For a long time, the Oculus Rift seemed too good to be true. It was the stuff of science fiction: all you need to do is wear a somewhat bulky helmet, and you'll be transported inside of your video games. Granted, it's a bit more complicated than that — but at the end of the day, the Oculus Rift is a huge step forward for virtual reality entertainment.
After years of development, there's really only one thing left that fans don't know about the virtual reality headset: its price. Rumors and estimates have been floating around for months now, but no one's given a specific price point. The most recent estimates have the Oculus pegged at around $300 to $400 — roughly the same price as a current-generation gaming console — but again, nothing has been confirmed.
Until now, that is: preorders for the final, retail version of the Oculus Rift headset have finally gone live, along with the headset's final price point. If you were hoping for something that wouldn't break the bank, you might be a bit disappointed by the Oculus' hefty price tag: picking up one of the headsets will set you back $599 USD.
All things considered, the price isn't all that surprising. Not only is the Oculus Rift brand-new, high-end hardware, but it's one of the first pieces of tech of its kind. In a lot of ways, virtual reality is still untested — and, unfortunately, that means that initial costs will be high. Something like a video game console has been tested, investors know that the market is there. Virtual reality, on the other hand, is still viewed as a gimmick by many.
That being said, anyone willing to part with $600 will get their hands on one of the hottest pieces of tech in recent memory — and, if your computer can handle all of the extra processing required to run games in VR, you'll be gaming on an entirely new level. Plus, it's not as if you're just getting the headset, either: each kit comes with the Rift headset, an Xbox One controller and two free games. It's still expensive, but the extras do help make the price a bit easier to swallow.
If you want to pick up your own Oculus Rift headset, just head on over to the official preorder page. Expect the full retail model to launch in March.
