2017 has already seen some massive price cuts on virtual reality equipment, as both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift slashed their asking prices by hundreds of pounds in efforts to lure more customers into their ecosystems. Of the big three, only PlayStation VR has stayed the same price - but that still makes it comfortably the cheapest of the bunch.
VR is more affordable than ever before - but that won't stop potential purchasers from holding out until Black Friday, when prices are expected to drop even further (at least temporarily) as the tech giants make one more big push to get virtual reality into the mainstream.
Best virtual reality deals right now
Despite the fact that Black Friday 2017 doesn't begin until tomorrow, 24 November, deals have already started appearing. In the meantime, we've gathered up the best VR deals that are live right now, including both games and hardware bundles - and you can head to our deals site to find more of our curated picks.
What to expect
For ease, we're going to break down the sort of deals you can expect to see by platform.
PlayStation VR deals
As the cheapest of the VR sets on the market right now, we're not expecting to see massive reductions on PSVR hardware or games this year, but there will doubtless be some discounts.
If you're looking to buy the headset itself, the best bet will doubtless be some of the various bundles, which tend to include the headset, the PlayStation Camera (which you need to run the headset), and a game or two. Also keep an eye out for the optional (but fun) Move controllers, and remember you'll still need a PS4 or PS4 Pro to play it all from.
There are already some fantastic PSVR bundles this year. Game and other retailers are offering the headset, camera, compilation game PlayStation Worlds, and either Skyrim or GT Sport for just £249.99 - and adding in a pair of Move controllers only takes it up to £299.99. These have sold out and reappeared a couple of times already, so if they're not in stock right now, keep and eye on this page - we'll update it as soon as they return.
There's also a £249.99 PlayStation VR bundle available from Argos, but it doesn't include Skyrim or GT Sport.
if you already have a headset, the biggest discounts for you will be in games. Expect to see 20-50% off across the board, with even steeper discounts on a few games - especially the launch titles that are now looking slightly less polish than more recent titles.
HTC Vive deals
Vive saw a massive price drop this year, from £759 down to £599, though that still makes it the most expensive VR set on the market - though its performance arguably justifies the added cost, especially with big exclusive Fallout 4 VR on the way just in time for Christmas.
It's going to be hard to shift the price down much lower than that for many retailers, so instead Vive's key bundle offers a few accessories and free games along with the headset, without actually lowering the main unit price.
Remember that you'll need a decent-spec PC to run any VR - if you don't have one, keep an eye on gaming PC deals - any high-end rig will run VR well, though some specifically advertise themselves as 'VR-ready' now to show they meet the required specs for Vive and Oculus.
Oculus Rift deals
The Rift is in a similar position to the Vive, having enjoyed a price drop down to £400 (including Touch controllers) down from a peak of £550 at one point this year. But despite already dropping in price this year, Oculus is offering the Rift + Touch for £349 for Black Friday - the cheapest it has ever been.
In terms of other retailers, look out for bundles including the hardware, controllers, and games - if they drop below the £400 with games included, it's worth considering. Games themselves are also likely to enjoy discounts, so check out Steam and Green Man Gaming. And, as with the Vive, remember to look out for bargains on VR-ready PCs too, if you don't have one yet.
For all of these platforms, Amazon will have some of the biggest bargains, and has started offering discounts already.
If you find that you’re missing out on Amazon’s Lightning deals, which run for just a few hours and offer limited stock, we'd recommend signing up for Amazon's 30 day free trial of Prime, which will get you access to deals 30 minutes before everyone else. Plus, you'll get free next-day delivery with the Prime trial, as well as access to Prime Instant Video and more.
Sign up for Prime now to get ready for the Black Friday action.
Of course, it won't end with Black Friday. Deals will arrive throughout Black Friday week, and continue over the weekend to Cyber Monday on 27 November - and in some cases through to the end of the month, or even beyond into the Christmas season.
Best Black Friday VR deals
VR is more affordable than ever before - but that won't stop potential purchasers from holding out until Black Friday, when prices are expected to drop even further (at least temporarily) as the tech giants make one more big push to get virtual reality into the mainstream.
Best virtual reality deals right now
Despite the fact that Black Friday 2017 doesn't begin until tomorrow, 24 November, deals have already started appearing. In the meantime, we've gathered up the best VR deals that are live right now, including both games and hardware bundles - and you can head to our deals site to find more of our curated picks.
What to expect
For ease, we're going to break down the sort of deals you can expect to see by platform.
PlayStation VR deals
As the cheapest of the VR sets on the market right now, we're not expecting to see massive reductions on PSVR hardware or games this year, but there will doubtless be some discounts.
If you're looking to buy the headset itself, the best bet will doubtless be some of the various bundles, which tend to include the headset, the PlayStation Camera (which you need to run the headset), and a game or two. Also keep an eye out for the optional (but fun) Move controllers, and remember you'll still need a PS4 or PS4 Pro to play it all from.
There are already some fantastic PSVR bundles this year. Game and other retailers are offering the headset, camera, compilation game PlayStation Worlds, and either Skyrim or GT Sport for just £249.99 - and adding in a pair of Move controllers only takes it up to £299.99. These have sold out and reappeared a couple of times already, so if they're not in stock right now, keep and eye on this page - we'll update it as soon as they return.
There's also a £249.99 PlayStation VR bundle available from Argos, but it doesn't include Skyrim or GT Sport.
if you already have a headset, the biggest discounts for you will be in games. Expect to see 20-50% off across the board, with even steeper discounts on a few games - especially the launch titles that are now looking slightly less polish than more recent titles.
HTC Vive deals
Vive saw a massive price drop this year, from £759 down to £599, though that still makes it the most expensive VR set on the market - though its performance arguably justifies the added cost, especially with big exclusive Fallout 4 VR on the way just in time for Christmas.
It's going to be hard to shift the price down much lower than that for many retailers, so instead Vive's key bundle offers a few accessories and free games along with the headset, without actually lowering the main unit price.
Remember that you'll need a decent-spec PC to run any VR - if you don't have one, keep an eye on gaming PC deals - any high-end rig will run VR well, though some specifically advertise themselves as 'VR-ready' now to show they meet the required specs for Vive and Oculus.
Oculus Rift deals
The Rift is in a similar position to the Vive, having enjoyed a price drop down to £400 (including Touch controllers) down from a peak of £550 at one point this year. But despite already dropping in price this year, Oculus is offering the Rift + Touch for £349 for Black Friday - the cheapest it has ever been.
In terms of other retailers, look out for bundles including the hardware, controllers, and games - if they drop below the £400 with games included, it's worth considering. Games themselves are also likely to enjoy discounts, so check out Steam and Green Man Gaming. And, as with the Vive, remember to look out for bargains on VR-ready PCs too, if you don't have one yet.
For all of these platforms, Amazon will have some of the biggest bargains, and has started offering discounts already.
If you find that you’re missing out on Amazon’s Lightning deals, which run for just a few hours and offer limited stock, we'd recommend signing up for Amazon's 30 day free trial of Prime, which will get you access to deals 30 minutes before everyone else. Plus, you'll get free next-day delivery with the Prime trial, as well as access to Prime Instant Video and more.
Sign up for Prime now to get ready for the Black Friday action.
Of course, it won't end with Black Friday. Deals will arrive throughout Black Friday week, and continue over the weekend to Cyber Monday on 27 November - and in some cases through to the end of the month, or even beyond into the Christmas season.
Best Black Friday VR deals
- PlayStation VR with Camera, Fallout 4, PlayStation Worlds and GT Sport
- Oculus Rift + Oculus Touch Controllers
- HTC Vive with Deluxe Audio Strap, Fallout 4 VR, Doom VR, Tilt Brush and 1 month Viveport subscription
- Fallout 4 VR (Vive)
- Raw Data (Rift & Vive)
- PlayStation VR Worlds (PSVR)
- Arizona Sunshine (Rift & Vive)
- DOOM VFR (Vive)
- Until Dawn: Rush of Blood (PSVR)
- Resident Evil 7 (PS4)
source : techadvisor
