Oculus seeks VR lift in $200 cut

Facebook’s virtual reality unit Oculus slashed $200 from the all-in price of its flagship hardware set in a bid to expand the system’s base of video game players.

The virtual reality headset Rift and the motion controllers Touch will together retail for $598, Jason Rubin, Oculus’ vice president of content, said.

Facebook paid $2 billion for Oculus in 2014, believing it to be the next major computing platform. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has said that Oculus would spend $500 million to fund virtual reality content development.

Oculus believes the lower entry price will attract consumers to virtual reality for personal computers at a faster pace, Rubin said. “This price drop was as inevitable as it is beneficial. This is how the technology business works,” he said.

Rift used to retail for $599, while Touch sold for $199.

Separately, Facebook is beefing up its suicide prevention tools, including new options for people to report if someone might harm himself or herself while broadcasting on Facebook Live.

Facebook said Wednesday that it’s in a “unique position,” through personal connections people have on Facebook, to help connect those in distress with people who can support them.

To this end, people watching a Facebook Live broadcast will be able to report the video for an escalated response from Facebook. Facebook can reach out to emergency workers if the person is in imminent danger.

The person filming will also be shown a set of resources popping up on his or her phone screen, so he or she can contact a friend or a help line.