The Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S launch on May 21st, and preorders open today

Facebook and Oculus have finally revealed a release date for their Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S headsets: May 21st. Both headsets will ship in 22 countries next month, they’ll cost $399, and you can preorder them today.

The Oculus Quest is a much-anticipated standalone VR headset that Oculus announced last year. It works without external tracking cameras or a separate computer, using a Snapdragon mobile chipset. The Oculus Rift S is a refresh of the 2016 Oculus Rift; it’s not a “Rift 2,” but an upgrade that replaces the old Rift’s tracking cameras with more convenient inside-out tracking. Neither one is a definite must-buy, but we’ve been impressed by the new Insight tracking system, and Oculus consistently backs some of the most ambitious VR games.

Best Buy and Microsoft will demo the headsets

Like Oculus’ earlier headsets, the Rift S and Quest will ship through Oculus’ site and a handful of retail partners. You can find both at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. GameStop will also sell the Quest, and Microsoft will stock the Rift S. After the May 21st launch, Microsoft will also offer demos of the headset. The Quest will also be available for demos at Best Buy.

You’ll still need a gaming PC to use the Rift S, but Oculus isn’t changing the recommended specifications, so if you already have a Rift, you shouldn’t need to upgrade your computer. (If you have a gaming laptop, you might have an easier time using it since you won’t need a lot of ports for USB cameras.) The Quest will be available at two price points, depending on storage: it starts at $399 for 64GB, and you can pay $499 for 128GB. The games we’ve tried on our review unit have been pretty space-efficient, so the former might not be as limiting as it sounds.

The Rift S plays all of the Rift games you’d expect. The Quest will launch with around 50 titles, many of which will be ported from the Oculus Rift. Highlights include rhythm game Beat Saber, action game Moss, indie shooter Superhot, and painting program Tilt Brush, along with the new games Dance Central and Vader Immortal.

These aren’t the only big headsets to open preorders this week. Valve just announced that it will start taking orders tomorrow for a new high-end headset called the Valve Index, set to ship later this year.

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