The Oculus Rift release date hasn’t been officially announced yet, but it’s been rumored to possibly be coming out in summer 2014.
The price, including the price of games, hasn’t been officially released as well.
CEO Brendan Iribe, though, did say that he would not be surprised if games cost more than $60. (check out two YouTube videos of hands-on experiences with the device below)
Iribe said that his company won’t have a say in the game prices but he wouldn’t be surprised if the games are expensive.
“It’s going to be up to the developers,” he told Games Industry International. “There will be some who make casual, simpler experiences - maybe bite sized. There are going to be Indie developers that make bigger experiences. And there are going to be bigger teams that make really big experiences. ... And some that we’ve seen early prototypes of... Well, we’ve seen some that, boy, would I pay a lot to get that experience in virtual reality.”
He added: “They'd better deliver if they’re going to charge more than $50 or $60 for a game.”
Aaron Davies, director of developer relations at Oculus, said that the pricing may be different than a one-time payment of, say, $70. Instead, developers could use the free-to-play model that incorporates microtransactions throughout the game.
“The whole concept of charging a premium is somewhat outdated,” he says. “It’s not to say it’s going to be upfront. It could be this is going to be an experience you get dialed into. We‘ll see how it monetizes. ... If you create content or an experience that someone is passionate about, you’re creating a lifestyle for them. And they’ll pay for that.”
Iribe wouldn’t commit to a 2014 release date for the Oculus, but Forbes is one of several publications that said information has become available indicating a summer 2014 release date. It said that the device would be available for less than $499.
Developer kits are already available for $300. More than 50,000 of these have already been shipped out, Iribe said.
