Advertisement

Pre-order Oculus Rift-ready PCs starting on February 16th

If you need a computer to go with Oculus' VR headset, you can snag one from Alienware, ASUS or Dell.

If you want an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset but realize that your existing PC just won't cut it, don't panic -- you can get a guaranteed-ready system very shortly. Oculus has announced that pre-orders for both Oculus Ready PCs and those with Rift bundles will start on February 16th at 11AM Eastern, or 8AM Pacific. Amazon, Best Buy and the Microsoft Store will offer a handful of certified systems from Alienware, its parent company Dell and ASUS. Should you pull the trigger, you should get your rig sometime in April.

For the most part, these are standard gaming desktops that happen to meet Oculus' recommended specs for a good VR experience. The big deal is that you'll typically get a discount if you've already pre-ordered a Rift (between $100 to $200 off) -- important when the cheapest system starts at $949 after you factor the Rift discount into the equation. This won't matter much if you already have a speedy system, of course, but it's a big deal for newcomers who want to get into VR without either a lot of knowledge or the time to track down an ideal PC on their own.