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Oculus Rift available for preorder for $599.99, shipping in March

That's not the case, it is called DDP - Delivered Duty Paid.

This is where the shipper of the item takes onus of customs/duty/tax et al.

DDU - Delivered Duty Unpaid is where it is up to the recipient when the item is finally delivered.

Plenty of websites offer DDP these days, so Amazon and eBay for example both offer up delivery options with taxes included.

So...wait...I'm confused. Oculus is covering import duty in the 699 store price?

Sorry if this has been cleared up already. Is it possible for them to be covering VAT and not custom duties? I thought that wasn't possible, because some countries apply VAT when applying custom duties too.

Very messy if custom duties aren't also included here.
 
Also no one cares if you are making money or not. No one cared that Sony was losing $200 on each PS3 sold at launch. This is not something your customers are concerned about.

No one cares that the price of the tech will go down in future iterations either, I assume.
 

Nope. OR costing $599 because they are claiming manufacturing costs along with XB1 Controller, Camera, Remote and Mic, whereas PS VR does not require manufacturing costs like them as they already have experience in this field along with they dont need to include controller at all because DS4 is included in PS4. Sony selling only Headset (Which is inferior to OR and not complicated as its single screen), Camera (which I'm sure cost cheaper than OR camera and many already have this so they can remove in a SKU) and Processing Box (Does video splitting and 3d audio processing) which might cost only little in my guess like around $50. And Sony has retail presence all over the world and huge PS4 install base with excellent marketing, so they can take a loss by focusing more on Software sales and try go gain mainstream success. Sony always said that their headset will cost the price of a gaming platform so at MAX it can be $399 which is realistic, but i expect $349 ($299 SKU without camera for those who already have).
 
this has a controller included right? it isn't so bad, heck the PS3 was 599 and it did fine

/s? Cause it most definitely did not do fine at that price.

The controller included was such a dumb move if it at all affected the price. I'm guessing the vast majority of the people buying the OR have multiple controllers.

What exactly do you expect of them?

Stop being on the defensive. People complain about Apple's high pricing, you don't see them getting defensive. If your products worth that then say that, nobody cares if you aren't making money. Everyone knows you aren't a charity.

Also the CEO needs to stop being a punk to customers. The customer is always right unless you don't want their business. In this special case he wouldn't even be in the position he's in without the funding of people around the world, so you know maybe you just turn the other cheek on this one and actually give some clarifying information?
 
Again - Palmer Lucky's tweets seem to suggest that taxes are included in the product, but that you might be taxed AGAIN. Which is all kinds of bullshit.
That would be beyond bullshit if European customers are getting taxed twice. I would be fucking furious tbh...
 
Conflicting messages. So the Euro price doesn't include import taxes after all?
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Switching over from "pretty miffed at pricing" to "eager to see entire outfit crash and burn". Fuck you Palmer.
 
With each page I am still shocked that people are surprised the first consumer level VR device to ship isn't cheap.

I am even more amazed people assume the price will never drop on the tech. I expect the technology standard to settle to around $199-$299 in a few years at the mid to low end. Higher end units will still be around the $499 to $599 mark.
I am surprised by the level of shock as well. New tech for an enthusiast market is always pricey for early adopters. I don't think $599 for the rift is expensive at all though and I am not well off by any means.
 
Damn, didn't get the pre-order in in time. May shipment estimate now.

I guess I'll just wait for the Gen 2 version and after I've upgraded my PC again. Currently running just about their recommended specs, but I'd be more comfortable going way over it.
 
They should have had a lower priced option, pretty much the DK2 but with their CV1 camera. I am guessing since the screen isn't as custom it would cost less to produce.

A CV1-lite for $399 would have sold like hotcakes. People with additional funds could get the better screen.
 
If the price is too high for you, you were likely never in the enthusiast, early-adopter sector this piece of hardware is firmly targeted for.

Pretty much. It was always pretty obvious to me that we're still a few years away from VR being mass market, at least VR of the quality Oculus is trying to sell.
 
this has a controller included right? it isn't so bad, heck the PS3 was 599 and it did fine

If by fine you mean loosing everything gained by ps1 and ps2 (mind/marketshare and money wise) - yeah, it did splendid :D

All this VR talk makes me want to dive in, god damn it.
 
With each page I am still shocked that people are surprised the first consumer level VR device to ship isn't cheap.

Lower price of entry was the selling point of Oculus from the beginning, and both versions of devkits were sold at half the price of the consumer version. It's not that hard to understand that many people are disappointed.
 
Oculus isn't trying to go "mainstream" with this first version of Rift. They are on the record that they plan to iterate quickly on the hardware. So what are the real goals of this version?:

- Establish a baseline for PC requirements
- Encourage experimentation and development for both AAA and indie development
- Further enhance the toolchain required to develop VR experiences

Everyone keeps talking about AAA experiences. That will be a small part of the VR ecosystem over the next year. There will be:

- Indie games
- News experiences (see ABC in North Korea in VR)
- Sports experiences
- Porn
- 360 Video

The open-nature of the PC is the perfect platform to do this. Oculus is on the record that they plan to iterate hardware quickly. It will take them 3-5 years to get today's Oculus experience into a self-contained unit that could go mainstream.

They are doing exactly what they should be doing to move forward on a 3-5 year timeline.
 
Putting an European address on the package suddenly makes it close to $200 more expensive!
Employee 1: "I'm confused."
Employee 2: "Why?"
Employee 1: "This order needs to be shipped to Europe, Germany, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Köln, SomeAdress 122"
Employee 2: "So?"
Employee 1: "So? If it needs to be shipped to Germany why does it say Europe as well? Aren't those two different countries?"
Employee 2: "
Simpsons-Family-Homer-icon.png
"
 
I meant with how things currently stand, you could be liable. As his tweets have caused confusion. I know if it is factually true they are paying import, you will 100% not have any more charges.

They just need to clear it up quickly, and it won't need to be spoken about again.
Not sure I follow, your post suggested that if they ship from the US then we could get done-over regardless of what they're claiming to cover duty wise, but that's not true, items can ship from the US with duty covered by the seller. Like Amazon, eBay, Threadless etc all do.
 
MHhh so why is this headset so damn expensive?

They can not tell me that the producing costs are about 500$.

2 custom OLED displays mounted with custom lenses, on a custom IPD adjustment mechanism. A new, unique cloth wrap for the headset that hides the constellation tracking as well as helps makes the product lighter by not wrapping it in a plastic shell and also includes high end motion tracking sensors inside the headset. A custom strap with detachable headphones that are on a custom spring mechanism for better fit, the strap has a spring mechanism that allows you to take the headset on and off without adjusting the straps and constellation tracking on the back.

Things that are entirely custom are not cheap to manufacture.
 
I've already waited long enough that I would be May or June shipping, but I am really considering skipping this entirely. I have the DK1, DK2, and even the DK1 latency tester...but I have used them so rarely, and direct mode support was so iffy, I might as well wait until I upgrade my computer eventually. Maybe by then headsets will be cheaper and the touch hardware will be out.
 
Posting this again. I'm concerned about my preorder since I received an order number but no confirmation e-mail. When I check my order status, all I see is this


Could anyone who has successfully preordered and gotten a confirmation e-mail tell me if their order status screen tells them an estimated delivery month?
 
This might sound stupid and I assume no one really cares however I'm actually wondering how bad is it on your eyesight in the long term looking at two screens 1 inch in front of your face.
 
Playstation VR will hopefully be far more sensibly priced.

The Rift is sensibly priced for what its, but whether it's sensible to sell a VR headset that you have to charge $600 is certainly yet to be seen.

Sony sold an HMD for $900 in 2011. It's on my desk right next to me. In almost every single way it is massively inferior to the Rift. It was bundled with nothing. Make of that what you will.
 
I think that price is quite prohibitive to adoptance rates.

Moreover, I think that the PSVR's [almost certainly] lower price and established PS4 owning customer base, will mean many developers will need to aim their projects at the PSVR's specs. So I think there will be less PC exclusive experiences [other than porn, of course, which will be huge]. But in gaming? I think this is a potentially big win for Sony, since it means less 'feeling left out' with lower end equipment.

[disclosure - this is coming from someone who has a ps4 and might buy psvr, but wouldn't spend money on a new PC. My thinking is there are many others in my boat, especially at this price for just the VR equipment. And we know devs sometimes need to aim for the 'lowest common denominator' in order to raise odds of recouping investment and profiting].
 
correct me if I am wrong but you still need a good enough PC to run games, right? if so then the cost will be more than $600 for new comers that are not into gaming PC. I am really doubting that next gen will be the start of VR machines, maybe the one that follows
 
So...wait...I'm confused. Oculus is covering import duty in the 699 store price?

Sorry if this has been cleared up already. Is it possible for them to be covering VAT and not custom duties? I thought that wasn't possible, because some countries apply VAT when applying custom duties too.

Very messy if custom duties aren't also included here.

You don't pay customs fees if there is nothing to be taxed. Since taxes are supposed to be already pre-paid, then you shouldn't have to pay taxes again or customs fees.

This is why it's much better to better specify the actual costs:

* price of product $600
* taxes to be paid up front 21% of $600
* shipping costs

Instead of this dumb "taxes are already included in that €700".
 
But why put a controller into the box in the first place? I bet most people with descent gaming pcs already got one. It seems unnecessary.
The controller barely adds anything to the price, so they thought it was a good idea to have a solid input device in the box.
 
/s? Cause it most definitely did not do fine at that price.

The controller included was such a dumb move if it at all affected the price. I'm guessing the vast majority of the people buying the OR have multiple controllers.



Stop being on the defensive. People complain about Apple's high pricing, you don't see them getting defensive. If your products worth that then say that, nobody cares if you aren't making money. Everyone knows you aren't a charity.

Also the CEO needs to stop being a punk to customers. The customer is always right unless you don't want their business.

You didn't answer the question. What do you expect of them?
 
Not sure I follow, your post suggested that if they ship from the US then we could get done-over regardless of what they're claiming to cover duty wise, but that's not true, items can ship from the US with duty covered by the seller. Like Amazon, eBay, Threadless etc all do.

Yeah we've just crossed wires. I fully agree with you. I simply mean if there's a shred of truth to the speculation caused by his tweet that we do have to pay import tax as they AREN'T covering it (and have just charged more to pocket themselves), then you'd be liable.

Quite honestly I just think Palmer has made an ass of himself with that tweet and caused confusion and people in the EU won't be paying anything extra.
 
They should have had a lower priced option, pretty much the DK2 but with their CV1 camera. I am guessing since the screen isn't as custom it would cost less to produce.

A CV1-lite for $399 would have sold like hotcakes. People with additional funds could get the better screen.

There is little point in doing a cheaper PC VR HMD because you get into a much murkier space in the PC spec problem.

They already have a much lower price point segment in GearVR. Smartphone VE makes far more sense in that context because the base requirement is already in a much better mainstream position.
 
Posting this again. I'm concerned about my preorder since I received an order number but no confirmation e-mail. When I check my order status, all I see is this



Could anyone who has successfully preordered and gotten a confirmation e-mail tell me if their order status screen tells them an estimated delivery month?

That doesn't look right. Mine has the price and shipping costs.
 
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