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Oculus Rift Pre-orders Begin At $600 (oculus.com)
New submitter jerome writes: Pre-orders have just started for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. The $600 price tag is higher than most people were expecting — and that doesn't even account for the required upgrade needed to fully enjoy VR apps. "In September of 2014, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey said to expect a $200 to $400 range for the Rift." The device will first begin shipping on March 28th, though the store is already showing an estimate of April for Rifts beyond the initial stock. "The Rift package also doesn't include the relatively powerful Windows PC that will be required to use the device. Oculus recommends a rig with an Nvidia GTX 970 (or equivalent), an Intel i5 processor, and at least 8GB of RAM." In February, they'll start taking pre-orders for a package that does include a full, "Oculus-ready" system for $1500.
Its a high end gaming screen. I paid $800 for my last monitor and it didnt have head tracking, 3d audio, etc....
VR has been "emerging" for the last 20 years. Don't get me wrong - they seem to be finally to a point where they can make something a consumer would actually want to buy, it's not a brand new tech. As a matter of fact the only reason people might be willing to pay $600 is specifically because VR is starting to mature as a technology.
"People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
If you think your ass is hurting, how about the asses of all the developers who invested money to make games for it?
"Sure, we're taking a chance here, but when the consumer version comes out and this thing catches on, we'll be mad rich!! If the developer kit sold pretty well at $350, just imagine how well it'll sell when it comes out on the shelves at Best Buy for $200!"
"Sir, they just announced it will cost $600."
"....but that includes the gaming rig to run it, right?"
"No sir."
"Hold my calls." [begins fashioning noose out of phone cord]
You know, if you can't swing $600 for a very new to the market high end luxury item item such as this, or if a total of $1500 blows your meal budget, perhaps you need to spend a bit more of your time, getting some education or working a bit harder to get a job that pays more so that you can afford luxuries like this, rather than gaming....eh?
Oh I make more than enough to pay for something like this. But I also have kids... ... and their mother, aka my wife, is gonna have questions, serious questions, about $1,500+ for a new PC with dorky glasses that shut-out interacting with my family... But never forget a desperate man's ability to spin something. I'll figure something out eventually...
Brian