Oculus Rift has a new minimum spec, $499 entry-level PC

At Oculus Connect today, CEO Brendan Iribe announced a new, lower minimum hardware spec for using Oculus Rift. The new spec is thanks to a technology called Asynchronous Spacewarp, allowing systems to deliver a stable 45 frames per second, while the ASW technology effectively doubles that and fills in the gaps. That means smooth VR running on cheaper hardware. Here it is:

• Nvidia 960 or greater (down from Nvidia GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater)
• Intel i3-6100 / AMD FX4350 or greater (down from Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater)
• 8GB+ RAM (same)
• Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output (same)
• 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 (change from 2x USB 3.0 ports)
• Windows 8 or newer (change from Windows 7 SP1 or newer)

That’s a reduction from the 970 / i5 combo that comprised the previous min spec. In addition to that lower spec, Iribe also announced a new $499 Oculus Ready, AMD-powered PC built by Cyberpower. “PC VR is more affordable than ever,” Iribe said. While the hardware needed to power Rift has come down, and with it the price, the $599 Rift itself hasn’t gotten a price drop yet.