The cost of enterprise virtual reality (VR) just dropped by half.
Businesses can now buy and deploy apps to the Consumer Quest 2 for just $300, which is a stunning development. This mobile, all-in-one VR headset is currently the undisputed market leader – there’s no viable competition with the resources and engineering horsepower of Oculus owner Facebook. The new price point is more than just an economic incentive: it might be the inflection point for VR learning. The magic of virtual reality for critical skills training can be integrated affordably into locations and programs that were once remote and inconvenient.
The $300 Consumer Quest option ($400 for double the storage) is ideal for less proprietary training, where students own their own headsets. For instance, think product training for sales and service reps. The catch: users need set up the headsets with their personal Facebook IDs (which may create privacy and security concerns). Also, companies can’t centrally manage a personal fleet of headsets. They will distribute their apps through “App Lab,” an app store much like the current Oculus Store, but with a quicker and easier four-week review process.
Users will appreciate access to games in the Oculus Store as well. Who wouldn't want to dance to Beat Saber between classes?
Enterprises that want to control proprietary content should use Oculus for Business. At $800 per headset and $180 annually after the first year, Oculus for Business is an affordable option for shared devices. Most of our VR programs pack hours of classroom training into a 45-minute VR simulation. At that rate, a single VR headset can be used to train 50 people a week. VR doesn’t just collapse space; it collapses time as well.
Oculus for Business also includes software-as-a-service to manage the company’s entire fleet of VR headsets as well as enterprise-grade customer support.
The consumer version will be a fan favorite for your employees, partners and customers, who can use them for both serious work and play. The business version is the proprietary workhorse for training that requires frequent updates and integration with enterprise workflows.
Here’s a comparison to help you think about which option is best for your organization.
Consumer Quest Oculus for Business
Hardware Quest 2 Quest 2
Price per headset $300 (64 GB) $800 (256 GB)
$400 (256 GB) + $180/year after first year
Facebook login Yes No
Consumer games Yes No
Security Low High
Oculus support Minimal 24/7
Central management No Yes
of all headsets
Typical use cases One headset per Shared headsets
user
Less proprietary Central control and security
Ex. Product Ex. Operational and
training procedural training