2016 has long been touted as the year of virtual reality. After years of hype and decades of embarrassing attempts, the technology has finally crashed headlong into affordability. The advent of smartphones is the chief reason for this, with millions upon millions of ultra-high definition screens and devices produced every year.
It’s all trickled down and benefitted VR, but there’s still one towering question over it all. How much is it going to cost? All three of the big players are keeping their cards very close to their chests in this regard. Neither Sony, nor Oculus or Valve have put out any concrete figures yet, with conventional wisdom suggesting they’re all waiting until one breaks down and plays their hand.
Sony has pitched the PlayStation VR as being its own console, with a price point to match. The PS4 currently retails for around $350, so we’re expecting it be somewhere in that region, bundling together the headset, a PlayStation Camera, and hopefully a couple of Move controllers.
Everyhing about the Oculus Rift has pointed towards a $300-$400 price point, but we’ve heard rumours they’re struggling to keep the costs down, so this may well rise. The HTC Vive meanwhile is an absolute unknown. Figures range from $400 all the way up to $1000, and a few weeks ago an apparent HTC insider suggested they’re really struggling to finalise the commercial project. That’s unfounded speculation, but still know so little.
The one thing connecting all three VR headsets is that they are due out within the coming six months. It’s going to be a massive time for VR. What it doesn’t do though is leave a lot of time for a marketing schedule. Many gamers planning to save for VR want to know the prices, and they want to know them as soon as possible.
Which brings me onto my main question - How much are you willing to pay for VR? Are the figures being bandied about just too steep for your taste? Are you willing to pay a premium to get in early with the best kit? Let us know!
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Guys guys i didn't know oculus had such a high resolution screen 400$ isn't even that high with those specs
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Having used the Rift and Vive plus the Vive motion controls I'm willing to fork out quite a chunk o' change, I chose $400 which equates to -£275 for me in the U.K but I SERIOUSLY doubt it'll be less than -£375 which is just too much. :'(
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Diddly.
If prices range from 300-400 I'd rather spend that sort of money on a decent monitor than on a gimmick that's only sort of cool on very specific games.
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Yeah...you got my point.
I'll not spend on VR,instead i'll bring a good GPU.
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For that VR 0! For full dive VR 1000-3000. (or more?)
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50 USD tops...
I'm OK with 1080p 60fps
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I have a doubt hopefully someone can answer
What renders the VR world
The oculus machine or your computer?
If the computer does it, i don't see a reason for it to be that expensive
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Your Computer renders it.
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As every new thing in technology its normal to be expensive but its not even that expensive considering you get track ir + monitor + headset still its a gimmick
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I'm willing to fork out $300 for the Oculus, but only if it includes the controllers as well not just the headset
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Same, I would go $300 after I personally try it and like it.
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I would love to use VR, but since it's already hard enough to scrape the money together to buy a new graphics card it's just not going to happen.
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I'm waiting nvida new GPU...
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Same here pal..
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I don't have the money to buy a gtx 970 or vr headset so it's a no
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i never tried vr but i cannot see what advantage it gives, looks like its only for immersion, unlike joystick does for flight simulators and steering wheel for racing games. so im totally fine without it and at this point i dont think i will ever buy smth like that.
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I haven't tried either, but I'm hoping it will help racing sims. Being able to look at corners and behind would be nice
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not a cent, it's all hype
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So true. No matter which ones I tried - the screen persistence is still too high (ghosting), resolution is not enough, there are bad chromatic aberrations (from the optical lenses) and the tracking is not fast and precise enough to feel natural (plus it jitters). Not to mention the discomfort and the fogging of the eyepieces after wearing the thing for 5 seconds...
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plus you look ridiculous with a thing like this strapped to your forehead.
Vr can be a thing in the future, but not right now. I imagine it less bulky, like some sort of glasses in which you can see an alternate reality or something like that.
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haha.gd actually went ahead and made a nothing option.course we'd all like to pay nothing.but seriously?a price range between $100-200 would be nice.
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Lel its gonna be 500-600 and you need a vr ready pc. I'd do it. If no one does then it'll be a market that never grows.
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I wouldn't buy it if it cost more than 100-150 dollars. Anything more would be stupid since you need a really good gpu just to hit the VR requirements
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love how people who didnt try it are all like "huh who cares, gimmick,swag hashtag"...
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Well it is gimmick and it is who cares. Now dont get me wrong i very much like concept of vr i play mmos mostly who you can imagine how much vr can contribute to it but current vr is just meh. I tried vr tho it was like older version of occulus and it was fun but how long would it stay fun is question. And for gimmick part you can't use it for all games so ye its a gimmick like a racing wheel.
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exactly, it's like what 3d has been: It is very situational and I don't think it will take off.
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hey powerbreak, i respect your opinion BUT, racing wheel is a MUST if you play simulators, its alot more better than playing with keyboard, alot of games use extremely simple steering mechanic, when you press right or left wheels just instantly turns all the way to that direction and when you have steering wheel you
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can take soft corners very smoothly and fast:)
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You have analog mushroom things on gamepads making wheel not a must have tho yes it is a lot better experience. Oculus rift just makes you have better experience in some cases and in some not so much just like wheel if you play racing simulators or euro truck simulator oculus would be perfect for that. For the rest of gaming industry at the moment not so much.
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heh i bought euro truck simulator 2 in holiday steam sale, after couple hours i got few map dlc's, its very good game, i like the way you play it, especially multiplayer, rules of the road, friendly community, its very fun driving together with friends:)
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I would probably buy it for only $50-$100. Nothing more than that. It's one of those things where I will probably try it a few times in a year for nostalgic problems.
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I will use VR gaming eventually, even if it's just to test it, but I would never buy it the moment it comes out. Being an early adopter in new technologies has more disadvantages than advantages.
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Just another gimmick that the industry is trying to shove down our throats. Just like they are trying to do with 3d movies for over a decade now. I really don't see myself wearing those ridiculous goggles... Not even if they hand it out for free.
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Not even if they hand it out for free. Well you are just being a hater :)
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hey come on alot of people like 3d movies.i for one really enjoyed watching the force awakens in 3d.
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i really love 3d movies only if glasses are comfortable:)
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I will only pay 1 cent for this....HAHAHA.
Not interested.
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This is just a gimmick and only will be supported with certain games and you have to build a nice rig for this thing, this will only increase the requirements, and im not interested in wearing a headset with a high resolution monitor attached to my head and maybe if it becomes mainstream then i will give it a shot.
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GTX 1080?? what??!?
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He is using a test rig.
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Yes, its only to match the performance of the gtx 1170 that im going to buy in 2017 xD.
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Don't forgot to tell me about the performance of GTX 1170 that your are buying in 2017..hahahaha
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We're from the future. The Radeon R5 1040 is really good despite only having clock speeds of 1000. Oh ya, and the i3 10170 is really good too.