TECHnalysis Research Blog Extra

November 11, 2016
Oculus Software Update Lowers PC Requirements for VR Headset

By Bob O'Donnell

One of the more exciting developments expected to drive growth in the PC market is interest in virtual reality and head-mounted displays. The problem is that the hardware requirements for the PC used to drive those headsets has been very high. That, in turn, translates into expensive new PCs—typically at least $1,000, but sometimes even more—which severely limits the potential market size for these exciting new devices.

Yesterday, Oculus took a big step towards reducing those costs—and expanding the potential audience for their Rift VR headset—with a new software update. The update leverages technology the Facebook-owned company calls “asychronous spacewarp.” Though similarly named to the “asynchronous timewarp” technology the company introduced with the official Rift launch back in March, “asynchronous spacewarp” is different and has a key advantage: it essentially allows the Rift to deliver what’s said to be a quality experience at just 45 fps (frames per second) instead of the minimum 90 fps that’s typically required.

Translated, that means you can now get away with a less powerful (and less expensive) video card to drive a Rift experience. In theory, that means you buy a cheaper new PC and still successfully use the Rift. Realistically, though, it means that a large collection of existing gaming PCs can likely be pressed into service—at no extra cost for their owners.

Specifically, instead of requiring an nVidia GTX 970 or AMD Radeon 290 GPU, the Rift can now be run on a system with any nVidia 900 or 1000 series or any AMD RX 400 series GPUs. As you might expect, the experience isn’t supposed to be as good as you would get with a newer GPU, but for existing gaming PC owners who have been dying to try a Rift, this could be a good option.

Over time, of course, the CPU and GPU requirements necessary to do high-quality VR and AR will fall into mainstream price points and be available to virtually anyone who buys a new PC. Until then, however, these kinds of software innovations will be increasingly important to introduce a wider audience to the wonders of VR.

Here's a link to the column: https://techpinions.com/unpacked-for-friday-november-11-2016/47939

Bob O’Donnell is the president and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research, LLC a market research firm that provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community. You can follow him on Twitter @bobodtech.