Do you want to buy a VR setup?
Let’s find out how much it cost.
How Much Does a VR Setup Cost?
Cost for installation: Typical cost for a one-person installation varies from $2,000 ~ to $10,000 depending on location, install duration, and requirements for the system scope.
The Complete Guide to Virtual Reality – Everything You Need to Get Started
There are several different types of VR systems available today, including Oculus Rift, Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR, and others. What type of VR system should you get? What do you need to buy? And which games should you play?
There are several competing headset options available today, including the HTC Vive, Sony’s PlayStation VR, Samsung’s GearVR, and Google Cardboard.
Meanwhile, hundreds of game developers are creating VR games and apps, filmmakers are exploring the potential for documentary films and animations, and Facebook and YouTube are jumping on the bandwagon with 360-degree video content.
If you’re new to VR, where should you begin? Without a passing teacher with magical specs, here’s everything you need to know about hardware, apps, and gaming.
High-End Headsets
Oculus Rift
After four long and difficult months, the first commercial version was finally released in early 2016. It was available for purchase online at the Oculus VR website and eventually found its way into retail stores around the world.
Until now, you needed a powerful PC to use the Oculus Rift. The minimum specs for an Oculus Ready PC are on the official website, with Dell, HP, Alienware, and Asus all offering VR-ready machines.
Price: £499 (about $699) includes the headset with integrated headphones and microphone, motion sensing technology, wireless gamepad, and Xbox One controller
Best for early adopters, and anyone who wants an inside look at how Facebook will make VR more social.
Oculus Rift kickstarted the newest generation of VR and has an inventive community of developers making games and apps for it – even if a few have ditched it in protest over its founder’s political activities.
Facebook’s financial backing should ensure the Rift is in it for the long haul, too.
Oculus Rift Apps and Games to Try
- Chronos: wonderful-looking role-playing game with plenty of depth
- Minecraft VR: the blocky building game suits VR well
- Elite: Dangerous: The epic space game gets even more epic with a headset!
- Keep Talking and Nobody Dies: clever multiplayer game – players must talk their way out of a deadly situation
- EVE: Valkyrie: This space dogfight game was made for VR, which shows
- The Climb: Part Game and Part Adventure, lets you climb mountains around the world.
- Jaunt VR: A range of greatly made- for-VR videos, from documentaries to musical performances
- Henry: Oculus VR’s attempt at a Pixar-quality animation short film
- Apollo 11 VR Experience is an interesting historical app that takes you back to the moon landing.
- Within: a mix between custom-made fiction and nonfiction video content created specifically for viewing in VR
HTC Vive
HTC teamed up with game developer Valve to create the HTC Vive, which includes a headset and motion controllers.
Valve added a dedicated “VR” section to its existing Steam digital gaming service, while HTC has just released its own Viveport app store for non-gaming applications.
Vive is a competitor to Oculus Rift, but there are several games and applications available for both devices. It requires a computer to run its software, so HTC maintains a list of Vive-ready PCs, which includes partners Alienware, HP, and MSI.
Price: £749 (includes the headset, two wireless controllers, two bases, and a link box to attach it to your computer).
Best for: anyone looking for an absolutely top-of-the-range home VR system, with some games thrown in too.
Verdict: HTC VIVE is the most expensive system available, and also the one requiring the most effort to get working properly.
Once you’ve tried VR, the ability to move around inside your virtual world, as well as turn around, is quite impressive. The involvement of Steam, with its Steam storefront, means there’s a large developer base too.
Htc Vive Apps and Games to Try
- Job Simulator: a big word-of-mouth hit; its 2050 setting simulates jobs taken over by robots
- Elite: Dangerous: Epic Space Game Gains Even More Epicness With A Headset
- Cosmic Trip: A gripping first-person real-time strategy game about colonizing alien planets
- The Brookhaven Experiment is a first person, story driven, psychological thriller where you play as an FBI agent investigating a series of murders at a remote research facility.
- Fantastic Contraption: Originally a 2D puzzle game, this works brilliantly in 3D and VR.
- Tilt Brush: A Google app for creating art in the 3D space surrounding you in a blur of bright colors
- Jaunt VR: A great selection of VR videos, including documentaries and music
- Apollo 11 VR: A Clever Historical App That Places You in the Moon Landings
- theBlu: If you liked the BBC’s “Blue Planet,” then this is a must for watching its gorgeous underwater footage.
- AltSpaceVR: An interesting effort at social VR, updating Second Life’s virtual reality concept for current headsets.
Sony PlayStation VR
The third big gun of the VR race is Sony’s PSVR headset, which was released in October 2016 as an add-on for the PlayStation 4 game console.
Both the PS4 and the PS4 Pro are compatible with the headset, but the PS4 Pro will be able to play VR games at a higher resolution and frame rates than the PS4.
You’ll be able to play games using the standard PlayStation 4 gamepad, but you’re going to need the $60 PlayStation camera for some features.
Sony wants PlayStation VR to be more social than just a solo activity. It has developed a feature called “VR Social Screen” which allows players to see what they’re doing in their headsets on their TVs.
Price: £350 for the headset, processing unit, headphones, and cables.
You’ll also need A PlayStation camera. Although you can play most games using standard PS4 joypads, some will support the Playstation move motion controllers.
Best for PS4 gamers since there’ll be no cross-console compatibility between the PS4 and Xbox One or Nintendo‘s console.
As the first console-based VR headset out of the block, PlayStation VR is also one of the cheapest high-end models available.
There are some impressive launches, but Sony has enough power to ensure there will be a strong lineup of games in the months and years to come. However, there may be fewer opportunities for non-gaming applications.
Playstation VR Apps and Games to Try
- Rez Infinite: a brilliant reboot of the classic rhythm game Rez
- Tumble VR: A clever puzzle game involving stacking blocks
- EVE Valkyrie: this futuristic space dogfight game was specially designed for VR, and it demonstrates
- Batman: Arkham VR is an interactive game where players solve crimes using the Batmobile.
- First-Person Puzzle: A trippy game with trippy visuals
- Thumper: racing, shooting, and rhythm-action combine
- Job Simulator: a big word-of-mouth hit; its 2050 setting simulates jobs taken over by robots
- PlayStation VR Worlds: From Gangster to Racing, This Collection of VR Mini Games Showcases Sony’s VR Tech
- Headmaster: Use your brain to complete a series of head-hitting tasks
- Driveclub VR: slick racing game puts you in the cockpit of 80 motors
Conclusion
Virtual reality is still very much in its infancy, and we don’t yet know whether it will become a mainstream consumer technology like smartphones or tablets.
However, the fact that these three major players are all launching their own headsets suggests that they believe VR could be a huge success. And if they’re right, then the future looks bright indeed.
If you have any questions feel free to comment below.