Oculus Quest, Oculus Link, And Valve Index Are Bringing VR Into The Mainstream

Oculus Quest continues to sell out, backorders pushed to mid-February.

VR technology has absolutely dominated the 2019 holiday season as numerous major retailers—both physical and online—continue to sell out of 64GB and 128GB Oculus Quest headsets. 

At the time of this writing, Amazon, Best Buy, B&H, Gamestop, MicroCenter, NewEgg, and Walmart are all fresh out of both headsets. While there’s always the option of picking one up through one of Amazon’s third-party sellers, expect to pay a considerably higher price than the listed MSRP. The 64GB Quest, normally $399, is currently going for $650; the 128GB—usually $499—is now commanding a jaw-dropping $750.

For those planning on bypassing the holiday rush and ordering straight from Oculus.com, the company is now reporting that backorders have been pushed to mid-February. According to Oculus, 128GB Oculus Quest headsets are expected to begin shipping on February 18th, followed by the 64GB models on February 20th; Oculus’ PC VR headset, the Oculus Rift S, has also been back-ordered to early January.

This rapid increase in demand, no doubt kickstarted by the holiday season, received an additional boost thanks to the release of the Oculus Link, a new feature that allows Oculus Quest owners to connect their headsets to a VR-ready PC in order to access both Rift/Rift S and SteamVR content, essentially turning the device into a standalone/PC VR hybrid. While the software works with multiple USB 3.0 cables, Oculus this month released its own $80 cable that they promise will provide the ideal PC VR streaming experience on Quest. This cable has also been selling out since launch, with new orders expected to begin shipping near the tail-end of January. 

Of course, it’s not just Oculus that’s feeling the love this holiday season; the Valve Index headset has also been back-ordered to February. Despite the $1,000 price tag and Steam Store exclusivity, Valve’s advanced PC VR headset has risen in popularity over the past few weeks, due in large part to the reveal of Half-Life: Alyx, a new Half-Life VR game that promises to usher in a new era in VR gaming.

With the mass adoption of VR technology growing at an exponential rate, it appears as though VR technology is finally finding its footing among mainstream audiences. The convenience of the Oculus Quest combined with the PC VR capabilities offered by the Oculus Link makes the standalone headset the perfect option for both new and seasoned users looking for a simple, all-in-one solution. Meanwhile, the Valve Index—with its finger-tracking ‘Knuckles’ controllers and crystal-clear resolution, offers a top-of-the-line immersive experience unlike anything else on the market; throw in the first Half-Life game in 13 years, and you have a guaranteed hit on your hands.

Looking back at this year’s sales and all of its exciting announcements, there’s no doubt 2020 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years for VR so far.

Feature Image Credit: Oculus

https://vrscout.com/news/oculus-quest-link-valve-index-mainstream-vr/