Rift+Touch just dropped by $200

Supercharged_Z06

Supercharged_Z06

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For those of you thinking of taking the VR plunge, Oculus just announced that they are cutting the price of the Rift + Touch contollers by $200. The Rift is now $499 instead of $599 and the touch controllers with the extra camera sensor is now only $99! A third sensor has also been cut from $79 down to $59.

Nice cuts for those of you still on the fence.
 
Looking at getting a Rift, What does the 3rd sensor do?, is it needed for more accuracy?
 
I'm considering a VR setup, and cost is certainly a factor... But I've heard the VIVE is significantly better hardware?
 
Using a 3rd sensor really locks in and smooths out the room scale experience for the Rift. It's just "OK" with two camera sensors - actually works nicely with seated or standing VR experiences with just 2, but falls short if you wanted to move around and turn (room scale). With 3 sensors, the Rift does full roomscale VR just as good as the Vive.

As to hardware, the Rift has a slight edge over the Vive due to its slightly better ergonomics and built in headphones, but I'd really say from my own experience that they are very closely matched. But when it comes to controllers, the Touch controllers are a lot better than the Vive controllers. Unfortunately, the Touch contollers only work with the Rift due to differences in the tracking tech.

With the price drop, the Vive is going to cost significantly more now. I see HTC also having to drop prices soon or risk losing customers.... Competition is great! Brings down the VR cost entry barrier for a lot of folks.
 
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Jaybone909 said:
Meh, I'll keep waiting for 2nd gen hardware. Needs to be 4k or better.
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You could but (as the article I posted states) second gen hardware is at least another 2 years away.

Have you tried any of the current PC headsets? Resolution isn't nearly as big of a deal as you would think.
 
silent-circuit said:
I'm considering a VR setup, and cost is certainly a factor... But I've heard the VIVE is significantly better hardware?
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The Vive was the first headset with motion controllers and "roomscale", where the similar features for the Rift weren't available until early December of last year with the Touch controller's launch. Now the overall experience between the two headsets is the same. However the Rift is now $200 cheaper (or $140 cheaper if you want to buy the extra sensor), and has exclusive high quality games - many of which are free to Rift users. The Rift is also considered the more comfortable to wear HMD thanks to being lighter, and better balanced due to the ridged headband w/ integrated headphones (which the Vive is trying to match with their "premium" headband that costs an extra $100 on top of the $800 Vive kit itself).
 
TheSmJ said:
You could but (as the article I posted states) second gen hardware is at least another 2 years away.

Have you tried any of the current PC headsets? Resolution isn't nearly as big of a deal as you would think.
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I have not. I would like to try it but I don't know anyone who has it and not sure if my local BB does demos. I wasn't really on the fence to begin with. I believe it will be phenomenal down the road which is why I'm holding off now.
 
another 100$ or so off and I might try it. But I want higher res VR which I know we are a ways from.
 
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Jaybone909 said:
I have not. I would like to try it but I don't know anyone who has it and not sure if my local BB does demos. I wasn't really on the fence to begin with. I believe it will be phenomenal down the road which is why I'm holding off now.
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Oculus's website lists the BB stores with demos. The Microsoft Store also has Vive/Rift demos if you have one of those nearby.
 
wikidlad said:
Fave game for Rift owners?.
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Landfall and Arizona Sunshine are probabaly my favorite two currently. However Robo Recall was just released today (free to all Touch owners!) and everyone's gushing over it. I won't be able to try it for myself until I get home from work.
 
They just gave me a $50 gift card.

"
You’re Getting a $50 Oculus Store Credit

Thanks for activating Oculus Touch within the last 30 days. Today we announced lower pricing for Rift and Touch, so we’re crediting your account with $50USD* to spend on digital content on the Oculus Store. This credit will be available in your account within 24 hours, and you’ll have a year before it expires."
 
Literally on the fence about getting a Vive. Was ready to pull the trigger once the tax returns come in. This is a game changer. I feel kind of a Vive fanboy even though I have never used either product. Will HTC match these prices?
 
TheSmJ said:
Oculus's website lists the BB stores with demos. The Microsoft Store also has Vive/Rift demos if you have one of those nearby.
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Thanks man. I'll definitely take it for a test drive. If I'm really blown away, I may actually make the purchase.
 
B!nd. said:
Literally on the fence about getting a Vive. Was ready to pull the trigger once the tax returns come in. This is a game changer. I feel kind of a Vive fanboy even though I have never used either product. Will HTC match these prices?
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Nobody knows for sure, but I'd bet that HTC's payment plan that was announced yesterday is their answer to Oculus's price drop.
 
B!nd. said:
Literally on the fence about getting a Vive. Was ready to pull the trigger once the tax returns come in. This is a game changer. I feel kind of a Vive fanboy even though I have never used either product. Will HTC match these prices?
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Unknown - they would have to drop by their price by $200 as well to match and that's a tall order, especially for HTC since they aren't exactly known as a super healthy company in financial circles.

With Steam fully supporting both, and the Rift exclusives/freebies coming in addition from the Occulus home front, the Rift seems to have a slight edge as to apps/games to choose from.

You really can't go wrong either way though - they both deliver in spades as to the overall VR experience.
 
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silent-circuit said:
I'm considering a VR setup, and cost is certainly a factor... But I've heard the VIVE is significantly better hardware?
Click to expand...

Significantly better? No I don't believe so. I've just been watching from the sidelines trying to stay as impartial as I can. The FoV is slightly different between the 2, favoring the Vive I think. While aesthetics and comfort go to the rift. Roomscale is a little better on the Vive, but all in all, they are pretty close performance wise is what I gather. The only reason Vive was so much better was because Rift didn't have the touch controllers. I'm just glad that sometime this year I should be able to get a headset+controllers used for 300-400. Which is the price point I'll jump in, whoever gets there first.
 
That is quite the price drop. It wouldn't have made a difference to me cause I'd gladly spend $200 more to avoid the facebook ties but it should improve Oculus sales numbers. Hmm maybe it's an attempt to try and sell as many units as possible in case Zenimax successfully gets an injuction on them.
 
TheSmJ said:
Nobody knows for sure, but I'd bet that HTC's payment plan that was announced yesterday is their answer to Oculus's price drop.
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Do you know when that will go into effect? I couldn't find any information on it on the Vive website.

Supercharged_Z06 said:
Unknown - they would have to drop by their price by $200 as well to match and that's a tall order, especially for HTC since they aren't exactly known as a super healthy company in financial circles.

With Steam fully supporting both, and the Rift exclusives/freebies coming in addition from the Occulus home front, the Rift seems to have a slight edge as to apps/games to choose from.

You really can't go wrong either way though - they both deliver in spades as to the overall VR experience.
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Ah the Rift is so tempting now. I hear great things about the ergonomics of their controllers but there is something unsettling about the product. I also dislike their association with Facebook.
 
Jaybone909 said:
Meh, I'll keep waiting for 2nd gen hardware. Needs to be 4k or better.
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This is a popular sentiment. I used to think the same. Then I demo'd a Vive at Microcenter, immediately it grabbed me and I bought one. And today I also bought a Rift with the price drop. The plan is to spend a few months with both and sell whichever I like less - they're very close, you can't go wrong with either since Steam supports both. What I've learned is that its not about pixels but about presence -- once you first strap on a headset and start moving around, the "Wait for Gen2 and 4K" preconceptions melt away and its ear-to-ear grinning for hours.

Here's an analogy: Think of your favorite videogames of the past 10 years. Knowing what you know now about 4K displays existing, if you could go back in time, would you hold off and NOT play those games and have those experiences until you could play them in 4K60? Fuck no.

But current gen VR is like that -- yes its still relatively expensive, and we know it'll evolve, but it's far enough along that if you wait, you're missing out on VR experiences you could be having now. I actually wish I'd jumped in sooner.
 
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Careful DPI, I did the same thing a while back with the same idea in mind... but ending up keeping both! :D
 
I'm feeling a bit miffed because I pre-ordered Touch as soon as I could, and now it's HALF THE PRICE after just THREE MONTHS. No store credit either, for obvious reasons.

Sure, I got The Unspoken and VR Sports Challenge because of it, but those two games don't add up to $100.

With that said, I'm hoping this price drop helps get more people into VR, alongside the 1080 Ti's release driving down graphics card prices (particularly the overpriced 1080, just as the 980 Ti did to the 980 before it). Sim enthusiasts will appreciate having an extra $100 in their pocket (don't need hand controllers when a HOTAS or wheel would be much better), existing Rift owners will be much more tempted to buy into Touch, and new Rift owners can get the full experience at considerably less cost.

Also worth noting is that extra sensors are now just $60, not $80. I'm relieved in that I didn't have to cancel and re-order since I placed an order for my fourth sensor just yesterday, since Oculus update 1.12 fixed almost all of their aggravating tracking problems and made things usable again. While you could get by with just two, the third one really makes a difference in improving the whole experience, and I just want a fourth for the sake of guaranteeing that no matter what corner I face, I won't have occlusion problems.
 
So it is $499 + $60 or $549 for room scale, four cameras maybe better plus any USB extension cables needed, $600+. I paid $599 for my Vive, a good deal and that was January I do believe. I would expect the Vive price to come down as well. So this is very good and should help bring the costs down.
 
With the freebie games and discount around black friday, I'd say Vive has some wiggle room. But either way, competition is always a good thing.
 
Alright. That's it. Going to the Window's store today and picking up a Vive on the 6 month financing plan.

Last question. Minimum requirements for room scale is 6.5'x5' I would be working with a 5'x4' area at a minimum. Is this a problem?
 
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noko said:
So it is $499 + $60 or $549 for room scale, four cameras maybe better plus any USB extension cables needed, $600+. I paid $599 for my Vive, a good deal and that was January I do believe. I would expect the Vive price to come down as well. So this is very good and should help bring the costs down.
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3 cameras is all you need 90% of the time. I use 3 in my 11'x11' space and with the way they're performing after the 1.12 update I no longer have any interest in getting a fourth. FWIW I use passive USB3 extensions for the front two cameras and the rear camera came with its own (an extension cable is included with additional sensors). I spent under $20 on cables total.

HTC already stated that they have no plans to drop the price for their kit.
 
Was expecting to jump on the Vive after I do a new build with their 66 a month deal.. but this is a helluva discount on the Rift, and as much as I hate facebook. I fucking love John Carmack..
 
Now that they've cleaned up all of their tracking issues with the latest driver release, dropped their bundled price by $200 and released Robo Recall for free (which is not only the best looking VR game I've played, but is also a blast to play), it's definitely a solid value if you are looking to break into VR on the PC. I can't stand Facebook either (don't have a Facebook account), but it's not like they make you sign up for Facebook or anything. I'm just glad there is competition in the VR segment. Love both the Vive and the Rift.
 
Well I did. Proud owner of a Vive. Set it up last night and played Portal Stories. It's pretty freaking fantastic. I wish I had downloaded The Lab first but Portal was the first one I saw for free and couldn't wait.

Any recommendations for games to consume my upcoming 3 day weekend?
 
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B!nd. said:
Well I did. Proud owner of a Vive. Set it up last night and played Portal Stories. It's pretty freaking fantastic. I wish I had downloaded The Lab first but Portal was the first one I saw for free and couldn't wait.

Any recommendations for games to consume my upcoming 3 day weekend?
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Arizona Sunshine and Windlands are good.
 
Supercharged_Z06 said:
Now that they've cleaned up all of their tracking issues with the latest driver release, dropped their bundled price by $200 and released Robo Recall for free (which is not only the best looking VR game I've played, but is also a blast to play), it's definitely a solid value if you are looking to break into VR on the PC. I can't stand Facebook either (don't have a Facebook account), but it's not like they make you sign up for Facebook or anything. I'm just glad there is competition in the VR segment. Love both the Vive and the Rift.
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Yeah, the Facebook thing really is moot, because every dollar invested into VR benefits everyone on all platforms indirectly by legitimizing it further and showing fence sitting companies there's a market and its time to jump in or get left behind.

Question, how's the roomscale tracking on the Rift with only 2 sensors? Was going to try it with 2 first and hope I didn't need to buy an additional.
 
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B!nd. said:
Well I did. Proud owner of a Vive. Set it up last night and played Portal Stories. It's pretty freaking fantastic. I wish I had downloaded The Lab first but Portal was the first one I saw for free and couldn't wait.

Any recommendations for games to consume my upcoming 3 day weekend?
Click to expand...

Robo Recall. It's free and works with Revive. Details here.
 
DPI said:
Yeah, the Facebook thing really is moot, because every dollar invested into VR benefits everyone on all platforms indirectly by legitimizing it.

Question, how's the roomscale tracking on the Rift with only 2 sensors? Was going to try it with 2 first and hope I didn't need to buy an additional.
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If you have a smaller space (say 6' x 6') and don't mind some very minor tracking occlusion every so often when you turn a full 360, two sensors will work out just fine. The third sensor will just ensure that you are tracked solid around the entire space from every angle. I.E. If you want really solid room scale tracking over your entire play area, then I'd say a third sensor is a must have. It really all depends on what games you play and how big your space is.
 
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Supercharged_Z06 said:
Unknown - they would have to drop by their price by $200 as well to match and that's a tall order, especially for HTC since they aren't exactly known as a super healthy company in financial circles.

With Steam fully supporting both, and the Rift exclusives/freebies coming in addition from the Occulus home front, the Rift seems to have a slight edge as to apps/games to choose from.

You really can't go wrong either way though - they both deliver in spades as to the overall VR experience.
Click to expand...

I read you can play rift games on the vive its just a bit of a process. Is this not true?
 
What Silent said above. Some games (The Unspoken and The Climb for example) will have performance issues and the controller mappings just aren't ideal for game play when using Revive to play them. Luckily, there are very few games in this category and most run great using Revive, or the game developer fully supports both HMD's via Steam. Also, Oculus recently stated that they are devoting engineering resources toward improving support of their games to get them working with Revive better, so there's that.
 
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I just hope either one platform wins quick or they agree on a shared platform. VR being split and expensive will probably kill it.
 
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