Oculus Rift is Overpriced and In Trouble - MMORPG.com News

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Oculus Rift is Overpriced and In Trouble - MMORPG.com News

Oculus made a splash by opening up pre-orders this week and unveiling their retail price at $599, substantially more than Palmer Luckey's September "in the ballpark" of $350 quote. While many gamers are gleeful that virtual reality will soon be arriving in their very own living rooms, our RPG columnist is concerned. Is $600 just too much?

Read the full story here

orbitxo

too much. i know they want to get it right, and i agree- but why are the pieces to put it all together so much?- also there are others on the market -which will be better.

SEANMCAD

System said:

Oculus Rift is Overpriced and In Trouble - MMORPG.com News

Oculus made a splash by opening up pre-orders this week and unveiling their retail price at $599, substantially more than Palmer Luckey's September "in the ballpark" of $350 quote. While many gamers are gleeful that virtual reality will soon be arriving in their very own living rooms, our RPG columnist is concerned. Is $600 just too much?

Read the full story here

A day before the pre-order I saw two articles basically title 'there is no way pre-orders will sell out says Palmer'

they did sell out in 2 hours.

now on paper i agree 1000000% with what people are saying that the price is to high but until I see some hard evidence that counters the evidence i have described above it appears to me that the public is ready

SlothnChunk

SEANMCAD said:

System said:

Oculus Rift is Overpriced and In Trouble - MMORPG.com News
Oculus made a splash by opening up pre-orders this week and unveiling their retail price at $599, substantially more than Palmer Luckey's September "in the ballpark" of $350 quote. While many gamers are gleeful that virtual reality will soon be arriving in their very own living rooms, our RPG columnist is concerned. Is $600 just too much?
Read the full story here



A day before the pre-order I saw two articles basically title 'there is no way pre-orders will sell out says Palmer'

they did sell out in 2 hours.

now on paper i agree 1000000% with what people are saying that the price is to high but until I see some hard evidence that counters the evidence i have described above it appears to me that the public is ready


I would argue that's another bad sign...their manufacturing ability to mass product them could be limited. New gadgets often sell out due to lack of supply and not necessarily demand (for example, didn't the Ouya sell out at first too?).

LacedOpium

New technology is always over priced upon initial release.  It will go down considerably after the "pioneers" have been drained of their money.

"Patience" is always the best tactic to employ whenever new technology is released to the mainstream.

Wizardry

What ever happened to everyone saying it was all about the game and not the graphics?
I realize you can't take your money with you to the grave but people need to think,hold off on ridiculous prices,there is ONLY one result,they would have to drop prices.

Phaserlight

$600 is a relatively low price compared to what a kit designed to do what the CV1 does used to run in the last decade. The CV1 will be more technologically advanced than any of its predecessors and substantially less expensive.

Some good info regarding the CV1's price in Palmer Luckey's AMA here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3zt7ul/i_am_palmer_luckey_founder_of_oculus_and_designer/

SEANMCAD

SlothnChunk said:

SEANMCAD said:

System said:

Oculus Rift is Overpriced and In Trouble - MMORPG.com News
Oculus made a splash by opening up pre-orders this week and unveiling their retail price at $599, substantially more than Palmer Luckey's September "in the ballpark" of $350 quote. While many gamers are gleeful that virtual reality will soon be arriving in their very own living rooms, our RPG columnist is concerned. Is $600 just too much?
Read the full story here



A day before the pre-order I saw two articles basically title 'there is no way pre-orders will sell out says Palmer'

they did sell out in 2 hours.

now on paper i agree 1000000% with what people are saying that the price is to high but until I see some hard evidence that counters the evidence i have described above it appears to me that the public is ready


I would argue that's another bad sign...their manufacturing ability to mass product them could be limited. New gadgets often sell out due to lack of supply and not necessarily demand (for example, didn't the Ouya sell out at first too?).

that is a lot of could and maybe. you might be right but it leans on the far end of speculation rather than evidence. Thanks though

oh and as more evidence Gear VR ALSO sold out. that is not speculation that is reality

SlothnChunk

$600 is way too high for any gaming peripheral. I don't care how neat it is.

I predict Sony comes out the winner in the VR battle. The Sony VR is likely to be subsidized and therefore significantly cheaper for entry cost, the hardware is standardized making things far less chaotic for gamers as well as developers, the install base is already 36 million PS4s sold, Sony is heavily invested in funding the development and publishing a significant library of exclusive games, and Sony's ability to mass produce a solid product in the PS4 will be tough for the Oculus to even get close.

The Oculus will end up being more of a niche device than the competition (which is a bad thing in video games). It could end up being the NEO-GEO of VR devices; hyped as the most powerful gaming hardware out there by far, but doomed in the long run due to price and robust competition.

SEANMCAD

SlothnChunk said:

$600 is way too high for any gaming peripheral. I don't care how neat it is.

I predict Sony comes out the winner in the VR battle. The Sony VR is likely to be subsidized and therefore significantly cheaper for entry cost, the hardware is standardized making things far less chaotic for gamers as well as developers, the install base is already 36 million PS4s sold, Sony is heavily invested in funding the development and publishing a significant library of exclusive games, and Sony's ability to mass produce a solid product in the PS4 will be tough for the Oculus to even get close.

The Oculus will end up being more of a niche device than the competition (which is a bad thing in video games). It could end up being the NEO-GEO of VR devices; hyped as the most powerful gaming hardware out there by far, but doomed in the long run due to price and robust competition.

wow!

a few items/questions

1. The oculus rift sold out pre-orders within 2 hours, Gear VR sold out on its first day. I agree that the Rift is over priced but we have this problem of sell outs.
2. sony vr will be subsidized? by who?
3. the average gaming PC is already more powerful that a PS4. How can the Sony VR by default out perform the Oculus when the Oculus is saying current gaming rigs are not enough to run it?

SlothnChunk

SEANMCAD said:

SlothnChunk said:
SEANMCAD said:



System said:



Oculus Rift is Overpriced and In Trouble - MMORPG.com News

Oculus made a splash by opening up pre-orders this week and unveiling their retail price at $599, substantially more than Palmer Luckey's September "in the ballpark" of $350 quote. While many gamers are gleeful that virtual reality will soon be arriving in their very own living rooms, our RPG columnist is concerned. Is $600 just too much?

Read the full story here







A day before the pre-order I saw two articles basically title 'there is no way pre-orders will sell out says Palmer'



they did sell out in 2 hours.



now on paper i agree 1000000% with what people are saying that the price is to high but until I see some hard evidence that counters the evidence i have described above it appears to me that the public is ready





I would argue that's another bad sign...their manufacturing ability to mass product them could be limited. New gadgets often sell out due to lack of supply and not necessarily demand (for example, didn't the Ouya sell out at first too?).


that is a lot of could and maybe. you might be right but it leans on the far end of speculation rather than evidence.

Thanks though

oh and as more evidence Gear VR ALSO sold out. that is not speculation that is reality


You just reinforced my point; new gadgets sell out (in this case the competition which is only $100). So you certainly can't conclude the public is 'ready' for the Oculus Rift at $600 just because it sold out initially.

SEANMCAD

@SlothnChunk I am sure you have noticed often these forums break to bizzare levels so I am doing it this way for now

 @SlothnChunk said: You just reinforced my point; new gadgets sell out (in this case the competition which is only $100). So you certainly can't conclude the public is 'ready' for the Oculus Rift at $600 just because it sold out initially.


 --------------- my reply no, new tech does not often sell out.... the xbox didnt, the ps4 didnt, the Echo didnt. what has?

basically we have 'facts we know now' vs 'speculation'

SlothnChunk

SEANMCAD said:

SlothnChunk said:

$600 is way too high for any gaming peripheral. I don't care how neat it is.

I predict Sony comes out the winner in the VR battle. The Sony VR is likely to be subsidized and therefore significantly cheaper for entry cost, the hardware is standardized making things far less chaotic for gamers as well as developers, the install base is already 36 million PS4s sold, Sony is heavily invested in funding the development and publishing a significant library of exclusive games, and Sony's ability to mass produce a solid product in the PS4 will be tough for the Oculus to even get close.

The Oculus will end up being more of a niche device than the competition (which is a bad thing in video games). It could end up being the NEO-GEO of VR devices; hyped as the most powerful gaming hardware out there by far, but doomed in the long run due to price and robust competition.

wow!

a few items/questions

1. The oculus rift sold out pre-orders within 2 hours, Gear VR sold out on its first day. I agree that the Rift is over priced but we have this problem of sell outs.
2. sony vr will be subsidized? by who?
3. the average gaming PC is already more powerful that a PS4. How can the Sony VR by default out perform the Oculus when the Oculus is saying current gaming rigs are not enough to run it?

1. Just further proof that new gadgets sell out.  Nothing new there and proves nothing long-term.
2. Sony (they subsidize the PS4)
3.  It's not about 'power'. My point was the most powerful, expensive piece of hardware often loses.  It's about the games and not power potential. 36+ million PS4's sold (standard hardware) is a huge advantage in the gaming world.

BigRambo

When will people wake up and realize VR was never meant for gaming?  Most people who got one is to watch porn with it.   Gaming for hours every day on VR is just plain stupid and not practical at all. People think they'll dominate games with VR, they won't dominate jack.  Obviously we got some fanbois over here hyping the dumb thing (what else is new).   Yes I tried VR, Yes it's amazing, but if I ever decide to buy one it won't be for gaming purposes.  VR is just going to promote cheaters, cheaters in the sense that while the husband is stuck in VR, the wife is going to get banged by the pool boy.    

Bloodaxes

Such a misleading title.

SlothnChunk

SEANMCAD said:

@SlothnChunk I am sure you have noticed often these forums break to bizzare levels so I am doing it this way for now

 @SlothnChunk said: You just reinforced my point; new gadgets sell out (in this case the competition which is only $100). So you certainly can't conclude the public is 'ready' for the Oculus Rift at $600 just because it sold out initially.


 --------------- my reply no, new tech does not often sell out.... the xbox didnt, the ps4 didnt, the Echo didnt. what has?

basically we have 'facts we know now' vs 'speculation'

Yes, check your facts. Every version of the Xbox or Playstation initially sold out. The freakin' Ouya sold out!  It's a manufactoring limitation as much as anything...you can conclude nothing by initial sales of a new gadget.

Tablix

Well IMO $600 is not a "huge" cost, considering my speakers double that, my monitor about that cost and my pc more than double that. I know most people here are not "mature" gamers but if you have a full time job and gaming is your only hobby its not out of the realms of the ordinary person. People complain about upgrading the pc to use it, but if you spending cash on an SLI setup or multi-monitor rig this is just the next step. The RRP is just that, and they know full well there is no competition right now so they can ask what they want.

Will I buy one right now? no. The reason being in 12-18months there will be at least 2 other competitors and economics will kick in and price points will start to drop. Also more software will become available that uses the potential of VR. There was a point in time when people thought that having SSD's were pointless, and massively overpriced, yet a couple of years later the prices have halved and are dropping all the time as more and more people adopt the technology.

This piece of kit may not succeed long term, but the technology will. It will evolve, improve and come down in cost.

Think of it in terms of $600 is 40 months wow subscription, yet people are still paying it out month by month, at least with this purchase you get a solid piece of kit that will likely work for 5 years, and by then you will get a better model at half the price.

I am not some rich ass with thousands coming in very month,but to moan about $600 is just showing the maturity and level of disposable income off the people on these forums. If you are a kid, or in college its expensive but if you got a job and you like your tech this is to me not a lot of money at all.

If you can afford a gaming rig with a sli set-up and nice monitor, then this is just the next epeen extension.

Mykell

I remember when the first Pentium PC's came out and cost as much as a small car. It never stopped them taking off and becoming mainstream. By comparison the Rift is cheap.

SEANMCAD

BigRambo said:

When will people wake up and realize VR was never meant for gaming?  Most people who got one is to watch porn with it.   Gaming for hours every day on VR is just plain stupid and not practical at all. People think they'll dominate games with VR, they won't dominate jack.  Obviously we got some fanbois over here hyping the dumb thing (what else is new).   Yes I tried VR, Yes it's amazing, but if I ever decide to buy one it won't be for gaming purposes.  VR is just going to promote cheaters, cheaters in the sense that while the husband is stuck in VR, the wife is going to get banged by the pool boy.    

The first vr consumer product was for gaming VirtualBoy
The first demo I saw of VR when I was young on Computer Chronicles was for gaming.
Most of the floor space at GDC last year was dedicated to VR
CES barely even mentioned VR as a headliner subject this year.

SlothnChunk

Tablix said:

Well IMO $600 is not a "huge" cost, considering my speakers double that, my monitor about that cost and my pc more than double that. I know most people here are not "mature" gamers but if you have a full time job and gaming is your only hobby its not out of the realms of the ordinary person. People complain about upgrading the pc to use it, but if you spending cash on an SLI setup or multi-monitor rig this is just the next step. The RRP is just that, and they know full well there is no competition right now so they can ask what they want.

Will I buy one right now? no. The reason being in 12-18months there will be at least 2 other competitors and economics will kick in and price points will start to drop. Also more software will become available that uses the potential of VR. There was a point in time when people thought that having SSD's were pointless, and massively overpriced, yet a couple of years later the prices have halved and are dropping all the time as more and more people adopt the technology.

This piece of kit may not succeed long term, but the technology will. It will evolve, improve and come down in cost.

Think of it in terms of $600 is 40 months wow subscription, yet people are still paying it out month by month, at least with this purchase you get a solid piece of kit that will likely work for 5 years, and by then you will get a better model at half the price.

I am not some rich ass with thousands coming in very month,but to moan about $600 is just showing the maturity and level of disposable income off the people on these forums. If you are a kid, or in college its expensive but if you got a job and you like your tech this is to me not a lot of money at all.

If you can afford a gaming rig with a sli set-up and nice monitor, then this is just the  epeen extension.

You do realize the expected lifespan of the Oculus Rift is only two years or so (not five)? The technology keeps advancing so fast. They are already deep into development of the second generation.

SEANMCAD

SlothnChunk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SlothnChunk said:

$600 is way too high for any gaming peripheral. I don't care how neat it is.

I predict Sony comes out the winner in the VR battle. The Sony VR is likely to be subsidized and therefore significantly cheaper for entry cost, the hardware is standardized making things far less chaotic for gamers as well as developers, the install base is already 36 million PS4s sold, Sony is heavily invested in funding the development and publishing a significant library of exclusive games, and Sony's ability to mass produce a solid product in the PS4 will be tough for the Oculus to even get close.

The Oculus will end up being more of a niche device than the competition (which is a bad thing in video games). It could end up being the NEO-GEO of VR devices; hyped as the most powerful gaming hardware out there by far, but doomed in the long run due to price and robust competition.

wow!

a few items/questions

1. The oculus rift sold out pre-orders within 2 hours, Gear VR sold out on its first day. I agree that the Rift is over priced but we have this problem of sell outs.
2. sony vr will be subsidized? by who?
3. the average gaming PC is already more powerful that a PS4. How can the Sony VR by default out perform the Oculus when the Oculus is saying current gaming rigs are not enough to run it?

1. Just further proof that new gadgets sell out.  Nothing new there and proves nothing long-term.
2. Sony (they subsidize the PS4)
3.  It's not about 'power'. My point was the most powerful, expensive piece of hardware often loses.  It's about the games and not power potential. 36+ million PS4's sold (standard hardware) is a huge advantage in the gaming world.

1. ?????????????? how is Oculus selling out proof that most new gadgets sell out? no I would think most gadgets ACTUALLY selling out would be said proof.
2. they are subsidzing themselves? not sure you fully understand the context of the word you are using there.
4. it is about power. VR needs to be high resolution and high frame rate, and low latency and run other software that keeps you from getting sick

Scottgun

Any peripheral with a laundry list of things to do or not do to avoid migraines or motion sickness is probably not for me. My wallet is thankful as well.

SEANMCAD

Scottgun said:

Any peripheral with a laundry list of things to do or not do to avoid migraines or motion sickness is probably not for me. My wallet is thankful as well.

its funny how so many critics of VR miss one of VRs 'actual' Achilles heal.

Not the hassle in avoiding motion sickness no.

the hassle in pluging in 4 cables, untaggling them, moving the desk just right, testing the camera etc just to play a game.

that is the largest most problematic problem of VR outside of controls. not weight, not sickness, not head strains

Dahkoht

For many hardcore PC Gamers it's not even the cost. My main hobby is PC Gaming thus I spend a bit on it as I choose to save more in other places. I'm in the 4k monitors, SLI Titan X etc group , and if it was 200 or 600 I wouldn't touch it.

Because I don't want to wear a mask on my head to play a game. My monitors are higher res with better color , my headphones are high end with much better sound and I don't want to combine those with a mask/headset for sure. Mechanical high end keyboard and mouse that I would have to not use also ?

No thanks. And most of my friends who are long time PC Gamers going back to Amiga days in the 80's/90's then X-Wing , Gold Box sets etc and on since aren't considering buying the thing either.

Simply because for PC Gaming at home , they also have no desire to wear a mask on their heads for hours playing games.

It's uses will be in training in various industries  , simulation for work and demos , and porn. 

For PC Gaming this is going to be a novelty and niche at best.

MrSnuffles

Mykell said:

I remember when the first Pentium PC's came out and cost as much as a small car. It never stopped them taking off and becoming mainstream. By comparison the Rift is cheap.

You seriously comparing a CPU to a head mounted display?

Lets see what the head mounted display can do:

1. Display exactly the same as a Monitor.
2. You move your head and the in game camera moves.
3. ... *crickets*

Let's see what a CPU can do:

1. Do we really have to get into this?
2. NO seriously, do i have to list the 1,000,000,000 things a CPU can do?
3. ... EVERYTHING!

Phaserlight

MrSnuffles said:

Mykell said:

I remember when the first Pentium PC's came out and cost as much as a small car. It never stopped them taking off and becoming mainstream. By comparison the Rift is cheap.

You seriously comparing a CPU to a head mounted display?

Lets see what the head mounted display can do:

1. Display exactly the same as a Monitor.
2. You move your head and the in game camera moves.
3. ... *crickets*

Let's see what a CPU can do:

1. Do we really have to get into this?
2. NO seriously, do i have to list the 1,000,000,000 things a CPU can do?
3. ... EVERYTHING!

Most monitors do not include side-by-side stereoscopic support or as wide a field of view, so I find the phrase "exactly the same as a Monitor[sic]" to be misleading and more than a little disingenuous.

If you don't understand why this is a big deal; stereoscopic is how we naturally perceive the real world: it's where the phrase "depth perception" applies.  Field of view should be self-explanatory.