All Mode
As I have mentioned in past posts, the most significant issue with current virtual reality headsets is not related to software, hardware, comfort, or even marketing. The biggest issue is the price! This is changing today with the Oculus Rift’s first significant price drop to $499. The Oculus Rift’s first price drop will have a big effect on the currently sluggish VR market which has been struggling to get its footing since 2016.
Image credit: Oculus
Sluggish VR Sales
Image credit: Jon Peddie Research
Just recently, many media outlets have published stories indicating that virtual reality platforms were struggling with low sales numbers. Being that virtual reality is a groundbreaking and revolutionary platform, slow sales don’t make sense. I am sure that Oculus and HTC thought that their virtual reality headsets would have sold like hotcakes.
Why a Slow Start?
Analysts and journalists have attributed this slow start to many things. They have bemoaned VR platform leaders like Oculus and HTC, for the lack of quality virtual reality games and content. In other words, pundits attribute slow VR sales to this lack of software. The software may be part of the problem, yet in the past, systems like the original PlayStation, or even the PS2, have sold like hotcakes without having AAA titles. Furthermore, the PSVR has done well without any amazing games released yet.
Anomalous PSVR Success
Image credit: Sony
The only platform that seemed to avoid a weak start has been the PSVR. Starting at $399, PlayStation VR probably avoided the mediocre sales of the Oculus and HTC Vive because it was significantly cheaper. Like the Rift and the Vive, the PlayStation VR did not have any AAA titles; it just had a low bar-to-entry. As of yesterday, I think the bar-to-entry for PC virtual reality gaming was too high. The $599 Oculus Rift and the $799 HTC Vive were too expensive for most consumers. Making issues worse, the Rift and Vive required extra-beefy PCs. Consumers were scared off by high costs, not lackluster software.
Oculus Rift Price Cut!
This changed today with the first big VR headset price drop. Oculus slashed the price of the Rift from $599 to $499. Oculus has also reduced the price their new touch controllers from $199 to $99. This is an amazing price for such high-tech controllers. The Oculus sensor has also been reduced to $59 from its lofty $79 price.
Although these price cuts don’t put the Oculus within the super-affordable range of the PSVR, they are indicative of a lower cost VR trend that will dominate 2017. I believe this trend will aid the rise of virtual reality, making it a dominant computing paradigm.
2017: Year of VR
Image credit: Pixmax
Therefore, in my opinion, 2017 may be the year of VR. Beyond the Oculus, cheaper headsets are beginning to show up. Already, consumers can order a Pimax 4k virtual reality headset at the low price of $330. Additionally, Microsoft’s recent aggressive pushes into the augmented reality and virtual reality markets appear to be contributing to this low-cost virtual reality trend.
Image credit: Microsoft
Acer’s $300 Headset
Image credit: Microsoft
Working with Microsoft, Acer plans to release a combination of augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality headset for roughly $300. Acer’s headset doesn’t skimp to hit this price point either. It has motion trackers and a high-resolution display that is comparable to those found in the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets.
Fall 2017: $300 Headsets?
The recent Oculus Rift price drop is probably just the first big price drop that we will this year. HTC Vive will probably announce similar price cuts by Summer. If not summer, then definitely by fall. Additionally, by next Christmas, we may see a large variety of $300 headsets hitting the market. These will be similar to what Acer is producing. When VR headsets hit the more affordable $300 range, we will probably see huge sale increases for both VR software and hardware. Hopefully, at this point, the VR paradigm itself will get legs and start running!
I estimate that in a couple years we will see older models of Oculus sold at Ross
yea thats correct and I think acer headset is already pretty good.
I hope this will start a price war between companies and we see all headsets at affordable prices.
ha! yeah but i hope they don’t lower the quality…
Really glad the price is dropping on high-end VR. Virtual reality tech will just get cheaper and better until it all fits in to a cool pair of glasses with pricing similar to smartphones.
Yes! I might be having a Rift soon because of this!
lucky guy. still waiting for it to become $100 lol…
me too bro me too!! 🙂