Considering the cramped size of flats in the city and the high cost of virtual reality headsets, getting into virtual reality in England could be seen as aspirational: you want to do it, but there’s a chance it will never happen.
VR aspiration could happen to you, even. Just ask me about the Oculus Rift I haven’t set up in two years because I can’t find a place in my London flat to set it up.
We spoke to Oculus’ Sean Liu, the director of hardware product management for the company, when he was in London for a hands on of Oculus’ new headsets, the Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest.
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While Liu says that content is king for consumers getting into VR, he was also pragmatic about the company’s newest headphones: this is why the Quest can operate independently of a PC, and why both the Quest and Rift S have inside-out tracking, reducing the need for any overheads.
However, Liu says that price is a big sticking point for those looking to get into VR, and that’s why these new models are selling for just £399, helping it pass what he calls “the spousal test.”
“Price point is a big inhibitor,” says Liu. “When you think about a family, they’re going to buy one entertainment product a year. So we think about how you can put VR into a space where it can be that entertainment device rather than a luxury item.”
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“We call it the spousal test,” Liu adds. “It’s when you have to have that conversation with your spouse about whether this is a valid purchase. And so pushing the price down below that £400, $400 price point? We think is actually really critical for this to gain adoption.”
What do you think? Does a price of below £400 make you want to buy into VR? We’re on Twitter for all your thoughts at @TrustedReviews
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
