• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Fortune 500

Facebook Is Slashing the Price of Oculus Rift VR Headset Again

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 10, 2017, 3:01 AM ET

Facebook is dropping the price of its Oculus Rift virtual reality headset—at least temporarily.

The social network’s virtual reality business unit Oculus is holding a six-week summer sale of its flagship headset starting Monday. During the sale, the Rift and its accompanying touch controller will cost $400 instead of $600 for the two items.

The momentary price cut follows a previous price cut in March, when Facebook permanently lowered the Rift’s cost to $500 and its motion controllers to $100, instead of $200.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

At least for the time being, Facebook’s Oculus Rift is now the cheapest high-end VR headset on the market when bundled with a motion controller. The HTC Vive costs $800 and includes motion controllers while the Sony PlayStation VR costs $400, but does not include motion controllers and a mandatory sensor camera—those extras bump the PlayStation VR’s price to $460.

“This is a good time to test a mass-market price,” said Oculus vice president of content Jason Rubin, regarding the summer season when people have time off from work and more time for play.

Since high-end VR headsets like the Vive and Rift first debuted a year ago, sales of VR headsets have generally been underwhelming. Although HTC and Facebook don’t reveal sales of their headsets, research firms like Superdata estimated that the two companies sold 420,00 and 243,000 of their headsets respectively in 2016.

Sony, however, said in June that it had sold over one million PlayStation VR headsets since they debuted in October.

Among some of the reasons analysts believe VR headsets haven’t been a big hit with consumers is because of the high-price of the headsets that require powerful computers to operate. The PlayStation VR, it should be noted, requires a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 4 Pro console to function.

Rubin agrees with the sentiment that the high price of VR headsets make them less attractive to buy.

“What we learned with the [March] price cuts is that price matters,” said Rubin, who declined to say how many headsets Oculus has sold since those price cuts.

Will This Be the Year That VR Finally Goes Mainstream?

Rubin also declined to share statistics that indicate whether more people are using the Rift than before or specific details about how their usage has been changing. However, Rubin said there has been an “an acceleration of sales that has maintained” and that, anecdotally, Oculus has observed that more people are using their Rift devices and playing more games.

Rubin explained that there are now more VR games available on the Oculus platform than when it first debuted, which should make it more compelling for consumers.

“The world looks at this and says ‘why didn’t you get millions of units into homes last year?’” said Rubin. “My answer: A lot of these would be in the closet,” he said referring to the notion that there wasn’t enough compelling VR content last year to keep people engaged.

He said Oculus is working with big-name gaming publishers like Ubisoft and Epic Games on VR titles, which means there will be more big titles hitting Oculus in the near future, like a recent game based on the latest Spiderman movie.

“Content drives this kind of business,” said Rubin. “It’s not a fan where you turn it on and it works.”

Oculus will be watching how the summer price cut performs before it makes a decision to permanently drops the price, Rubin explained.

This article contains affiliate links.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Trump says a ‘final proposal’ for a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit Airlines is under consideration
PoliticsAirline industry
Trump says a ‘final proposal’ for a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit Airlines is under consideration
By Michelle L. Price, Rio Yamat and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
5 hours ago
U.S. to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany as Trump feuds with Merz over the Iran war
EuropeGermany
U.S. to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany as Trump feuds with Merz over the Iran war
By Ben Finley and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
6 hours ago
EBay soars on report that GameStop is preparing a takeover bid
Investingecommerce
EBay soars on report that GameStop is preparing a takeover bid
By Spencer Soper, Cecilia D'Anastasio and BloombergMay 1, 2026
6 hours ago
ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods, far right, listens as U.S. President Donald Trump,left, speaks during a meeting with oil company executives in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 9. President Trump is aiming to convince oil executives to support his plans in Venezuela, a country whose energy resources he says he expects to control for years to come. US forces seized Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a sweeping military operation on January 3, with Trump making no secret that control of Venezuela's oil was at the heart of his actions.
EnergyIran
Exxon Mobil CEO sees ‘more to come’ on price spikes from Iran war as Exxon, Chevron beat on earnings despite plunging profits
By Jordan BlumMay 1, 2026
8 hours ago
trump
PoliticsIran
Trump on Iran: ‘They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens’
By Toqa Ezzidin, Munir Ahmed, Collin Binkley and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
9 hours ago
infantino
North AmericaWorld Cup
Fifa’s Infantino predicted sellouts and ‘1,000 years of World Cups at once,’ but fans aren’t biting
By James Robson and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
Personal Finance
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
15 hours ago
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
North America
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
By Jake AngeloApril 30, 2026
1 day ago
The U.S. economy is booming — just not where 50 million Americans live
Commentary
The U.S. economy is booming — just not where 50 million Americans live
By Derek KilmerMay 1, 2026
20 hours ago
Accenture's Julie Sweet blew up 50 years of company history. She says the hardest part is still ahead
Conferences
Accenture's Julie Sweet blew up 50 years of company history. She says the hardest part is still ahead
By Nick LichtenbergApril 29, 2026
3 days ago
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
5 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 1, 2026
16 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.