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Cost Of Custom Virtual Reality Training: Full VR Price, Cost Factors, And Benefits [2022]

With any custom learning and development project, it’s going to be difficult to give a set price for a custom virtual reality (VR) training program. When you want a customized full virtual reality training program, it can cost from $50,000 up to $150,000 or more.


Our team is asked every day, “How much does custom virtual reality training cost?” and it’s not easy to give just one answer.

There are many factors that can affect the price of custom virtual reality (VR) training, from the production of content and number of developers required to the amount and quality of headsets. 

*Cost ranges are general estimates; each training program is unique, and costs can vary. Please seek a professional quote for more specific and reliable costs.

This article will review the cost range of custom full virtual reality training projects and break down factors that affect the cost of full virtual reality training. 

What Is Full Virtual Reality Training?

Virtual reality (VR) training creates an artificial environment in which the user is fully immersed in an experience. Through a VR headset, desktop, or mobile device, learners enter a virtual world created with video or through a fully simulated environment.

Full VR uses 6DoF (Degrees of Freedom) and allows a learner with a headset to move freely and organically in a virtual environment. Learners can observe, walk, or move around objects placed in the environment, just as if those objects were real.

From technical skills training to safety training, custom full VR training is a great option for organizations looking to give their employees an interactive training experience with complex objects with free navigation around their virtual space. 

Ultimately, 6DoF is ideal for experiences where the learner is physically moving through the virtual space and directly interacting with the environment.

What Are The Benefits Of Custom Full Virtual Reality?

While organizations may choose an off-the-shelf VR training solution, custom full VR training comes with the following unique benefits: 

    • Ideal for technical skills training that requires hands-on work with intricate objects

    • Provides learners with a safe learning environment where they can walk around and complete complex interactions with objects and people

    • Doesn’t affect real-life equipment, employees, or customers

    • Gives learners a more immersive, realistic training experience that can be easily applied to real life

Read More: 3DoF vs. 6DoF Virtual Reality: Which Is Better?

HOW MUCH DOES FULL VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING COST?

When an organization wants to try full virtual reality training for the first time, we recommend a pilot program. A pilot is a great way to get started with VR training with a relatively low investment. A full virtual reality training pilot program typically costs between $40,000 – $60,000 or more. 

This pilot program is a great way to get started because you can:

  • Learn about the process of developing your VR content
  • Test to see if the technology is received well by your learners
  • Figure out if your learning objectives can be met with VR technology
  • See if the VR training is scalable for your business needs

When we build VR training pilots, we build them as though they’re part of a full program. That way we’ve already got a usable starting point to build from if a full program gains support. When you are ready to move past your pilot program or jump right into your full virtual reality training program design, you can expect to pay, on average, between $50,000 – $150,000 or more. 

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Cost Factors That Affect The Price Of Custom Full Virtual Reality Training

Instructional Design and Programming

Instructional design is usually the first step for developing your VR training content. This pre-production work usually involves:

  • Outlining your learning objectives
  • Developing scripts 
  • Mapping VR interactions
  • Identifying key metrics

After designing the learning experience, it’s time to create the environments and program the interactions. This requires two specific skill sets. The first is the ability to create 3D assets. A 3D artist will design and build a virtual environment, objects, and characters. They will also handle animation, texturing, and all visual aspects of the experience. 

The second skill set is a game programmer and/or developer. These individuals work with VR development programs like Unity and Unreal Engine, and they also work with programming languages such as C#, JavaScript, and C++. 

Depending on the level of expertise, it can cost between $200 or more an hour to hire a 3D designer and anywhere from $200 to $300 an hour for a developer or programmer. The level of user activity, number of interactions, types of interactions, and the virtual setting all have an effect on the number of hours needed. 

For example, a generic office setting for a VR activity will take fewer hours to program than a fully-developed virtual setting of a warehouse environment. 

Virtual Reality Headsets

With VR content, you need a way to watch and interact with the VR material. This means that you will need to invest in VR headsets for your program. The great thing about using headsets is that you can sanitize and share headsets, move them from location to location, and use them for multiple VR training programs.

You can expect to pay your vendor the cost of the headset ($750 – $1,400 or more) plus a setup and shipping fee ($150 – $200 per headset). Working with a vendor will help you get a better deal and ensure that your headsets work properly on arrival.

Popular VR headsets and their enterprise cost include:

In addition, organizations have the option of using cardboard headsets as a more scalable, inexpensive alternative to introductory full VR training. These headsets cost between $7.00 – $12.00, can be fully branded, and used with your employees’ smartphones.

Extended Reality System

If you have VR content within your training program, you are going to want a way to manage the content, and that means you’ll need an Extended Reality System (XRS). Similar to an LMS, an XRS will help you manage, deploy, track, and measure your virtual reality training results. 

With any management system, your price will depend on your number of licenses, in this case, one license per headset. You can expect to pay between $20 – $30 monthly per license plus a potential baseline fee for an XRS portal. Keep in mind that with software subscriptions like an XRS, the economies of scale mean that the more headsets you have on the system, the less you pay per headset. 

Is It Worth the Cost?

So, there you have it – the average cost for a custom full virtual reality training ranges from $50,000 to $150,000 or more per project

It’s important to remember that based on your vendor, content, and scale, these prices will vary. Looking to kick off a discussion about a potential custom full VR training at your organization? Reach out to an expert on our team or book a VR demo today

*Cost ranges are general estimates; each training program is unique, and costs can vary. Please seek a professional quote for more specific and reliable costs.

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