Oculus Rift will make your wallet thin

By Park Sae-jin Posted : January 8, 2016, 14:43 Updated : January 11, 2016, 17:29

[Courtesy of Oculus]



While virtual reality (VR) headsets are the center of talks in Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016, much anticipated Oculus Rift started its pre-orders this week, and contrary to what consumers predicted, the headset system costs almost U.S$ 600.

VR enthusiasts have long waited for the Oculus Rift. As the waiting extended so did the expectations. People also expected the headset system to be a little pricey- around $300~400.

But Oculus nailed it. According to its officials, the Oculus Rift will cost $599 each. It comes with several accessories including a Xbox One controller, but the controls exclusive to the system is not included. It will be sold later.

Some had shown disappointment, some had shown anger about Oculus’ announcement. A user criticized the VR company “I don’t even want the Xbox controller. They should have included the proper Rift controller instead. Then the price would seem acceptable”.

Even if prices of exclusive accessories that come with the VR system added up, the package still seems a bit pricey. It’s because the Oculus Rift cannot be used by itself, it has to be connected to a computer. And it has to be a very good one with a good graphic card and CPU.

Already there are conspiracies. Another user in an online VR community expressed his skepticism about the company. “Maybe, the company is not sure whether the headset will win in the market,” he said. “Maybe, they are trying to make a hit and run. By pricing the Rift costly, then their loss would be smaller.”

But still, albeit running controversy on its price, Oculus Rift sold like hot cakes. Initial numbers of packages which were ready for pre-orders sold in a matter of hours. The pre-sold Rifts will be shipped starting in March.

아주경제 박세진 기자 = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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