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Oculus' Rubin: Price Point, Better Hardware And Patience 'Sets Rift Up To Win'

Oculus' Rubin: Price Point, Better Hardware And Patience 'Sets Rift Up To Win'

Oculus has had a few stumbles since it launched the Rift VR headset just over a year ago now. Early shipping issues plagued launch, and some high-profile figures like Rift creator Palmer Luckey have already parted ways with the company. But Head of Content Jason Rubin isn’t concerned.

In a recent interview with MCV reflecting on the first year of VR, Rubin acknowledged that the Facebook-owned Oculus “could have done better” during the Rift’s first year of consumer availability, but pledged things were on the mend.

“We’ve learned from our mistakes, and fixed the problems,” Rubin said. “It’s also important to realise our wins and generosity. No hardware manufacturer in my memory has given away as much software for free as Oculus has in its first year.”

Oculus also hasn’t been first to market with a lot of features, like room scale VR, which is best seen in PC-based rival, the HTC Vive, and still only available in experimental form on Rift. Rubin suggested that it wasn’t in Oculus’ interests to be first for the sake of it.

“By being patient and strategic we have put ourselves in a position to have better hardware, and better content, at a lower price point. Ultimately, that sets Rift up to win. Nobody will look back on this first year of VR and remember who came out months earlier with a feature.”

For the record, Rubin was quick to point out that Rock Band VR was the first VR game to use a tracked accessory when it launched back in March.

“With the most competitive price, the best hardware, and the best content, Rift is set up for a great year. But we will not rest on our laurels.”

Rubin certainly talks a good game, but with neither Oculus nor Vive releasing official sales figures it’s impossible to tell who is really winning the PC VR race right now, and with Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) now likely surpassing 1 million units, the Rift might have some catching up to do in the high-end space.

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