The Oculus Rift was released in March 2016 for the price of $599.99. With a not-so-great selection of games and audiences yet to be convinced that this technology was here to stay, the introductory price was far from an easy pill to swallow.

Oculus has realized people are not yet ready to throw that much money at the headgear, and the Rift has officially been reduced to just $399. This is a permanent price reduction, not a temporary promotion, and also includes a touch controller.

Is it worth it?

Now valued at the same price as the PSVR, this is about as cheap as the Oculus Rift is likely to get.

The hardware received a positive reception upon release, with most critics praising its design and accessibility. It was the first high-end headset available, beating Valve and Sony to the punch, although the HTC Vive has outsold the Oculus Rift for the most part.

While the new price point is definitely more appealing, it is still a considerable investment to make for any gamer. The PSVR benefits from only requiring a PS4 to function, while the Rift and HTC Vive need powerful PCs. Someone could easily have bought a good gaming PC in the last year but still not have the recommended components to enjoy a virtual reality experience.

Do not kid yourself, $399 is not the actual price for VR. As games get more demanding due to developers starting to experiment with the technology, high-end computers will be needed.

Games

On the gaming front, there are a few noteworthy titles on the Oculus Rift. Initially, it felt like only tech demos were being released, but finally, there are a handful of proper games which are best experienced via a VR headset. "Superhot VR" is one of those titles that is an absolute blast to play in virtual reality.

"Robo Recall" is another release worth taking note of, as it offers a frantic and entertaining shoot-em-up experience.

Most of the best games released for the Rift are rather short, offering an afternoon of gameplay. "Arizona Sunshine" is a rare exception, as it is relatively long and feels like a fully developed title. The concept is nothing special, as it is simply a zombie shooter, but there is a lot of fun to be had.

Not all games are experienced in the first-person view, as the hack-and-slash action adventure title "Chronos" confirms. Insomniac Games also released a third-person survival horror title in "Edge of Nowhere," which is an entertaining but predictable experience.
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