As promised last month, the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is now available to buy in stores and online for UK and European customers. Prospective UK players can expect to pay £549 and should look to the likes of John Lewis, Curry’s PCWorld, GAME, the London department store, Harrods and online via Amazon to pick one up—with select stores hosting hands-on demonstrations upon request. “New locations to experience the Rift are being added every week,” reads a statement.
Besides “hundreds of free 3D 360 videos and VR movies”, every headset ships with virtual reality platformer Lucky’s Tale, while demos available at launch include mountain hiking sim The Climb, the Emmy award-winning VR movie Henry, the “exotic planetary experience” Farlands, and the Oculus Dreamdeck introductory app.
“Virtual reality is being heralded as the next computing platform and with more than 100 full-featured VR games and experiences now on Rift and with more than 30 new titles scheduled to launch this year, there has never been a more exciting time to jump into VR,” the statement continues. “From the immersive virtual worlds of Minecraft, to the upcoming sci-fi shooter Damaged Core, to the made-for-VR CCG Dragon Front launching later this year, there’s truly something for everyone.”
At £549 (€699 in Europe) the Oculus Rift isn’t exactly cheap, and you’ll want to make sure your system is powerful enough to handle its demands before you buy. Oculus’ handy compatibility tool should keep you right on this front, though, which can be downloaded here.
According to CBC News, the Oculus Rift Canadian launch (where the headset costs $849 CAD) has been delayed to October 11 in certain stores. Amazon Canada however expects to ship today as planned.
