Oculus Rift experience will cost around $1,500, says CEO

VR headset Oculus Rift

You'll be able to experience Oculus Rift for "around $1,500" when it releases early next year, according to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe. Before you panic, he's talking about people who don't own a gaming PC, which means the unit itself will be only a fraction of that cost.

“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,” Iribe said at the Re/code Code Conference today. According to Re/Code's report, Iribe wants the price to drop below $1,000 eventually.

It's an interesting statement, especially when sized up next to the required specs for the Rift. Referring to PC Part Picker, you can build a system to those requirements for $1,200, meaning the Rift itself could be aiming for a $300 or less price point. That's in keeping with co-founder Nate Mitchell's estimation that the unit would cost between $200 and $400.

Meanwhile, Valve and HTC's Vive headset is expected to release at a "higher price point", according to HTC marketing head Jeff Gattis. He didn't give a ballpark figure, though he'd have been aware of Oculus's price goal.

For more, check out everything you need to know about Oculus Rift.

Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.