14 DAY TRIAL // The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset might be one of the most interesting technologies of the moment, capable of revolutionizing the future of the industry, but many potential customers are afraid that the consumer version of the device would be too expensive initially for the majority of players.
Palmer Lucky, one of the founders of the company, says that he is working hard to make sure that the device is accessible to as many gamers as possible when it becomes officially available in stores.
He tells GamesIndustry.biz that the company has not yet determined the price and that, “I’ve always said is that if VR isn’t affordable it might as well not exist for most people. We’re not looking to make a rich person’s toy, we’re not looking to make a research tool.”
At the moment the Oculus Rift is offered to developers and other institutions in a developer kit form, which will not be sold in any store.
Recently the company announced that it was limiting the amount of devices it was creating because it was running out of some components.
Lucky adds, “We want to make a consumer VR headset that pretty much anyone can afford. You can’t sell an expensive piece of hardware and expect tons of content to show up. We’re not doing market research around what’s the breaking point for people to buy a VR headset; we’re just trying to sell it as cheap as we can while still existing as a company.”
The new Oculus Rift prototype is called Crystal Cove, and those who have used it are saying that it offers a superior virtual reality experience while also being easier to use.
The company has recently attracted a new round of funding and is expected to announce an official launch date for the consumer version of its device before the end of the year.
At the moment the Oculus Rift is only offered on the PC, and it seems that there are no plans to bring it to home consoles because of compatibility issues.
Rumors are saying that Sony is working on its own version of a virtual reality headset, which will be revealed soon and will be designed to work with the PlayStation 4 home console.
It’s not clear whether Microsoft has a similar technology in the works for the Xbox One or whether it might move to collaborate with Oculus Rift in the near future.