An Oculus Rift price drop has been confirmed at a press conference today, with the Oculus Rift and the Oculus Touch now being priced at $399. This is extraordinary, considering the HTC Vive, Oculus’ competitor, which costs $599. The Oculus Rift + Oculus Touch used to cost $799, but ultimately that was simply too expensive for the average consumer. When you invest in a Rift or the Vive, you also have to have invest in a computer that meets the hardware’s specifications. This can be very expensive. VR-ready computers are not necessarily Oculus ready. There are some you can get for under $1,000, but these computers tend to be CyberPower PCs that can barely handle the hardware. A typical certified Oculus-ready PC costs anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. This is a huge investment, and who knows when Oculus will release an improved model?
The Rift and Touch needed this price drop, but, they are still missing out on major hardware coming out in the coming months. Both Doom and Skyrim are coming to the Vive and PSVR, and Fallout 4 will be exclusive to the HTC Vive. Resident Evil 7, one of the best VR experiences in the industry, is exclusive to the PlayStation. Oculus is missing out on a lot of high-quality content, and the question has to be asked: is a price cut enough? It may not be considering how much content the Rift is lacking.