• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Mark Zuckerberg wants to price the consumer Oculus Rift at 'the lowest cost possible'

N

No Love

Banned
Yeah it's gonna be cheap as hell so we can all be brainwashed with hyper-realistic Facebook ads with subliminal messaging. Weeeeeeeee!

Condom ads are going to be really intense when they simulate your girlfriend (generated via data collected from FB, of course) coming up to you and saying "Hey babe, guess which test I came out positive for? Hint: not herpes!"

I really hope this stays gaming-focused, or at least isn't compromised because of FB.
 
D

Des0lar

will learn eventually
$h@d0w said:
I'm out.

I want to put a premium product 2cm from my eyes rather than a fisher price toy.
Click to expand...

Your reading comprehension skills are seriously lacking, if that's what you got out of that text.


I for one can't wait for the $200 rift!
 
R

Raticus79

Seek victory, not fairness
Good news for VR. They need to get these in people's hands so it can catch on. It's really something people need to experience for themselves.

I expect they'll hold off on anything creepy for a while and keep the Facebook branding away from it.

Edit: note it's sold as cheaply as possible, not made as cheaply as possible. Big difference there.
 
J

jaaz

Member
GuitarAtomik said:
Jeez. People hate Facebook enough to spin at-cost hardware as a negative lol.
Click to expand...

Or maybe people are just concerned that getting at-cost hardware will come with a price--like requiring you to have a FB account and sign-in when you use the hardware. That's going to eventually happen, maybe not with version 1 if we're lucky (and because the hardware/software is so far along), but definitely with a version 2. He's practically telegraphing it.
 
P

PFD

Member
CadetMahoney said:
Unblockable adverts and NSA tracking, archiving of data to see how long you stare at boobs and ass.

7.jpg


1080p? pay extra $$$
60FPS? pay extra $$$

otherwise you get that "cinematic experience", because the fans demanded it!
Click to expand...
This was funny two months ago
 
C

ChrisMahoney

Banned
jaaz said:
Or maybe people are just concerned that getting at-cost hardware will come with a price--like requiring you to have a FB account and sign-in when you use the hardware. That's going to eventually happen, maybe not with version 1 if we're lucky (and because the hardware/software is so far along), but definitely with a version 2. He's practically telegraphing it.
Click to expand...

Just like Instagram?...

Stop the Facebook hate. You're not going to be forced to login into Facebook to play your Steam games. Maybe there will be some sort of Facebook Oculus store, but it's been said over and over again that you'll always be free to use the hardware elsewhere like on Steam games.
 
C

Castcoder

Banned
The irony is all of these complainers continue to log into Facebook daily. The complaints about this acquisition are pathetic.
 
J

jonezer4

Member
Thank God. I'm so sick of CEO's issuing PR statements to the effect of "We're gonna price gouge the fuck out of everyone with our newest product."
 
S

Seanspeed

Banned
$h@d0w said:
If they are making it for "the lowest cost possible" then they are compromising quality somewhere.

If VR is the future then I want the best product possible not some piece of shit which approximates the experience all because they wanted to get to market at an affordable price.
Click to expand...
When the Rift releases, it will be the best VR headset you can buy, don't worry.

Netherscourge said:
Candy Crush VR - you heard it here first.
Click to expand...
You really think you're the first to make that super clever joke? :p
 
F

Fushichou187

Member
Hey Zuck, part with $1 billion of your own cash to offset most of the cost for say, a run of 2-3 million OR units, and then charge $50 a pop for them. You want mass adoption? Price that thing stupid cheap.
 
M

Maastricht

Member
I think this will eventually be bigger than consoles. A VR device is eventually basically much better than a cinema, and is much more than a gaming peripheral. Eventually movies will be made for the device. Sure, this will take a while, but it will happen.
 
A

Abounder

Banned
I wouldn't mind a cheap option even with ads like the Amazon tablet Kindle Fire.

This tech is going to change the world and I wouldn't be surprised if it re-ignited Japan's passion for non-mobile gaming
 
S

Seanspeed

Banned
Fushichou187 said:
Hey Zuck, part with $1 billion of your own cash to offset most of the cost for say, a run of 2-3 million OR units, and then charge $50 a pop for them. You want mass adoption? Price that thing stupid cheap.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't be so unrealistic if it weren't for the fact that it would create a precedent of value expectation. You cant charge $50 for a headset now and then charge the more appropriate $300 when the next version comes out. People wouldn't have it, no matter how much you tried to explain that the first version was sold at a massive loss.

Never expect consumers to be rational.
 
E

EVIL

Member
$h@d0w said:
If they are making it for "the lowest cost possible" then they are compromising quality somewhere.

If VR is the future then I want the best product possible not some piece of shit which approximates the experience all because they wanted to get to market at an affordable price.
Click to expand...

have you even read the article? they are talking about the best components possible but without the extra profit margin on top to keep prices reasonable. Still expect to shell out a 300/400 dollars for it.
 
KaiserBecks

KaiserBecks

Member
$h@d0w said:
If they are making it for "the lowest cost possible" then they are compromising quality somewhere.

If VR is the future then I want the best product possible not some piece of shit which approximates the experience all because they wanted to get to market at an affordable price.
Click to expand...

The aren't talking about build quality. They are talking about not wanting to add premium to manufacturing costs.
 
H

Hoo-doo

Banned
I just hope the price doesn't mean the experience will be severely compromised.

First impressions are important, especially to the mass market. Release a janky and unsatisfactory product just to make it extremely cheap could end up biting them in the ass.
 
S

Stimpack

Member
I'm seeing $200-$300 being the sweet spot for this. If it's $200 I'll definitely be thrilled. I expect that revised models will come into play a few years down the line and I'll have to end up shelling out for those as well, though. Things change, especially when the technology is in its infancy. While I'm looking forward to it, my wallet sure won't.

They've made these low-cost claims since the very beginning, and I'm glad to see they're sticking to it. Glad to hear that Zuckerberg agrees with it as well. The more I hear them talk about aiming for at cost, the more I get my hopes up that they'll actually pull it off.

Hoo-doo said:
I just hope the price doesn't mean the experience will be severely compromised.

First impressions are important, especially to the mass market. Release a janky and unsatisfactory product just to make it extremely cheap could end up biting them in the ass.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's what will happen at all. They've all been very adamant about creating the best product possible, and the reviews and impressions given so far seem to reflect that. I don't think they'll be releasing a janky/unsatisfactory product, and a lower cost of entry if a very real concern for VR.
 
V

Vuze

Member
the amount of Facebook bs in this thread is
too
damn
high.

I think they won't go lower than 299$.
 
D

Dabanton

Member
Maastricht said:
I think this will eventually be bigger than consoles. A VR device is eventually basically much better than a cinema, and is much more than a gaming peripheral. Eventually movies will be made for the device. Sure, this will take a while, but it will happen.
Click to expand...

I would imagine at first they will be selling 'experiences'. Watching that virtual opera video from last week. You can see the sort of things that a company with a lot of money at it's disposal could do.

I can already see the potential for stuff like virtual film trailers. Can you imagine something like Avatar 2 with a trailer 'happening' around you. Or even Star Wars. How mind-blowing that would be?
 
D

Dabanton

Member
Stimpack said:
I'm seeing $200-$300 being the sweet spot for this. If it's $200 I'll definitely be thrilled. I expect that revised models will come into play a few years down the line and I'll have to end up shelling out for those as well, though. Things change, especially when the technology is in its infancy. While I'm looking forward to it, my wallet sure won't.

They've made these low-cost claims since the very beginning, and I'm glad to see they're sticking to it. Glad to hear that Zuckerberg agrees with it as well. The more I hear them talk about aiming for at cost, the more I get my hopes up that they'll actually pull it off.


I don't think that's what will happen at all. They've all been very adamant about creating the best product possible, and the reviews and impressions given so far seem to reflect that. I don't think they'll be releasing a janky/unsatisfactory product, and a lower cost of entry if a very real concern for VR.
Click to expand...

Agree. The team they have over there are the VR true believers,no way will they want the common consumers first experience of the new OR to be janky and off putting.

Sony learned that last week with that Project Morpheus showing on Jimmy Fallon. That's just the sort of showing in public you don't want.

The headset looked futuristic but both the operation and content shown were made to look awful.
 
F

Fushichou187

Member
Seanspeed said:
Wouldn't be so unrealistic if it weren't for the fact that it would create a precedent of value expectation. You cant charge $50 for a headset now and then charge the more appropriate $300 when the next version comes out. People wouldn't have it, no matter how much you tried to explain that the first version was sold at a massive loss.

Never expect consumers to be rational.
Click to expand...

It was partly in jest
(he should just deposit that billion into my bank account directly)
but I do think they need a mass adoption "stunt" that reaches into the casual and non-gamer nether realm that is the majority of FB users. I agree on not skewing value expectation; perhaps they should eat the cost of 1 million Rifts and give them away in some global FB marketing campaign, hyping up the fact that they are winning a product worth X (whatever they going to be charging for it) amount. Get a million jabberjabbers on FB going apeshit over winning a Rift and the media coverage and goodwill alone-- not to mention market penetration into demographics that likely wouldn't buy one but are super curious about it-- could be worth it.
 
A

Auto-Reply

Member
It might be in the link (no time to read at the moment) but, I ask myself will we find this at retailers around the world or will this only be availabe via order?
 
Sorc3r3r

Sorc3r3r

Member
It's really so important to be the first to put out a vr device?
I'm asking honestly.
I think that the market will be flooded by vr devices in the next years, and the iterations will be cheaper and better performing.
The software will make a difference.
I cant imagine a console like situation for the vr, with every platform holder locking down its "little" garden and profit on it.
 
V

Vuze

Member
Sorc3r3r said:
It's really so important to be the first to put out a vr device?
I'm asking honestly.
I think that the market will be flooded by vr devices in the next years, and the iterations will be cheaper and better performing.
The software will make a difference.
I cant imagine a console like situation for the vr, with every platform holder locking down its "little" garden and profit on it.
Click to expand...

Well, it's important to deliver consumers a first VR experience that is well done. As you said, the market will be flooded with shovelware
(*cough* AntVR *cough*)
which won't deliver a overwhelming experience and therefore turn people off from VR as a whole with high probability.
 
D

Dreamwriter

Member
Night_Trekker said:
So it can be used to show you ads.

I don't know if I could loathe Facebook more than I do.
Click to expand...
No, ads are not going to be shown on the device, Facebook did not buy Oculus for that. What they are planning is to setup a portal on Facebook where you can find and download VR games and apps - I think they want to become the Steam of VR. That is where Facebook intends to profit off of the Rift. They do not intend to affect the Rift experience at all.
 
L

LordCanti

Member
I wonder about this line "But it's apparently too far along now to revisit and revise using Facebook's added resources". Would the Samsung screen partnership have happened without Facebook?

Either way, it's always nice to hear them say that they'll get it out as cheaply as they possibly can while still delivering the best experience.

Auto-Reply said:
It might be in the link (no time to read at the moment) but, I ask myself will we find this at retailers around the world or will this only be availabe via order?
Click to expand...

Only via order if they're going to sell for cost. Retailers need margins.
 
A

A-V-B

Member
Dreamwriter said:
No, ads are not going to be shown on the device, Facebook did not buy Oculus for that. What they are planning is to setup a portal on Facebook where you can find and download VR games and apps - I think they want to become the Steam of VR. That is where Facebook intends to profit off of the Rift. They do not intend to affect the Rift experience at all.
Click to expand...

Let's just say, hypothetically, Facebook decides to eventually put in ads and whatnot.

What can anyone really do against a juggernaut like them? Not like there's anywhere else to go on the PC for the same reliable experience. So, really, there's little risk as long as you introduce it gradually enough. When you finally get there, you'll already have a base of untold millions of thralls.
 
B

bj00rn_

Banned
Dabanton said:
Agree. The team they have over there are the VR true believers,no way will they want the common consumers first experience of the new OR to be janky and off putting.

Sony learned that last week with that Project Morpheus showing on Jimmy Fallon. That's just the sort of showing in public you don't want.

The headset looked futuristic but both the operation and content shown were made to look awful.
Click to expand...

I'm really surprised Sony approved that demo, what were they thinking. It had nothing to do with quality of the headset itself but that demo was terrible for promoting VR. For the public it looked just like playing a Wii, only difference was "stupid helmet" and dildos.
 
D

Dreamwriter

Member
drgambit said:
$499

Yes, the dev kit is less expensive, but the consumer will pay anything.
Click to expand...
Except somehow you totally didn't read the OP or even the topic - they are literally going to be selling the Rift at zero profit. It doesn't matter what the consumer will pay, it matters how much it costs to make the device. And no, $499 is not what the mainstream consumer will pay, not for a PC peripheral.
 
S

SodiumChloride

Banned
I trust Zuckerberg as far as I can throw him, i.e. not at all.

Also the guy isn't in the gaming industry, his knowledge of "games" is limited to the crap you see on Facebook.

Zuckerberg is like Larry Page, both their companies are only interested in one thing, eyeballs for ads. They are advertising companies at their core, everything they do it's to improve their ability to control their "trade routes" and serve ads.

I'm not optimistic.
 
A

A-V-B

Member
SodiumChloride said:
I trust Zuckerberg as far as I can throw him, i.e. not at all.

Also the guy isn't in the gaming industry, his knowledge of "games" is limited to the crap you see on Facebook.

Zuckerberg is like Larry Page, both their companies are only interested in one thing, eyeballs for ads. They are advertising companies at their core, everything they do it's to improve their ability to control their "trade routes" and serve ads.

I'm not optimistic.
Click to expand...

*shrug* Morpheus.
 
Q

QaaQer

Member
ChrisMahoney said:
Just like Instagram?...

Stop the Facebook hate. You're not going to be forced to login into Facebook to play your Steam games. Maybe there will be some sort of Facebook Oculus store, but it's been said over and over again that you'll always be free to use the hardware elsewhere like on Steam games.
Click to expand...

you work for them?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Meta changes Oculus brand into third-party publisher "Oculus Publishing". OVER 150 Quest games are currently in development
15
2K
Eddie-Griffin replied
Zuckerberg Pivots to AI After Pivoting to the Metaverse.
2
59
4K
LordOfChaos replied
Zuckerberg Confirms Meta Quest 3 VR Headset Will Have Full Colour Mixed Reality
2 3 4
162
11K
Techies replied
Phil Spencer on Price Increases: “We hold on as long as we can”
Game Dev Platform
26
3K
AngelMuffin replied
Kotaku: Facebooks VR division lost over $13.72 billion in 2022. $4 billion loss just in Q4 2022.
2 3 4
178
10K
Eddie-Griffin replied
Top Bottom