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Oculus has slashed the price of its Rift VR headset and touch controller bundle to £399 – £200 off its RRP.
The cut comes as a part of the Facebook-owned company’s ‘Summer of Rift’ sale, with the bundle returning to its original price in six weeks. It also brings the new headset to within £50 of Sony’s PlayStation VR headset.
Shoppers in the States are getting a better deal though, with the bundle dropping down to $399 (around £306), though speakiong with PCR’s sister publication MCV, Oculus’ VP of content Jason Rubin said he felt that the Rift has finally reached "a compelling price point" for the average consumer.
"We think that [a £399] price point is very mass market," Rubin said. "It’s been proven on other high-end VR systems that are succeeding right now, and we think with the best library in the business, even more great announcements of software coming in the near future, and really the best multiplayer and single player games out there, that now’s the time to do this and really drive people into high-end VR. So we’re very excited to announce that."
In spite of the company’s confidence, the Rift has – according to SuperData analysts – shifted around 240,000 units, which is significantly lower than the cheaper PlayStation VR more expensive HTC Vive. Perhaps Oculus is hoping that another widely publicised discount will help bolster sales, but it doesn’t seem that price is the biggest factor at play.
While pricing will obviously be a consideration to anybody making a purchase, the fact that the HTC Vive – which is still retailing at its post-Brexit price point of £760 – is outselling the Rift may be ringing alarm bells. Whether it’s down to perception of the product’s quality or retail strategy, the Vive is having a better time of it right now and Oculus will hope for change.
