The Occulus Rift came out last week, costs a fortune and is not expected to do well, while a cheaper VR headset, the Samsung Gear VR went on sale in December for $99 and was a hit.
While it is true that these solutions were not as great as the Rift, the price difference and the lack of need for a high spec PC are earning the tech followers – which is more than can be said for the Rift.
Oculus vice president of mobile, Max Cohen said that there were two different types of VR headsets emerging. Pretty cool bit pricy, such as the Rift and mobile and cheap. He said the company will make both.
He said it was essential the company continues to invest and innovate in the more affordable end of the VR field too. He explained that Oculus will follow up Gear VR in the future "at an accessible price point".
"The Gear VR isn’t $99 because it came out that way; it was designed to be that way," he said. "You can imagine that our future versions will also be designed that way as well. We just want to keep it accessible and affordable."
He said that some of the biggest stuff will be in display innovation. Whether it’s a 4K screen, or a 75 or 90Hz mode that can be on phones for when you are in VR, there are a number of things that will take the experience and really take it to a new level. But right now, we’ve only just launched the Gear VR last month. We’re not planning on getting rid of it anytime soon."
Cohen said that the reason that his company made both types of VR is because they each offer something different which was good for the overall VR industry. He said that the rift was a high-end, magical experience – you can walk through the room, you can use touch controllers, do all these things.@.
"Mobile offers this portable, accessible thing that you can take with you. It’s in my backpack all year round. I carry it everywhere. The Gear VR is about getting it to as many people to experience VR and share that with their friends.”
Assuming they have any.
He said the money was worth the difference because the Rift was "an unbelievable gaming experience". It can do non-gaming too but it’s mainly about gaming because of the PC requirements.
