As CES opened, Oculus announced that its hotly anticipated Rift virtual reality headset is now available for preorder for $599 and will ship to 20 countries including the U.S. starting March 28. It will also be available at select retailers starting in April.
The emerging VR market is a huge topic this week at CES, with the Consumer Technology Association projecting that this year VR headset sales will reach 1.2 million units sold for a projected $540 million in total revenue.
The Rift headset will include built-in headphones and mic and come packaged with a sensor and an Xbox One controller. It also includes Oculus Remote, a new input device for navigating VR experiences and browsing content in the Oculus store. Oculus reported that those that preorder Rift will “secure a place in line” for Touch controller preorders later this year.
The company also reported that Oculus Ready PCs will be certified to meet recommended system specifications; bundles that include an Oculus Ready PC and a Rift will be available for preorder in February starting at $1,499.
On the content side of the equation, preordered systems will come bundled with Lucky’s Tale by Playful and CCP’s EVE: Valkyrie. And this year at least 20 games are expected to be available at the Oculus Store.
Hollywood is eyeing the content side of the emerging VR market, with Fox notably unveiling its The Martian VR Experience this week at CES.
Facebook acquired Oculus for $2 billion in 2014.
