Oculus brings virtual reality closer to home

Tech Tools: Rift headset maker drops minimum spec, meaning it is now possible to use a laptop

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg demonstrates an Oculus Rift virtual reality  headset. Photograph: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg demonstrates an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. Photograph: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

The virtual reality wars have just kicked into overdrive, and Oculus is firing a warning shot across HTC's bow. The company, which put its Oculus Rift headset on sale earlier this year, has just made it even easier to get into VR.

If you are into gaming, the specs for the PC you would need to tun the VR system aren’t that far out. However, most people won’t have a computer with the necessary specs – Intel i5-4590 processor equivalent, Nvidia 970 graphics card or equivalent and 8GB Ram – and getting one would be a bit of an investment.

Now, thanks to some technical wizardry, Oculus has dropped the minimum spec to a PC that would set you back about €600. You will still need 8GB of Ram, but you can get by with an i3 processor and the Nvidia 960 graphics card. That also makes it possible to run the Rift from a laptop, which gets two thumbs up here.