Oculus Rift VR Headset Now Up for Pre-Orders at $599

The Rift will initially be shipped from March 28 to 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK and the United States, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.

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However, the Oculus shopping cart displayed May as the expected shipping month.

Rift will also be available in limited locations at select retailers starting in April, according to the blog post.

The Rift box will include the headset with built-in headphones and mic, sensor, an Xbox One controller and an Oculus Remote, a new input device that helps users navigate through the Oculus store or explore video content.

The company also said that bundles that include an Oculus Ready PC and a Rift would be available for preorder in February starting at $1,499 (roughly Rs. 98,900).

Oculus Chief Executive Brendan Iribe said in May that the Rift and the computer needed to run it were expected to cost around $1,500 (roughly Rs. 99,000).

"More than 100 virtual reality games and other experiences are coming this year," Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on the social networking site.

Oculus said on Monday that the Rift, which comes bundled with the games "Lucky's Tale" and "EVE: Valkyrie", could be preordered from Wednesday.

© Thomson Reuters 2016