If you’re itching to run Oculus Rift when it debuts next year, you may have to buy a pricey new PC. Just make sure it’s neither a Mac nor a laptop.
Facebook-owned Oculus announced Friday what types of components PCs will need in order to power the virtual reality system it plans to release in the first quarter of next year. As expected, the PCs will need to have fairly high-end components, including powerful graphics processors and relatively fast CPUs.
What was surprising was that Oculus said the system would not be compatible with Macs — or Linux machines — at launch. Although the company has been working on versions of its software for both Macs and Linux computers, its paused development on both in order to ready the Windows-based software for launch.
“We want to get back to development for OS X and Linux but we don’t have a timeline,” Atman Binstock, Oculus’ chief architect, said in a blog post.
Another surprise was that laptops likely won’t be able to power Rift. That’s because the system will require the ability to output video over an HDMI connection at a superfast 297 megahertz.
“Note that almost no current laptops have the GPU performance for the recommended spec, though upcoming mobile GPUs may be able to support this level of performance,” Binstock said.
Rift will serve as a sophisticated kind of monitor for a computer. It will rely on the computer itself to run the games, videos and other content it will display and to ready that content for the system. Rift will only work with computers; it won’t be compatible with current game consoles such as the PlayStation 4.
Consumers should expect to pay up for a PC with the proper specs or to upgrade their existing PCs. When looking at Dell and HP’s Web sites for ones with the necessary components, the only ones I could find were priced at over $3,000. I was able to find one on CybertronPC for around $1,075, but it was unclear whether its video output would meet Oculus’ requirements.
Binstock said Oculus is working on a way to help consumers identify Oculus-compatible PCs.
Even after consumers purchase a new PC or upgrade their old ones, they’ll still need to buy Rift. Facebook has not announced yet how much the system will cost.
The specifications recommended or needed to run Rift include:
- GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 or AMD 290, or better
- CPU: Intel i5-4590 or better
- RAM: 8GB or more
- OS: Windows 7.1 SP1 or newer
- Ports: 2 USB 3.0
- Video output: HDMI 1.3 at 297 megahertz via direct output
File photo: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
