Oculus Rift Ushers In New Era of Virtual Reality

It's a big day for the world of virtual reality: The much-hyped Oculus Rift headsets—made by the Facebook-owned company Oculus—begin arriving on consumers' doorsteps.

• Time runs down the basics, including cost. The headset itself is $599, but you'll also need a high-end PC. "All told, if you buy the Rift, a fully 'Oculus Ready' PC and a handful of games, you’re looking at spending $1,600 to $1,700."
• So is this a game changer? The Los Angeles Times digs into that question and finds that much is up in the air because everything is so new. But one enthused analyst predicts the VR "revolution" will be bigger than those spawned by the PC and the iPhone.

• The New York Times reviewer says virtual reality feels "ready for prime time," but he suggests that most people will want to wait for improvements before plunking down money.
• For those who do indulge, the Verge has seven game recommendations.
• Gizmodo's reviewer was won over. "The experience is wholly immersive, and doesn't make you want to vomit (most of the time)."
• Two competitors will be out later this year, one from HTC and another from Sony, and a blog post at LVTSG.com runs through some general differences.
• The logistics of bringing virtual reality to the masses are huge, and Wired has the "inside story" on how Oculus got to this point.

(More virtual reality stories.)