So I thought I’d do a deep dive to share exactly what I’m getting for my VR room, why I’m getting it, and most importantly, how much all of this is going to cost. Let’s start with the must-have’s:

A (mostly) empty room

Cost: $0

Check — we have a large empty room. When a guest comes we blow up an air mattress, for the other 50 weeks a year, it’s going to be a VR room.

VR System

Cost: $680.89

I decided to go with an Oculus Rift which I’ve pre-ordered and am crossing my fingers will arrive in July…but I won’t be surprised if the date slips. I choose the Rift because I think Oculus has been the most focused and is the most advanced when it comes to doing VR right. Yes, the HTC Vive looks cool but HTC does a bunch of other things, Oculus just does VR.

Another reason I went with the Rift is because of the amount of quality content that is going to be available for it (both games and experiences). I think of the Rift a bit like I do with Apple. Yes, you can use an Android phone and have access to a lot more apps, or buy a Windows PC and be able to use more software, but with a Mac there’s less junk and more quality.

I think the same thing is happening in the VR world. The HTC Vive and PlayStation VR will likely have more content but the quality of the content for the Rift looks like it’s going to be the best both in visual and immersive qualities.

VR-optimized Windows PC

Cost: $1,499.99

In this case I am going with option #2 on my “Nice to have” list and getting a VR-optimized Windows PC. There are a ton of options but for now I’m planning on getting an Alienware X51 Gaming Desktop.

Now I’m not going to pull the trigger on buying this computer yet since my Oculus Rift isn’t going to arrive until July at the earliest. This means I still have time to see what other VR-optimized PC’s come out.

For now I like this setup because it gets me enough horsepower to get a solid VR experience with things like an i5–6400 processor, 16 BG of RAM, and a 256 GB solid state drive. At the same time, this is a more “middle of the road” gaming PC when it comes to VR experiences. If you really wanted to get the best experience possible you’d definitely pick a PC with an i7 processor, 32 GB or RAM and an even more badass graphics card.

Yes, you could easily spend up to $5,000 on a PC and still see a good VR system put it through its paces. I don’t want to spend that much on a PC but I am willing to bite the bullet and spend around $1,500 to get a PC that will allow me to really enjoy my VR experiences.

Anti-fatigue mat

Cost: $109.95

This really is a must-have if you plan on standing for more than 10–20 minutes at a time. For those of you who spend at least half your day at a standing desk there’s a good chance you already have one of these. My top choice is the GelPro 20 x 36 inch mat which is actually meant for your kitchen but I think will be perfect for a VR room.

You can get anti-fatigue mats for $50 or less but since this has to do with your body and how you feel while you’re experiencing VR I don’t think it’s a good place to cheap out. Plus this is a multi-purpose mat so you can also use it in the kitchen, office, etc.

VR Chair

Cost: $500

So this is a tough one because while you could just use an existing office desk chair, there’s just no way the experience is going to be nearly as good as a chair that moves itself based on what’s happening in virtual reality.

The challenge is, there really aren’t any VR chairs on the market yet, it’s still too darn early. That being said, since I have until July there’s still time for a great VR chair to get released and I’m thinking $500 is about as high as I’m willing to go for this, for now. My top pick at the moment is the Roto Interactive Virtual Reality chair.

Along with reacting to things happening with a VR game, it also has buttons on the footrest that you can use to simulate walking. Couple this with the fact that they have add-ons for a keyboard and even a little desk, this really does seem like the Swiss Army Knife of VR chairs.

Lighting

Cost: $500

Okay, I’ll admit it — #3 and #4 on my “nice to have” list are pretty far from necessary, but I do think it will be the “icing on the cake.” Lighting a VR room with a classic standing lamp or using overhead lighting is going to take some of the magic out of the experience.

You don’t need to spend a small fortune on custom lighting since Philips has two products that when combined can create a truly dynamic, futuristic and VR-friendly lighting. With the Philips Hue products you can create rooms that really look like something out of a Science Fiction movie without spending thousands of dollars as you would have had to if you tried to do this ten years ago.

The image above isn’t of my own setup but is a great illustration of how you can use Philips Hue to transform a second bedroom into a futuristic VR room. Do you need it? Absolutely not, but will it makes a difference? Absolutely.