After years in the Kickstarter wilderness, the Oculus Rift is at last ramping up to release. It's still some ways off yet, pencilled in for a Q1 2016 launch, but Oculus VR has made a big step towards it this week with the release of the recommended Oculus Rift system requirements.

Obviously the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is a piece of hardware rather than software, but if you want your games running in top-top condition on Palmer Luckey's creation then you're going to need a beast of a rig. Oculus claim true VR presence is achieved by the right balance of content, VR hardware, and gaming setup, so if you want to prepare for gaming's next great leap then check out the system requirements below. 

Oculus Rift Recommended System Requirements

  • OS: Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 1 Or Newer
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3 GHz or AMD FX-8350 4.0 GHz
  • RAM: 8 GB System Memory
  • GPU RAM: 4GB Video Memory or greater
  • GPU: GeForce GTX 970 or Radeon R9 290
  • Inputs: 2x USB 3.0 Ports 
  • Output: Compatible HDMI 1.3 Video Output

As expected, the recommended Oculus Rift system requirements are pretty massive, right near the top of the scale in fact. The reasons for this are threefold. Firstly, the Oculus Rift's screen runs at an impressive 2160x 1200 display, a leap up from your bog-standard 1080p. Secondly, the Rift's display outputs a 90Hz, meaning a consistent 90 frames per second is displayed for true presence. These two together mean roughly three times the GPU power is required in comparison to normal 1080p gaming. 

Lastly. Oculus VR is targeting this set of system requirements across all of the software it is producing. Throughout the entire lifetime of the Oculus Rift headset, this set-up will be capable of playing every game tailored towards it, at optimum conditions. How long the Rift's lifespan is, is up for debate, but this lends a console-esque focused on fixed hardware which could prove vital to its success. 

"The goal is for all Rift games and applications to deliver a great experience on this configuration," wrote Oculus VR. "Ultimately, we believe this will be fundamental to VR’s success, as developers can optimize and tune their game for a known specification, consistently achieving presence and simplifying development.

"All of the games and applications for the Rift created by Oculus will provide an incredible experience on this system."

Is your gaming PC ready for the Oculus Rift? Smart move by Oculus VR offering fixed requirements?