Preorders for the Oculus Touch have now been opened, with the bundle containing the motion controllers priced at $199.
Owners of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset have long expected the price of the Oculus Touch controllers to be at that amount, though there were some concerns of a higher price tag after preorders for the Oculus Touch in the United Kingdom started at £190, equivalent to about $247.
Preorders for the Oculus Touch in the United States can now be coursed through the online store for Oculus, with the bundle for the motion controllers containing two pieces of the Oculus Touch, an additional tracking camera, a connector to be used for Rock Band VR and copies of two games that will showcase the capabilities of the new devices, namely party title VR Sports Challenge and first-person magic adventure The Unspoken.
Customers who preordered or purchased the Oculus Rift through the online store of the company will be the ones given priority for the Oculus Touch preorders. These customers have already secured the rights to preorder the motion controllers, as long as they send it in by Oct. 27 using the same email address used to preorder or purchase the Oculus Rift.
With priority said to be given to Oculus Rift owners, it could mean that the initial stock is limited. For those who own the virtual reality headset and would like to augment the experience with the motion controllers, preorders for the Oculus Touch should be made as soon as possible.
The priority being given to Oculus Rift owners could also be the company's way of apologizing for the major issues that came along the launch of the virtual reality headset, as preordered units for the Oculus Rift took months to arrive to eager customers. According to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe, once the Oculus Touch controllers are released on Dec. 6, the devices will be shipped in volume so that they would not see the same delay as was experienced for the Oculus Rift.
The Oculus Touch controllers bring the hands of users into virtual reality, providing six degrees of freedom tracking for each hand. The motion controllers come with sensors that detect finger movements, allowing users to do gestures such as point their fingers while in virtual reality.
In addition to the Oculus Touch, Oculus also said that additional Rift sensors will soon be open for preorders. More sensors will support configurations over bigger rooms, and for customers looking for such a setup, the sensors will be sold at $79 each, with preorders to start on Oct. 31 with shipping to begin on Dec. 6.
