Hugo Barra, the new head of the Oculus division at Facebook, said today at the Connect event that the company is targeting businesses with its Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.
Facebook launched the Rift for consumers in 2016, and now it is creating bundles for businesses that include a full VR commercial license, enterprise-grade warranty, dedicated customer support, and bulk ordering.
The company made the announcement at its Oculus Connect event in San Jose. There are now 300 Oculus Touch titles, including Arktika 1, which launched yesterday. But Barra noted there are apps such as one at Audi car dealers that explores the inside and outside of its car models. Other partners include DHL and Cisco Spark VR.
Oculus Rift shipped in the spring of 2016. Sales haven’t met the original expectations, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company remains committed to getting VR in the hands of billion people. It is launching a drive to get VR in the hands of businesses, which can see bigger productivity benefits for communications and visualization apps.
Oculus Rift and Touch are available for $400, Barra said. That means the special pricing that was in effect earlier is now permanent.
Each bundle includes the Rift, Oculus Touch controllers, three sensors, and three facial interfaces. Oculus said it is iportant for the “longtime viability of VR” to spread out into areas like tourism, education, medical, construction, manufacturing, automotive, and retail.