Oculus Price Drops The Rift and Announces New VR tool

At the Oculus Connect Conference 2017, Oculus announced that they would be lowering Rift VR headset price to a permanent $399. Previously $499, gamers can now get a hold of the Rift and matching Oculus Touch motion controllers for $100 less, though this move has been implemented just shortly after the end of the Oculus Summer Sale (which reduced the Rift's price to $399 for a good while). Now, the Rift is financially on par with PlayStation's PSVR system.

Just last year, the headset and controllers would have cost you a grand total of $798 . It can be speculated that this is a reaction to both the HTC Vive's price being reduced to $599 and the Summer Sale's success. This is a great mark towards making VR more widely available to your average gamer.

Oculus has also announced an upcoming new VR system called the Oculus Go, which appears to be a mix between console and mobile VR in that it requires no cables nor a smartphone to power it. Official statements report that the system will be priced at $199. While I believe this item is a great tool for introducing VR to newcomers, I fear that it won't have the power required to truly showcase what virtual reality is capable of.

I am a devout fan of VR gaming, and while I would not recommend an Oculus product to a friend, this is a sign of healthy competition that will lead to advancements being made, all while curtailing prices. Before investing in a VR headset, be sure to check if you have both the physical space to manage one and a powerful enough computer system to operate it. The latter need not apply to the PSVR.