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Oculus Rift will be just as expensive as Google Glass – but there’s a twist

Published May 28th, 2015 7:50AM EDT
Oculus Rift Price VR Headset Computer
Image: Oculus VR

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The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset should be released sometime in the first quarter of 2016, and it looks like interested buyers should already start saving money. After a recent report said that Oculus Rift VR requires a powerful computer that could cost more than $1,000 to function, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe revealed on Wednesday that the full Oculus Rift package will indeed be quite expensive.

SEE ALSO: Oculus VR’s new tech is the best thing to happen to virtual reality since… Oculus VR

TheOculus Rift bundle will be “in the $1,500 range,”Iribe told Re/code in an interview during the Code Conference. That price is similar to what Google charged for its Google Glass headset, though there’s a pretty big difference here: Google’s smart eyewear didn’t ship with a powerful PC.

Of note, Oculus will not make the computer, Iribe hinted. Furthermore, not all buyers are likely to require a PC upgrade — for instance, hardcore gamers might already own powerful desktops that are ready to handle VR graphics.

“We are looking at an all-in price, if you have to go out and actually need to buy a new computer and you’re going to buy the Rift … at most you should be in that $1,500 range,” he said.

The executive did not actually reveal pricing details for the standalone Oculus Rift headset. However, he did say that he’d like the cost of a Oculus Rift and computer bundle to come down to under $1,000 in the future.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.