Between the high price and the inept messaging this is pretty much exactly how you destroy an otherwise worthwhile product. They did everything right, right up until it came time to actually sell the damned thing.

There is a very small niche of the gaming public that is willing to spend $600 on a PC display. That niche isn’t big enough to shoulder the weight of an entirely new tech product like this, though. Most $600 gaming displays will work out of the box with any program you run on your PC. This device needs developer…

You know that the PC “gamers” aren’t the target market right?

You don’t exist.

It's the hole in your eye from which your soul escapes when you die. Jesus, read a fucking book.

Oh, nevermind. I didn't know you were an idiot when I replied. Sorry to waste your time and mine.

Did you read a different article than me? Or....a different website?

It’s surprising when you realize who owns Oculus, how much money they have, and how badly this needs a high adoption rate to succeed. They could afford to sell at a lower price in the name of market penetration, thereby building a user-base (i.e. potential software customers), which leads to interest from developers,…

But that $700 machine played games. This device is just a peripheral. You still have to have an $800+ game machine to use it with.

He’s saying that if a product costs too much for its target market, then it might as well not exist. $600 is too high a price for a peripheral device targeting hardcore gamers, so if the Rift cost that much it would inevitably be a failure.

Yep. This device had limitless potential, and they’ve essentially priced themselves out of existence. With no user base, they’ll get no dev support, and with no software they’ll never get beyond the early adopters.

Lucky is on record saying they're not making any money on the $599 price point. Even if that's the case, though, I think they're pricing out more people than they can afford.

The fact that that was the price of their first model. You'd think with streamlined production and the R&D mostly done they'd be able to maintain that price point even with the improved hardware. I guess not.

This isn't a gaming system. It's a peripheral device. You still need a (at least $800) gaming system to plug it into.

Because people are people and there will inevitably be just such a person.

Male-pattern baldness sure does start early in his family.

Religion: denying facts since basically forever.

Pretty much anyone considering preordering a Rift already has a PC.

Oculus says the Rift is expected to ship in March.

I don't know, because that's ridiculous. The most conservative estimates were around $350-$400.