STICKER SHOCK! Oculus Rift arrives, why you'll need to buy flowers to use it

Price tag has gamers reeling.

Virtual reality arrived in the mainstream consumer market today, but the sticker shock has many gasping for their breath, and clutching their wallets. The much anticipated Oculus Rift headset opened for preorders today and will ship in late March and Early April. However, the cost is $599, pricing many hopeful gamers out of the market.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Virtual reality has been the holy grail of gaming since gaming was invented. Virtual reality also has applications well beyond gaming, including in medicine, engineering, workplace training and more. The Oculus Rift headset moves us closer to that holy grail.

The Oculus Rift headset is worn like a pair of goggles, except you cannot see through them. Instead, you see a screen at just the right length from your eyes, so you can focus. The headset is adjustable for people with glasses. Through the headset, viewers can turn their head in any direction and see a computerized world in 3D.

For gamers, this will allow people to see what's around them without having to mouse to the edge of a screen. They can literally and physically turn around, and they will see what's behind them in the virtual game world. Virtual pilots who enjoy flight simulators, particularly those that focus on combat, expect to gain an edge over their rivals with true 360 degree vision.

But a lot of those gamers got sticker shock when the price was revealed to be $599.

Originally, rumors pegged the price to somewhere between $300 and $400. Kits sent to developers to help design software that would work with Oculus Rift cost around $300 to $350. The company itself suggested the consumer version it might cost a little more.

While gamers will spend hefty sums on good peripherals, such as joysticks, headsets and gaming mice, $599 is difficult to justify. Even high-end video cards rarely cost as much.

But the Oculus Rift pre-order is for early adopters, not mainstream gamers. This is the point many are missing. Early adopters are the people with the means and the insatiable curiosity to try something new before anyone else. The premium price takes advantage of that exuberance.

It should also be noted that Oculus Rift will require a high-end computer and graphics card to run. This isn't something you can plug into an old, or low-end computer. Minimum specs to run Rift include four 3.0 USB ports, eight gigs of RAM, and an Nvidia GTX 970 or equivalent video card. You will need Windows 7 SP1 64-bit or newer on your machine. Finally, a very nice bouquet of flowers and reservations at your spouse's favorite place might not be optional after the purchase, unless your spouse is a gamer too.

In time, competition in the market -there are several competitors in the works, and the overall popularity of the product will see it mass produced and become cheaper. Although, not too much so. VR headsets may never be as cheap as high-end keyboards (which can cost over $100). Instead, they may share a pricing ballpark with video cards, which can range between $300 to $400 for a decent one, and as low as $200 for a special bargain.

It also serves to remember that while Oculus Rift is being marketed to gamers, it is also suitable for professional use. The headset is being bundled with two games, "EVE Valkyrie," a space-shooter, and "Lucky's Tale," a sort of 3D Mario Bros game centered on an adventurous fox.

However, the headset has industrial and professional applications which far exceed gaming. Over time, more software will be designed across many industries to take advantage of the technology. Imagine, for example, the ability to tour a new house or worksite before it is even constructed and without leaving the comfort of your home or office?

Oculus Rift also comes packaged with a motion sensor, which is required to tell the headset which way you're facing, removable headphones, allowing you to use your own headset or theirs, and what appears to be a very nice X-Box controller, which is also PC compatible.

With the first shipments set for March, the first genuine consumer reviews of Oculus Rift will shortly follow. Is the ability to lose yourself for hours in a virtual game world worth the premium price?

It's a tough sell at $599, but for those who take their gaming that seriously, it's a no-brainer. A final caveat: just don't let the spouse know the actual price, or you may be out double the money just to make up!

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