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

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.