Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or PS VR might have steep prices

Oct 7, 2015 15:39 GMT  ·  By

In the last couple of years, the so-called virtual reality revolution has picked up more and more steam, first due to the efforts of tech start-up Oculus, and then with the help of bigger companies like Valve, Sony, or HTC.

While the current status of the VR phenomenon is filled with hope, its immediate future will be decisive in its actual success. This is because the first actual consumer-oriented headsets are set to arrive. From the HTC Vive, made in partnership with Valve, to the PlayStation VR, formerly known as Project Morpheus, and the actual Oculus Rift, lots of devices are set to make their debut in the following months.

However, while they will all attract plenty of enthusiasts, their ultimate price will end up playing the biggest role in the popularity of virtual reality.

The $350/€350 price tag might harm the VR industry in the short term

As I shortly explain in the headline above, if the prices for virtual reality headsets are set too high, then the whole VR movement might end up slowing to a crawl in terms of popularity with consumers, which then results in a dwindled popularity with developers of games or apps for these actual devices.

Case in point is the ever-increasing price estimate of the consumer Oculus Rift. Initially, the company, now owned by Facebook, promised that it was going to start the pricing of the Rift from about $200/€200. Later on, it elevated the start point to $300/€300.

Most recently, Oculus boss Palmer Luckey has explained that the new start point might be $350/€350 and could even end up higher than that. He has said in reasonable terms that the Oculus team wants to deliver a quality virtual reality experience, not one that makes sacrifices, which then impact the end result.

While I'm more than eager to try out the consumer Rift, this high price point, the same as the one for a PS4 or Xbox One console, could end up affecting the public's perception of virtual reality headsets and weigh down the initial push of this industry into the mainstream.

Oculus and its competitors should do well to remember Sony's PS3. The console, which was powered by innovative yet complex hardware and boasted innovative features, cost at launch a whopping $600/€600. This led to poor sales, which, in turn, led to developers avoiding the platform altogether in its first few years. Simply put, making a game on PS3 was too complicated, and in the end, there weren't enough owners of the console to buy your game.

The same might end up happening to the Rift, Vive, or PS VR. If they cost too much, not enough people will buy them at first. This will prompt some developers, particularly independent ones that don't have enough resources, to abandon their virtual reality projects and focus on regular, popular consoles where the public is willing to buy its products.

The need for a computer and accessories also elevates the price

Don't forget that, once you do get a Rift or a Vive, you still need a powerful PC to run the games and applications, as well as various other accessories. The PS VR is also in such a predicament, as if it costs the same as the PS4, there won't be that many people willing to invest in such a thing. Some might even use the money to buy an Xbox One or another PS4 and enjoy other games.

I'm a believer in virtual reality, but if I have to invest a lot of money up front, not counting other potential expenses, I'll easily wait a few months or even a year to see if the investment is actually worth it.

What about you? What's the biggest amount of money you're willing to spend on a VR headset? Share your thoughts in a comment below.