Oculus S Announced, Priced At $400

As time marches on, technology marches right along with it. And now we're starting to see what the future of VR might look like, starting with the Oculus S, announced today at a price point of $400.

Unlike the Rift, the Oculus S does away with much of the external mess. You won't have to set up sensors all over the place to get full-room VR, as the sensors are actually built right into the Oculus S headset. That makes this flavor of Oculus much more approachable, and means you can get into the game more quickly. Are wires still a thing? It appears so. That's really something we'd like to see go away, and hopefully, the next few entries in the Oculus line will look for ways to deliver wireless use.

A horror game in virtual reality can be terrifying, but it can't match the fear of tripping over the wire you're tethered to. Especially since — you know — you can't see what's around you in the real world.

Otherwise, the Oculus S offers a bump in resolution from the Rift. The S comes in at 2560x1440, which divvies up to 1280x1440 for each separate eye. And your current Rift library will work with the S, as Oculus claims the S is technically part of the same line, rather than a completely new platform. That'll be music to the ears of those who aren't ready to buy a whole bunch of new VR titles just yet.

You can expect to see the Rift S sometime this spring — a period of time that you'll discover isn't all that long, should you glance at the calendar. We're not quite sure why there isn't more of a specific release date nailed down, but we'll fill you in should we get more clarity on that front.

In the meantime, start stuffing your piggy bank. The Oculus S costs $400 (not too far from a PlayStation VR bundle), and that is no small chunk of change. We'll let you know how it fares with the public when it launches in the next few months.