In the past few weeks, Facebook has reduced it’s price for the business-oriented Quest headset, Oculus for Business, from $1,000 to a clean $800. This price drop is meant to further signify Facebook’s attempt to shift away from the virtual reality (VR) entertainment sector and delve more into the business market. It includes a commercial use license for Oculus software and a one-year subscription to Oculus for Business enterprise-grade software and support for 12 months after activation ($180/year after).
After launching their Oculus for Business program in May of this year, the first version of this headset and software was made available for $1,000. This is opposed to the consumer version of the headset, which is only $500. The consumer headset was mostly marketed towards gamers and technocrats. While gaming has been the immediate association for VR, Facebook is gradually building a reputation for it being a legitimate method to increase productivity in the workplace.
The reason for the price of the Oculus for Business remaining higher than its consumer counterpart is the built-in software and support for each individual device. The features present on each device include practical applications like 3D design, emphasis on employee training, and back-end management capabilities.
To power these lofty goals, Facebook is also pursuing contracts with different Independent Software Vendors (ISV). This is meant not only to increase the product’s pedigree, but additionally to offload some of the work from Facebook itself. This will help maintain fluidity of the software itself, while ensuring that premium service is preserved.
These new software inclusions culminate in Facebook’s newest unveil Infinite Office– a suite of software meant to propel productivity of employees from anywhere. While information about this service is being released on a weekly basis, trailers show a fully functional virtual reality interface.
The Oculus for Business program also sells the company’s other headsets, Rift and Go. The specialized software, the applications making Quest unique, are not available on the company’s other headsets however. While it is unlikely this incompatibility was done on purpose, the company’s intent appears to be to funnel all attention towards the Oculus for Business program.
Some have criticized that Facebook will require a Facebook account login for all of their future VR devices, including Oculus for Business.The decision broke an early promise from Oculus founder Palmer Luckey with critics raising concerns about intrusive data collection, targeted advertising, and being forced to use a service they disliked. However, Facebook boycotts have shown that they fizzle out and the platform remains strong even with concerns over data collection and privacy. With the decreased price and renewed focus on enterprise related marketing, Facebook is priming itself to be one of the major players in the VR industry in the coming years. Depending on how the situation surrounding Infinite Office and the Quest 2 develops, Facebook will be a strong contender in the VR market no matter what the competition can produce.
