VR-ready PCs for the Oculus Rift and Vive (pictures)

Stepping into VR requires a very specific set of compatible computer components, which can cost much more than the headset itself.

See performance results and more in our virtual-reality gaming PC guide.

The rock-bottom price for a new VR-ready desktop is $999. If you're looking to spend more, the sky's the limit, and we've tested PCs that cost north of $4,000.

The most mainstream of the VR-ready systems, this Dell is touted by Oculus as one of the company's hand-selected Oculus Ready PCs.

This Acer desktop goes off the reservation in design, looking like an armored tank tread. It includes a front-accessible hard-drive bay, but the side panel needs a screwdriver to remove.

This desktop is massive, with some red accent lights and a clear side panel. This config hits the Core i7/Nvidia GeForce 980 sweet spot, and includes a hefty keyboard-and-mouse combo with plenty of macro keys.

Smaller than most, but also more powerful and more expensive. The Tiki from Falcon Northwest is one of the main machines VR developers use to create content.

A great-looking small desktop that's a fraction of the size of big tower models. The highly customizable system packs in liquid cooling and has some very clever magnetic rubber feet that make it easy to switch between horizontal and vertical orientations.

One of the only laptops that can run VR hardware, this massive overclocked 17-inch from Origin PC manages to squeeze in a desktop Core i7 processor and a newer version of the desktop 980 graphics card made by Nvidia to fit into oversize laptop cases.

Two big selling points for this configuration are the VR-ready panel on the front, offering access to the HDMI and USB ports needed to hook up a VR headset, and the inclusion of the Nvidia 980ti graphics card, which is a step up from the standard 980 card.