Best Buy's Oculus Rift Demos Will Span 500 Stores This Holiday Season

Best Buy will be increasing the number of stores with Oculus Rift demos to 500 for this upcoming holiday shopping season, the retailer has announced. This is a steep increase over the 48 store demos that were announced in May, will give more consumers the opportunity to find out what VR is like for themselves. In addition to the 500 Oculus Rift units, Best Buy is also demonstrating PlayStation VR at 200 rotating destinations.

The holiday shopping season is the most important time of the year for many companies, and it'll likely be the first time many consumers actively seek out VR headsets as viable purchases — whether for themselves or for others. While many people have played around with the Google Cardboard variety of VR experiences, those pale in comparison to what things like the Oculus Rift and Vive offer.

By increasing the number of stores with Oculus Rift demos to 500, everyone in the U.S. will have a reasonable opportunity to experience the technology for themselves. If they happen to be at a store with both PS VR and Rift demos, they'll also have the unique opportunity to contrast the two with each other.

Of course, it is up for debate whether virtual reality is ready to go mainstream. Though many early adopters have snapped up VR headsets, the units still cost hundreds of dollars and are relatively unknown to the average consumer. The lack of household awareness means VR has more than just budgetary hurdles to overcome — things as simple as concerns about eye health could make the average consumer look elsewhere for their holiday gifts.

Best Buy currently offers the Oculus Rift for $599.99 USD.

SOURCE: Bloomberg