It’s been a long wait for the Oculus Touch controllers. Originally unveiled last year, and expected to debut alongside the Rift before being delayed to Q4 2016, fans of the Facebook-backed VR headset have been anxious to see the Rift’s feature set expand to something more comparable to the HTC Vive. And a new leak from one of Oculus’ global retail partners may have confirmed we’ll see the VR-ready controllers on store shelves about a month before Christmas.
The folks over at UploadVR spotted a new listing on MediaMarkt , one of several retailers Oculus partnered with for European distribution, suggesting the Oculus Touch will make its retail debut in November. Specifically, the site says Oculus’ new controller will ship to consumers starting Nov. 21, a few days before VR fans in the United States gather with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving. Obviously, getting the controllers out in time for Black Friday is a big deal, particularly if Oculus wants the Touch controller to perform well in traditional brick-and-mortar stores this holiday season. But we’re not sure how much of a difference it’s going to make once you see the price tag.
If MediaMarkt is to be believed, and we’re not sure why they shouldn’t be, the Oculus Touch will be an astounding €199 (~225) at launch. Pricing will likely be different in the US, probably something along the lines of $199, but it sounds like the wireless devices will be significantly more expensive than the Xbox One controller that shipped with the Rift. There will still be plenty of people eager to order the new device but, given public reaction to the prospect of paying $160 for wireless headphones after yesterday’s iPhone 7 announcement , we’d imagine there will be some strong opinions about a $200 controller.
We’ve reached out to Oculus, hoping to get confirmation of the leaked launch date and price, and will update this post if/when we hear back from the company.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more Oculus news throughout 2016 and however long Oculus supports its VR product line in the years to come.
