Want to try virtual reality for yourself but don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend on an expensive headset? We have good news for you.
According to Bloomberg, Oculus Rift demos (which started in May) will be featured in 500 Best Buy stores around the country by the time the holiday season rolls around this year. Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly, who called the technology “mind-boggling,” is confident that the demos are going to be well-received by customers and believes VR “has the potential to contribute to our growth.”
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In addition to the Rift, Best Buy will also host 200 PlayStation VR demos, which will rotate between locations throughout the season. The PlayStation VR is likely to be the first headset with mainstream appeal, especially considering the fact that PS VR players don’t need a high-end gaming PC to play VR games. All they need is a PlayStation 4 and a PlayStation Camera.
Virtual reality has had its fair share of early adopters, but giving the hardware a platform this large could change the way that the average consumer views the technology. After all, it’s nearly impossible to explain to someone how far VR has come since over the past several years without letting them get their hands on it.
Joly doesn’t have any delusions that VR will be a massive hit in 2016. The technology is still being perfected, and the barriers to entry are still too daunting for many gamers. But with thousands of customers finally having the chance to experience VR for the very first time, this holiday could be the first step to virtual reality becoming mainstream in the coming months and years.
