As Brendan Iribe took to the stage during the first Oculus Connect 3, there was no doubting he would have a bunch of hardware-based news that would completely change the game that Oculus brings to virtual reality (VR). Iribe revealed that the minimum spec for VR-ready PCs has decreased, making PC VR gaming way more affordable.
The minimum specification for the Oculus Rift is now much lower than what it was before, with the graphics card needing an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or greater, rather than jumping straight to the 10-series; there needing a humble Intel i3-6100 or AMD FX4350 processor; 8GB RAM which was the same as before, and all of the other smaller components that allow the VR head-mounted display (HMD) to be plugged in. The result of this means that machine vendors could sell AMD and NVIDIA-based PCs for $499 (USD) – half of the current pricing.
Right now there are six partners and 11 machines that are classed as Oculus-ready computers, but it is said there will soon be 11 partners with 40 machines. Right now you can get a PC for around $700, making “PC VR more affordable than ever”.
It’s not only about PCs, though, because there are plans to get more VR-ready laptops on board, including machines from Asus, Alienware, and Lenovo. “Within years there will be hundreds of VR ready laptops”.
This can be counted as a major step forward for the growth in PC VR as it can now step up to the likes of console VR which seemed like the more affordable answer to VR. Now, Oculus is aiming to open up to a wider audience, making it more accessible. This could be the beginning of the bloated price of VR to steadily decrease, but for now this is all that we know for sure.
For more on the latest developments and announcements at Oculus Connect 3, as well as all the news, updates, and features in the world of VR, make sure to check back with VRFocus.