rift would be cheap! That Rift would be for the masses! But after all it is only for the rich!

          • Al

            Even if they gave it away for free it still would be a rich boy toy, when you consider the minimum computer requirements.

            While I do think it is somewhat expensive, it’s not out of this world – even as I wait for the competition to play their hands before committing as I intend to get only one device and that device will be the one that gives me the best bang for the buck. Oh yes, I also own a DK2 so can afford to wait.

          • Maria da Cunha

            In Brazil, for example, $ 599 is the equivalent of more than $ 1,000. But if the Rift would cost only $ 400 would be a big difference! This is the point!

          • George Vieira IV

            It is unfortunate that they didn’t communicate their change of focus from affordable VR, to high end VR. However, I think it was the right direction to go, since the VR space is being flooded, with what seems to be, cheap HMDs in the making, so it seems right that they try and make the best VR headset possible, to best sell the possiblity of VR to the public.

          • Maria da Cunha

            I agree with you in part. But many people saw their expectations frustrated because they will not be able to buy. I can not buy. But if it costs $ 350 or $ 400 I could buy!

          • Maria da Cunha

            And do not forget that the dollar is too expensive in my country. And in many other countries!

          • markyrocks

            You are not the target audience sorry. Everyone wants in life not everyone gets

          • Pre Seznik

            The point stands, then, they lied about making VR for the masses.

          • markyrocks

            Gear vr is for the masses

          • Pre Seznik

            How, when it requires a top of the line phone that nearly nobody has? How is that “masses”?

          • markyrocks

            Samsung sold more phones world wide in the past year than any other phone company. So to say Noone has these phones is a joke. I know at least 5 people that have a Samsung flagship phone not including myself but I have one as well

          • Pre Seznik

            You’re kidding, right? Your evidence is that 5 of your friends have these phones and that Smasung sold more phones than other phone companies? Do you know how this works? Samsung sold 150 million phones in 2015 – not just top of the line phones, by the way. That’s 2% of the population. Masses.

            Oh yeah, in before “don’t count the poor countries”, even though there’s 7 billion phones in use worldwide. In the developed world, that’s 12,5% of Samsung phones. Huge masses.

          • markyrocks

            Dude your an idiot. 2% of the population maybe but it was roughly 20+% of the phones sold last year. This is tops #1. So saying Noone has these phones is more ridiculous than to say Noone has an iPhone.

          • Pre Seznik

            Right, I’m an idiot, and 2% of people is “MASSES”. Good job, kettle.

          • markyrocks

            Dude just bc your poor doesn’t mean every one else is. Yes I bought a 600$ rift, yes I have a 2000$ gaming pc, yes I have a 800$ phone. Does that make you sad? Does it make you angry? Maybe we should all settle for inferior crap so you can be happy ? I’ll be even more happy knowing that you don’t have one.

          • Pre Seznik

            When did I say I was poor? :) I have a i7/980ti in my pc, 2xPS4 and 2xXONE for sweet multiplayer on separate TVs and the price of the Oculus is not a problem for me.

            But pretending like it’s for the masses is just ridiculous.

            Also, you seem to be a very sad person, just an observation!

          • markyrocks

            I’m very happy actually. If you can afford it then stfu dude. If it makes you feel better buy 2 and donate one to charity. Your just splitting hairs, who cares what dude said. He sure as hell fooled you bc your interested, and angry. Maybe you should get back at PL and buy 2 vive instead. That will show em.

          • markyrocks

            Shit if I was 20 something and rich beyond my wildest dreams I’d tell all kinds of lies. The dude gave you a sales pitch. You bought it hook line and sinker. Now your emotionally involved, your interest is peaked. Vr is on your mind, if you can’t have it now it makes you want it more. He set his trap. You fell right in. I can see your future you will buy vr

          • Pre Seznik

            I can’t have it? That’s what you got from my previous post? :) I already preordered, that’s not the point, I’m not talking about myself. Why not just admit that this is not a product “for the masses”? I mean, would anyone honestly still argue this point? Also, when I was last “20 something” I was still playing on my PlayStation 2.

          • markyrocks

            The rift is not a product for the masses, the gear vr is. For someone who claims to have all this stuff how could you act like no one owns a galaxy or note phone. You got 2x Xbox 1 and 2x ps4 but are you still rocking a blackberry? Are you an iPhone user and jealous?

            So we already agree that samsung sold 150 million phones last year, would you say ps4 is gaming for the masses? Most likely. Ps4 only sold 36 million. That’s only like .005% of the world population. But I guess like nobody has a ps4.

          • DontGetMeStarted

            What is your definition of the masses? Are you want a “Go-Phone” style Oculus?

          • Pre Seznik

            The PS4 sold ~36 million units at $400 (and less) and it’s nowhere near done. That’s “masses” in this industry. I have no idea what a “go-phone” is, but I assume you’re talking about a lower quality device. No, I’ll buy *all* the VR devices, because I have the money. But let’s not pretend that €700+shipping(+PC to run it all) is something the “masses” can afford.

          • markyrocks

            I would describe your girlfriends behind as “masses”

          • markyrocks

            For real though idk what it like where your from but in the good Ole USA we upgrade to top of the line phones and don’t even bat an eye lash. Geez I bought my wife’s grandmother a note 5 six months ago. No biggie. It’s like 25$ a month for the phone payment. If you ain’t got 25$ a month then your basically living on the street. The idea is that the gear vr is more than readily available to damn near anyone that wants it. Sure 2000 for a pc and rift is very out of reach. Decent phone and 99$ very obtainable. Yes it requires expensive phone but unless your a 90 yr old lady or so broke you collecting pop cans who doesn’t have an expensive phone? My 60 yr old parents have expensive phones.

            I can’t wait till note 6 comes out, I’ll have one on day 1

          • Pre Seznik

            Less than half of what Samsung sells are flagship products, so that makes Gear VR accessible to 6% of the “rich” world. The point stands, that it’s not for the masses or at least that the $99 price tag does not apply to the masses.

          • markyrocks

            Wait I’m confused you said 36 million ps4’s were in your opinion considered “masses in this industry ” so samsung sells 150 million plus flagship phones over the last 2 years , every one of those customers could undoubtedly afford 99$. Your just a troll dude piss off

          • Pre Seznik

            You just don’t get it, do you. PS4 owners are interested in games (DUH), so are actually in the market for such a device. Most phone users ARE NOT. 36 million PS4s *NOW*, rising steadily (PS3 sold 80+ million and PS4 is selling a lot faster), and that’s *ALL* people interested in games. That’s a market.

            And if you don’t care about the quality of the experience, you might as well cite Google Cardboard as “for the masses”, yet it’s not even a market worth developing for since nobody gives a shit about it.

          • markyrocks

            Regardless of the fact if the phone users are interested or not is besides the point. It’s the fact that it’s readily available and affordable. The argument was that oculus promised vr for the masses. Not if oculus could somehow force people to buy it or even force people to give a shit.

            If you want to make the argument about a platform Noone cares about, I doubt that the majority of people really care about Android games but there’s still plenty companies developing them. Before you get started yes many play them but many are free and the millions or billions made from micro transactions. Those transactions are made by the vast minority like 2%. But according to you that 2% wouldn’t be masses.

          • Pre Seznik

            Now you’re trolling. Their original kickstarter was about the PC connected Rift and it was promised “for the masses”. That’s *clearly* not the case. The reason I care about this is if it doesn’t actually reach the masses, it’ll just be a niche product that nobody develops for.

            Motion control gaming had a similar situation, where it sold A LOT, enough to be justified in thinking it’s “masses” (Kinect & Wii both sold incredibly well), yet the people buying them weren’t really interested beyond the initial novelty value and the market dried up FAST. This is what mobile users are like.

            To make money off games you need to market to gamers, OBVIOUSLY? :)

          • Malkmus

            The need a for a thousand dollar PC is what makes it expensive. Making it $200 cheaper would not get rid of that large barrier.

          • Andrew Jakobs

            But you already knew in advance that the PC to drive the headsets would need a $300+ GPU.. $200 more is not that much of a difference..

          • Malkmus

            Exactly my point.

          • markyrocks

            Then save up for a few more weeks then buy

          • Andrew Jakobs

            Sorry, but $200 isn’t that big of a difference between Affordable and highend VR, especially if you keep in mind that highend VR at this moment is still headsets of $10K+, so $599 for a ‘highend’ VR is just peanuts.. also people seem to forget, the original plan was to release the DK2 as a CV1, but now it also includes headphones and controllers.. And you really wouldn’t want a DK2 to be a consumer version… And we all knew the VR headsets would require pretty decend GPU/CPU specs..

          • markyrocks

            Maybe you should move

          • markyrocks

            Gear vr is for the masses

          • Pre Seznik

            Obviously not, considering you need a very expensive phone to have any kind of useful experience with it.

          • Andrew Jakobs

            you call $599 a device only for the rich? get real…. if it was $5.999 or $59.999, yes then I might say it’s only for people with a lot of money, but $350-$399 (as a lot of people thought it would be) or $599 isn’t that much difference..
            And eventually it will be much lower,it already is much much lower than any of the commercial versions out there which comes even close to the specs of the CV1, yes, those are at least $5.999 and higher, so in that regard, the CV1 is for the masses…

          • Maria da Cunha

            Speak only on its own. You’re talking to a miupe selfish and conceited. You would have to live in a country in Latin America to be able to understand!

          • Andrew Jakobs

            To get the Rift here in europe it also it a lot more than $599, even more like $700.. but I don’t blame Oculus for that, I blame our goverments for that, for taxating the devices so much..

          • Maria da Cunha

            The truth is that Oculus lied in saying that Rift would cost between $ 300 and $ 400! And that’s the problem! I had to save for more than 1 year to get together $ 450. And at the last minute I had to give up because I would have to pay more than $ 700.

          • Care to cite your source? I’m quite positive that Oculus never lied. Please show us where exact they told us it WOULD BE “between $300 & $400”. Saying “In the ballpark” is NOT the same a “It will be”

          • VReady

            Well at your rate of savings you should be able to save balance over next few months :) go ahead and pre-order

          • DontGetMeStarted

            Why would you not keep saving for another half year? and if you have to save for a year for $450, how do you have a $1,000 + PC that would run it?

          • Andrew Jakobs

            The actually didn’t lie.. YOU expected it to be $300-$400, but they did say not so long ago that it would be beyond the $350..
            So you have saved $450, but what I wonder then, is what kind of PC do you have? because I find it hard to believe if you need to save such a long time for a ‘toy’ like this, that you wouldn’t have the money to buy a PC to even power the damn thing.. Don’t expect the same PC that can power a DK2 to run a CV1..
            And as said, why not just keep on saving for a while, wait until some actual reviews start coming out.. If I had to save such a long time for a device like this which I don’t even have seen or tested, I would not just buy it unseen/unread..

          • Maria da Cunha

            Stop being boring! I have explained that the dollar in Brazil is four times more expensive!

          • Andrew Jakobs

            then stop bitching.. Tell us what kind of computer you have, because as I already said, if you have to save a year for $450, then I also don’t expect you to have a computer to drive the vizor, so spending the $450 on a vizor you cannot fully use is utter BS and a waste of the $450 (if it were $450 ofcourse)..

          • Maria da Cunha

            Ahahahahaha! That’s what you think. My boyfriend works with pcs and my pc is the best and most powerful out there!

          • Andrew Jakobs

            Well seeing that you both are on here, you could both very well afford it if you can afford to have ‘the best and most powerful out there!’, so what’s the f-ing problem, if you can afford the best and most powerful PC than it certainly wouldn’t be a problem to buy an Oculus which is sooooo much cheaper than ‘the best and most powerful PC’.. So stop bitching about the Oculus being so expensive.. And if I read one of your responses correct, you both already own a DK2, so there is no reason to immediatly buy a CV1.. Keep saving and just wait, it’s not like it’ll arrive anytime soon if you preorder now..

          • Maria da Cunha

            DK2 sucks! It’s just a glimpse frustrating!

          • Andrew Jakobs

            Well, you’ve already got it and it give a good enough experience.. Yeah I also would like to drive a Tesla, but I can only afford a chevy spark ev (well actually that’s not true, I can easily enough afford a Tesla..).. You’ll have to do with something you can afford, not what you really would like to have… You’re lucky enough to even have a DK2, a lot of people would love to have one, but couldn’t afford one…..

          • Maria da Cunha

            “Yeah I also would like to drive a Tesla, but I can only afford a chevy spark ev (well actually that’s not true, I can easily enough afford a Tesla..).. ”

            Stop being a snob! I only have 21 years and an exciting future ahead! Be happy with your Tesla because I prefer other more exciting things and true!

          • Andy

            No offense but Brazil isn’t the center of the world. Products are not designed and priced just based off Brazil’s wants or needs. Even here in America a lot of people will not be able to afford the first release of Oculus Rift. Early flat TVs, cell phones, home computers, or most other modern electronics were out of reach price wise for many people for a long time. Early adopters helped bring that price down by paying that high price eventually making things affordable for people like you.

          • ballyorney

            It is not Oculus’ fault that your country’s currency collapsed over the past 18 months so please stop whining like a child. The comparisons you make are absurd and pointless. $100, $350 or $600 for something like this is too much money for a huge portion of the global population, and it probably will be for all of our lifetimes. This generation of the product was never intended for them, it was intended for the people who funded the project to begin with and that live in the countries that will buy it. To try and get us to believe that the Oculus Rift in its current iteration was intended to be affordable for people in third world countries is absolutely ridiculous. It was not, and to be frank with you it may never be. In spite of what you may choose to believe Oculus and FB run a business not a charity, and because of the raw form of capitalism that they embody we have innovations like the Oculus Rift and a population of people for whom $600 is not a significant amount of money to buy them.

          • Lucio Lima

            Do not mess with my girlfriend, motherfucker! Go back to your ridiculous virtual life!

          • ballyorney

            I’m really sorry for you dude. I didn’t realize that she is your girlfriend. Now I understand how life altering and essential virtual reality is for you…

          • Maria da Cunha

            Hahaha! My boyfriend is beautiful, young and hot. And it has everything to like real life! I am sorry for you and your virtual sex life!

          • Lucio Lima

            LOL! Yes I am young, beautiful and hot! And I have the most beautiful and sexy girl on the planet! I also feel sorry for your virtual sex life! But I do not think you deserve better LOL

          • Maria da Cunha

            Oh! How cuteeee! You are my man!

          • ballyorney

            Thank you sweetie, you are such a delight!

          • ballyorney

            Isn’t virtual sex the best kind?

            You are right, I don’t deserve any better…

          • ballyorney

            Do you think your hot boyfriend will have virtual sex with me? I am so lonely here…

          • Maria da Cunha

            No chance! His hot lover is DK2!

          • Maria da Cunha

            And you would pay more than $ 2,300? And if your monthly salary was only 400? The world is not only the US and Europe!

          • Andrew Jakobs

            The world is not only Brazil…. But from the 20 countries Oculus ships to, most are in europe.. And Brazil isn’t one of them, so even if it was $350-$400, it would not be shipped to Brazil anyway..

          • Maria da Cunha

            Of course I could have used a virtual address as many people do!

          • Adrian G

            Maria, Don’t worry you can use my rift anytime! :)

          • DontGetMeStarted

            What is your definition of for the masses? Because people say internet is for the masses but I know people who live in poor communities that don’t have internet. The Masses are consumers at home. Not military or medical. A Laser hair removal machine is not for the masses, but a 600 (ie the price of a TV) is certainly for the masses. Let’s not get silly. Because you can’t go to the store and by an Oculus like a Go-Phone, doesn’t mean it’s for the elite.

          • Pre Seznik

            You have no idea what the distribution of wealth is like on this planet, do you. a $599 (+ TAX!) device si a toy for the top 3%. Check out globalrichlist.com for a serving of reality.

          • Andrew Jakobs

            If you look it from that perspective, than even the price which was originally targeted would be way WAY too much for you.. Here in europe, the US, Australia and Japan $599 isn’t that much, at least not a toy for the top 3%, but a toy for normal incomes who see VR as their hobby (let’s not forget, this is a hobby, and even horsebackriding cost a lot of money, but a lot of people do that, or other types of sports).. And that site is pure bullshit, as it says I’m the 18,257,865th richest person by income, yeah right, it’s a regular midrange income for my age here in europe..

          • Pre Seznik

            First of all, that site is not bullshit. Most of the world is WAY worse off than you are. That’s the point. As for the rest, I never said anything differently, except that it absolutely, unavoidably, is NOT for the “masses”.

          • brandon9271

            There is always OSVR with its 1080p screen for $299. Morpheus will probably be cheaper too. There WILL be affordable VR in the near future even if it’s not from oculus.

        • DontGetMeStarted

          You have to take into account all 3 devices. Not just one. VR is new. As long as people are using VR the industry will push forward and we wont be able to see that until the Big 3 are all launched and we can see a real number of quantities sold.

        • Terrik

          This is not a product “For the Masses”. The 599 price tag is fine, it’s the combination of the PC that you will need and the technical expertise required. Very few people in this world have mid-high end gaming machines. I have one who’s specs are literally listed as the min recommended for the Oculus Rift. You also need to be able to modify config files in games and install mods. Most people are not going to know how to do that. But that’s fine! In a few years or so the price will decrease, more games will have better support (hopefully), and common computers will get more powerful. Until then, middle class Americans (Like Me!) and Europeans will contribute money that will go towards making this product more affordable for all.

    • Kevin White

      Give me a break…

    • A few hundred thousand for a first generation device that is in it’s first marketable form…
      So how is that a big failure?

      • Lucio Lima

        You may find it a great success. And I can find it a big failure. But are just different perspectives and points of view!

  • Factual

    Its called save your money for something you want. Its a historical endeavor. Dont cry cuz you cant get it at launch. I cant get many things at launch but if I save my goddamn money…voila. People are trying to hate this tech now cuz its too expensive like a bunch of entitled children. Sorry everythings not free.

    • Kevin White

      That’s “voila.”

      • Factual

        Pardon my ignorance.

  • Mikey M.

    -$500 for a blu-ray player AND the movies will run for $30 each? No way I’m paying for that.
    -I’m paying over $3 per GB for an SSD? Are they nuts? I pay 10cents per GB on a conventional hard drive!
    -$4,000 for a plasma TV? I can get a rear projection of the same size for a fraction of the price!

    People are short-sighted and have extremely short memories. New tech is always expensive. Everyone likes to think “Well if *I* can’t/won’t buy it, that product will never succeed!”

    For companies with pockets like Facebook, it’s about creating long-term investments. When OR is the leading platform for VR streaming concerts, conferences, live sports, shared social media viewing and enterprise VR teleconferencing, the fact that they lost half a million lost sales 5 years ago would be inconsequential.

    • Mitt Zombie

      You proved their point really.

      Buy the first version and you will get ripped off for overpriced junk!

      Not many people got their value out of that 1500 dollar Betamax with the wired remote, a few did.

      • Mikey M.

        The only real “value” first gen tech products has is whatever value it has with the buyer.

        You know what has a lot of value? A $99 used PS3! There are a ton of used games for under $10! No need to buy that $400 PS4 and it’s expensive $60 games right?

        The calculation is simple really. Take the launch price of a product ($600) and subtract the realistic retail price in 2 years (for arguments sake, let’s say a very DK2-like $350). Now divide that difference ($250) between the number of months and that’s your monthly early adopter cost. If you are not willing to pay that cost ($10.42/mo.) for this or any other product in the interim then you should wait until there is more content and its cheaper.

      • Thank you for stating that so brilliantly, Mitt!

        And yes Mikey, all of those things did eventually sell, but NOT at the prices they were when first introduced. Not even close. They didn’t gain ANY traction in the general sector until that Blu-Ray player was $150 and the disks were $10. Only impatient enthusiasts were stuck with that costly, prone-to-dying, $300 100GB SSD, well everybody else waited until it was well under $1 and no longer wrote itself to death in a year. And that $4000 Plasma never saw the light of day outside of well funded sports bars and casinos. It wasn’t until they dropped below $1500 that you found them in people’s houses.

        • Shawn Glenn

          Blu-Ray? You mean that thing that no one uses anymore because the technology made it obsolete quickly.

          SSD? Still too expensive and almost no one has them.

          See the point here, 3D gaming was suppose to be a big thing too, but it failed because of price and hardware. People didn’t want to have to wear special glasses while gaming. What the hell makes you think anyone will want to wear a giant headset while gaming? This is a passing gimmick like everything else.

          • Makai Ookami

            Hundreds of millions of people have Blu-Ray players. DVDs are kinda shrinking away. Blu-Ray isn’t even obsolete the new 4k t.v.s are supposed to do a pretty good job with upscaling, and you only REALLY need native 4k when you’re really close. How exactly is blu-ray obsolete?

            SSD isn’t that expensive. You can get 120GB SSD to throw in a laptop and speed it up for $40, which is about as cheap or probably a better investment than throwing in some RAM sticks. For $20-30 more you can double that storage space to 240 GB.

            3D Gaming didn’t fail just because of the glasses, it failed because:

            1. You needed a new computer monitor.

            2. A lot of gamers with high end graphics cards use those graphics cards for tri-display, so now you’re talking about shrinking your real estate by 70% just to have a 3D effect cause I don’t even know if an Occulus ready PC can do 3 monitors in 3D.

            3. If you don’t have a high end graphics card you’re probably going to need one in order to do the refresh rates, and it’s not going to be terribly simple to just Alt+Tab to get out of a game to figure out what you need to do, and people can’t watch you play games, unless you get extra glasses…

            At least with PS VR, you can have the game output to a t.v. and people can see what you’re seeing, and some games they’ll be able to play against you using the t.v.

            You have a really skewed look on history.

          • Tj Douglas

            Yes new tech is very expensive but you have to start somewhere. If it fails to sell that’s the end of V.R for many years but if it sells it will be further developed and it’s good for all of us in the end. As far as SSD i don’t know anyone that “doesn’t” have one and plenty of people use Blu-Ray.

          • Makai Ookami

            VR is already surpassing expectations, and pre-orders are selling out. So… yeah…

          • nullcodes

            Nobody has an SSD? Which planet do you live on? I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have one. I do live in Silicon Valley but not everyone I know is a techie.

          • Grinch

            I know MANY people who have SSDs, including everyday users now. Almost everyone I know has some sort of bluray player and movies whether it’s a dedicated player or included to a game console.

          • Jared

            Samsung’s current 850 series SSDs are not only less than 33 cents a GB, but they have a 5-10 year warranty and are much faster than previous models. They are TOTALLY WORTH IT if you don’t have one yet! The performance gain overall of moving to SSD is one of the biggest technology jumps we’ve seen in 20 years. SDD is better in speed, heat, power, reliability, durability, longevity, weight, and literally everything else you can imagine except cost per GB. Easy choice, IMO – SSD for main OS, apps, and games, and a regular old platter drive for media, documents, etc…

          • sirlance

            Yes I have an ssd drive….a dk2….gtx 980 ti…..htc vive….
            And it’s no gimmick it’s acually pretty awesome

        • Jared

          One big difference between those products though was their “true” value & cost of manufacturing, vs. their initial selling price (which was SUPER inflated). The VR headsets are selling at or close to cost because they are selling software long term, and they just want to get the hardware in peoples’ hands… which is how everyone does technology products these days it seems, except Apple!

  • Mageoftheyear

    I believe the vast majority of those pre-orders come from the commercial sector and not gamers. Architecture firms, medical facilities, engineering companies… there are so many fields out there that could use VR as a competitive advantage and they’d be crazy not to.

    Gamers will have the purchasing volume of businesses to thank for lowering the consumer cost of VR.

    • markyrocks

      I ordered mine for my own personal use. I’m Noone special. I put my work boots on every morning. It’s not some magical feat to afford this thing.

      • Terrik

        Me too but we are not everyone. Mageoftheyear, You could be right, but I hope you are wrong. If this doesn’t go mainstream then every game we try to get working in VR will be a small challenge. Valve put a lot of effort into making HL2 a great VR experience. Lets hope other companies follow suit.

  • Kevin

    Even knowing they have custom tech, it’s a little hard to believe that a head mounted display with some motion tracking features could cost as much as an iPad that has a quad-core CPU, powerful GPU, 10-inch 2k display, two cameras, fingerprint reader, wi-fi antenna, Bluetooth antenna, cellular antenna/chip, 16GB of flash memory, 2GB of RAM, and an operating system… *especially* given that we know that Apple takes a 40-50% profit on their hardware and Oculus is pretending to sell the Rift “at cost”

    • markyrocks

      When you create something millions of people want you can name your price

  • Adrian G

    I make about $45k/year after taxes as an RN. I budget well, don’t spend money that I don’t have. I Live in north new jersey and pay $1600 a month for a 1 bedroom apt, as well as all my other expenses of living. Yes $599 was a little bit of a sticker shock when I woke up at 10:59 am eastern time and started hitting my refresh button to pre-order. But ultimately I bought it, bc I knew the experience is going to be fucking amazing and priceless when I get it. I’d pay $1500 for a trip to costa rica for a week, but why not invest in a device that could continually give me a similar experience on-demand. plus with all the crazy shit I’ve seen as an ICU nurse, I’m a little numb and demystified to the world, but I know how how much the DK2, playing only beta demos alone, has been re-energizing and therapeutic in my life. I can only imagine how much better that experience will be for me when CV1 arrives on my doorstep. Plus with Lytro’s new Immerge Light field camera, I can’t wait to see REAL VR Cinema soon, not crappy 360 degree film. I know maybe your minimally-working student, who doesn’t have the support of mom and dad isn’t going to be able to afford this right now. But, my advice to those people are start saving what you can, practice a little delayed gratification and give it a year and the prices will come down. Also there are a lot of lower cost VR options out there too, and more to come. And for those people who do have a rift, share the experience with as many under-privileged people as you can. This is amazing technology that can change lives and people’s perspectives. I wish that it was more accessible to everyone. Not everyone owned a TV, or computer, or a cell phone when they first came out. but we need to start somewhere. Regardless of the experience is priceless. I may never be able to fulfill my child hood dream of traveling to outer space, but I can come damn close with good virtual reality. Ugh, Can’t wait.

    • Mitt Zombie

      This is amazing technology that can change lives

      _____________

      Probably not for the better though, results will vary.
      Got a whole generation of obese people that live their lives through MMO’s now though and never leave their room.

      • Adrian G

        Mitt, you’re right, you probably shouldn’t get the rift man. Obesity will always be a problem. But If we think video games are truly the only culprit of obesity, we should all go to McDonald’s and order a chemically designed big mac and a carbonated, high fructose corn syrup drink. Oh, and don’t forget we should bring home some for our parents as well. We wanna reward them for teaching us how to make good life choices. Is it possible the rift can increase one’s risk of living a sedentary lifestyle? Maybe, but if that’s such a big concern then maybe we should get the Vive instead so we can walk around.

        In regards to helping people, universities and medical researchers and staff are using VR technology for applications other than gaming. Those applications include helping war veterans with PTSD, helping disabled people, palliative care for dying or terminally ill patients, treatment of people with amblyopia, autism, and phobias. Not to mention the device can be used in stereoscopic robotic surgery, and also as a training tool for surgical students. However, VR can be used as an educational tool and aid in the learning process for anyone. The great thing about being an individual is that one can choose how they want to use the technology. Just like we can choice to exercise, eat healthy, and make good life decisions, or stay home and play MMO’s all day in VR.

  • Markku Hänninen

    I think we will see the real situation in late this year – early next year. Either it continues selling well or it doesn’t. Then when they drop the price first time, i expect something like 100-200$ off the price, we will see the potential or failure of this product. But even that doesn’t necessarily make CV1 failure, even if CV1 sales fail eventually to get sales expectations, it might just mean that CV1 made the ground work for next generation product that will make it.

  • Me

    Hi

    I’ve spend 2500€ on a new build as it was about time for something new.

    The rift price is fine with me more than I hoped but less than I feared :)

  • Let’s just remember before we call it a failure, the iphone sold less than 300,000 in it’s first quarter sales. In Q4 2015 it sold over 48 million units.
    I’m not the authority on this, but I’d call the iphone a success, and guess what? It’s the most expensive phone out there!!!!!

  • klepp0906

    45k units so far. Far cry from
    The 1m analysts estimated