If you're an Oculus Rift owner and run a version of Microsoft's operating systems older then Windows 10, it's time to upgrade. At least, that's what Oculus is encouraging you to do.

This week, Oculus updated the minimum and recommended spec for the Oculus Rift and with it removed reference to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. If you still run either of those operating systems, the Rift will continue to function, but new features will be unsupported.

According to Oculus, 95 percent of active Rift owners are already running Windows 10, so this change should only impact a very small number of users. Anyone who is unsure whether their PC is up to the task of running VR experiences can use the Oculus Compatibility Check Tool to find out.

As for the new minimum spec, even that may not be good enough for long. Oculus points out, "some developers may push the boundaries in the future, and certain experiences may require a system exceeding our minimum or recommended specifications." So if you're planning to purchase a new rig with VR gaming in mind, it's best to aim much higher than even the recommended spec if your budget allows.

The reason why older versions are being dropped now is mainly due to Rift Core 2.0, which is the upgraded system software at the heart of the Rift. It's a much more resource-heavy experience (as you can see in the Dash Rift UI video above), and Oculus is focusing on making it perform well on Windows 10.