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The consumer version of the Oculus Rift is finally coming out next year and it looks like analysts are already predicting big things for the virtual reality headset. According to analytic firm, Suisse, Oculus will sell as many as five million Rift headsets within its first year on the market, which is a pretty big number for a brand new device.
Virtual reality is poised to shake up the games industry when it hits consumers next year, though to what extent is not yet known. The Oculus Rift still doesn't have an exact release date, though we do know that it is due during the 1st quarter of next year, with the headset likely to cost more than $350.
We already have a base-line specification for those looking to play VR games next year, when the Rift launches. PC makers are already preparing their own systems fit for the task so in all, it is going to be quite an investment.
While the Rift will likely cost more than $350, analyst firm, Suisse (Via: GamesIndustry.biz), doesn't expect Oculus to actually turn a profit, even with five million sales: “We expect Facebook to price the headsets at cost in an attempt to drive initial consumer adoption – with the expectation that the company plans to monetize the devices overtime via associated software revenue. Note that our current projections do not contemplate any software revenue, although at launch Oculus will be offering a number of made-for-VR games and video content from partnering developers and content owners – which include Sega, Lionsgate, Fox, Twitch, Hulu, and Vimeo”.
Selling hardware at cost isn't an unfamiliar concept. Consoles are normally sold close to cost at launch, with most profit being driven by software sales, particularly in the early years of the product life cycle. Facebook certainly has the money to support the Rift while building a user base, so it will be interesting to see the numbers in a year's time.
KitGuru Says: Many of us here at KitGuru are really looking forward to the Oculus Rift, though it has been said in the past that it won't be cheap. Are any of you preparing for the launch of VR next year? Will you be picking up a Rift, even if it ends up costing over $350?
Believe it when I see it. No-one in my friends circle seem to be interested in VR.
I’d be willing to buy it for $200. $350 is the price of a high-end gpu to me, and I don’t intend to buy another one.
Will wait until 2nd or 3rd revision. Never like to buy the 1st revision of a completely new technology.
Everyone knows Ocuulus now working with amd liquidVR after ditching nvidia tools,,, so if we assume that 50% of oculus buyer will go with amd ,,,, coz oculus now fully supporting amd
amd will sell 2.5 million gpu ……….lol ,, time to pay debts
Man that could take years. I’ll never buy a console again (But a PS4 Slim would be tempting) so i’ll get Oculus instead.
Everyone in mine is, means nothing. Swisse says 5 million early adopters and that’s healthy. We’ll see what we’ll see….. O.o
I don’t care what it costs but not because im some kind of credit whore. I know how to save and i know how to get what i want. Let the virtual times roll!
Nah no Facebook product for me, im waiting for either the PlayStation VR or HTC/steam one. The totem seems to have gone a bit quiet (they changed their name to virana or something) but im more tempted to buy that then handing Facebook my money…
I think all the VR products will cost that for the next few years and if it catches on parts will be made cheaper and then we will see a fall in price…
I’ll be waiting to hear the reviews between the rift and valves VR headset. Also the pro’s and cons, it sounds like the rift will use a closed wall market place but it sounds like valves machine will need an acre of space for walking around in, both those are negatives for me.
Yep, I can see them being around $200 after 2-3 years on the market. I can also see there being more companies making their own versions, Razer/Roccat/Corsair etc, which would help push prices down.
The consumer model of the Oculus will have a 2160×1200 display that refreshes at 90 Hz. I imagine many people are going to be disappointed when they purchase one only to find out their mid-range PCs are not well suited for VR. My 4790K and 980 Ti setup runs the DK2 just fine, but I’m skeptical that this system will maintain 90 fps at 2160×1200 in modern games.
what high-end GPU can one buy for $350?
I got my R9 290 at $320 a few weeks after the 970 was released 🙂
That’s a nice card (and a great price too!), but no longer high end IMO. It certainly was two years ago when it was released. Fury/FuryX/980/980Ti are currently high end cards, and cost quite a bit more than $350.
Definitely agree with you there. I’d give it time. The Fury/390X should eventually drop under $350 when the new generation of GPUs are announced 🙂 I’m not too sure the Fury X will (because of the expensive liquid cooling system), or NVidia’s (their prices are usually high), but they will be discounted at least.
Many people are looking forward to getting their own Oculus Rift, thats why they will sell 5 million from Oct 2015 – 2016.
The Oculus Rift is already available online: http://oculusrift-1.yolasite.com