03-30-2016 01:53 AM
GOOD STUFF
BAD STUFF
Experiencing the evolution of Oculus Rift has been almost awe-inspiring. Oculus has stuck to its vision, even when those early prototypes were questionable and the demos nearly too laggy to bear. I can't help but feel like I've not only witnessed the next transformative phase of gaming and computing, but also been a small part of it because I wore the Rift at several stages along the way. The consumer-ready Rift is a lovely piece of hardware. But it's more than just a pretty headset: Oculus has built a whole ecosystem for its baby, from the sound of the built-in headphones to the games to the Touch controllers.
As soon as you put on the Rift, you are transported to a whole new world. Touch controllers, though limited in some ways, will bring the rest of your body along for the ride. Its launch games are superb, and though some are on the pricey side, they are so good that I want to buy a Rift just so I can play them for longer and play more of them. The sense of presence they induce and the utter delight I felt playing them have stayed with me weeks later.
The problem, of course, is everything that's not the Rift, its controllers or games. While $600 is a hefty chunk of change for any device, it's the PC set-up that, on the low-end, is over one-and-a-half times more expensive than the headset that consumers will get stuck on.
The price of the whole package is going to be prohibitive, and it will likely keep many from jumping to Rift right away. But for those who have a compatible PC or invest in one and take the Rift plunge, it's going to be worth every penny. When Touch controllers come out and Rift, one day, loses the tether and a few dollars, it will transform how we play games, do work and interact with one another. If Rift has come this far, this fast, I don't think it's going to be much longer before that comes true, too.
And this is where we get to the crossroads. This is an astonishingly well-made device. It delivers rock-solid, comfortable VR, and it does so easily. You’ll be able to put this thing on anyone and show them the magic. You’ll have friends coming over just to go through the Dreamdeck. (Seriously, you will.) But you’ll have to make your peace with the idea that your $600—or realistically, $1,500 or more, if you need a PC to go with it—is an investment. It’s an investment in the things you’ll be able to do in the Rift, the places you’ll be able to go.
Many, many more of those will be coming throughout the year, and into the future. The only thing you need to ask yourself is what your personal tipping point is. Is it the Netflix or Hulu apps that are available on the Gear VR? Not on the Rift yet, sorry. A VR web browser? Not on the Rift yet, sorry. Social networks that let you share virtual sunsets with friends, or psychedelic meditation tools to unlock your third eye? Not on the—OK, you get it.
But here’s the thing: They’ll all be here. It’s just a matter of when you want to come in.
From a hardware perspective, Oculus Rift delivers. As a spectacles wearer with less than stellar experiences using the Crescent Bay prototype, I was concerned that Oculus may have lost pace compared to the more comfortable HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, but the final hardware delivers. Image quality is up there with the best, latency in motion response is a non-issue (a rapid shake of the head during gameplay confirms this - the image remains perceptually rock solid) and the integrated headphones are way, way better than I thought they would be. The headset is well-designed, build quality is good and the immersive experience overall is breathtaking.
There's also much to commend in the platform Oculus has delivered, in terms of the wide scope of its content, the (almost) fully integrated VR interface, and the way in which the vast majority of games just work, even on the min-spec PC hardware platform. There's an almost console-like level of accessibility here that guarantees a great experience with minimal effort. There's also the notion that VR is going to revolutionise more than gaming alone - the wealth of freebies in the Oculus store is a great touch in this sense. It gets you excited about the future of the platform, enough that you want to share the Rift with family and friends.
The overall offering feels very different to SteamVR right now - which is a wholly games-based enterprise. Of course, much of that is down to the spec differential with the HTC Vive. The Rift has no 3D controllers at launch, so games based heavily on 3D interactivity are mostly non-existent. There's nothing as ambitious as Budget Cuts or Job Simulator on the Oculus Store. There are no 'walkabout' room-scaling games (at least, right now) because the Oculus camera is not as functionally rich as Vive's laser-tracking lighthouses. From what we've played so far, Vive's launch catalogue focuses on those strengths, while Oculus Rift is very much about the seated VR experience - which many may prefer. In theory, Vive can do everything the Rift can and more, but it's interesting to note a large degree of segregation in the launch line-ups of both devices, with only Elite Dangerous accommodating both. A software head-to-head will have to wait, for now.
But in the meantime, I can safely say that those who've pre-ordered the Rift are unlikely to be disappointed with the quality of the end product and the experience it delivers - VR is like nothing you've ever experienced before. It's been almost three years since I first took delivery of my DK1 Kickstarter unit. Back then, the hardware wasn't up to scratch, the experience didn't live up to expectations and I felt that Oculus had a real mountain to climb in turning what was clearly experimental hardware into a consumer-ready product. The great news is that Oculus has done it. The Rift is highly recommended, and I can't wait to see where this revolutionary technology takes us.
The first retail Oculus Rift is an interesting device in that it already feels like a luxury item, but there are obvious areas that need to improve in future iterations. It's not the easiest system to put on over glasses, or to remove. The straps on the sides and top are adjusted using velcro, and how well will that work after a year? Or three?
The Rift as a platform will see its first major change in the second half of the year, with the debut of motion controls in the form of Oculus Touch. The lack of a pass-through camera makes interacting with the real world without removing the display a pain. It's tempting to ask if the Rift is ready to sell.
The answer is yes.
The Rift's strong support for both sitting and standing experiences and the obvious quality of the headset, matched with surprisingly strong ergonomics and usage of the remote, all work together to create something that feels satisfying and, more importantly, transformative.
It helps that finished games like Lucky's Tale and Eve: Valkyrie, which come "free" with the hardware, offer such a tempting window into the future. This is how good VR platforming can get. This is what it's like to dogfight in space. Games like Defense Grid 2prove that, with the right amount of work and design talent, existing games can not only work in virtual reality but can be improved by playing in that format.
Oculus is also positioning the Rift as an entertainment device, with applications like Oculus Video and video shorts like "Henry" and "Lost" that ship alongside the hardware. The Oculus Dream Deck is a collection of 10 short ... I don't even know what to call them. They're tone poems of a sort, and deliver an immediate feeling of awe or wonder in the player.
The ability to jump from game to game from within virtual reality is both effective and comfortable. It may be a pain — sometimes literally — to get the headset locked comfortably over your glasses or even on your face in general, but once you're in, there's little reason to jump out.
An uncharitable view of the Rift as it exists today is that it's nothing more than a brand-new way of displaying games to the player, an adjustment to the player experience that puts you inside every scene instead of outside a window looking in.
If the Rift as it exists right now were "only" a new way of displaying games to the player, it would still be an amazing accomplishment that adds immense value and enjoyment to the play experience. But launch software feels like just the beginning.
Testing the bounds of what feels real and how we interact with worlds we control completely is a new frontier for gaming, and the Oculus Rift delivers on that promise. There are issues, and the software will continue to get better and offer more features, but this is a functional platform with a wide selection of available games and experiences. It changed how we think of games. It made us feel. It put us inside things that we used to only be able to see. Going back to a standard screen is hard.
Retail virtual reality is here. It was worth the wait.
I believe the Oculus experience will make quantum leaps in fun and usefulness in the years ahead, especially with the arrival of the Touch controllers. The Rift sensor uses infrared technology to track you in three-dimensional space, so you can move around in the virtual world, too. But I don’t believe that this particular Rift hardware will last. New capabilities will require more-powerful processors and higher-resolution headsets—someday hopefully ones that work without wires. If you buy a Rift today, chances are you’ll be replacing it in the near future.
It’s Day One for the Rift, and I’m already ready for Version Two.
The Rift is much more than an impressive debut for virtual reality gaming: it’s a sign of things to come. At long last the hardware is refined, there’s a diverse selection of games and experiences in the Oculus store, and developers are hard at work on big-name titles. It's only going to get better from this point. That first time you pull on the headset still feels more like magic than technology, and it’s just as much fun watching friends getting their first taste of VR. You might not have thought you could feel sympathy for a cartoon hedgehog, but step into his house and you’ll want to give him a big hug - spines be damned.
None of which means that it's perfect. It’s expensive, for starters - even more so if you don't already have the hefty PC you'll need to run it on. Plus, the Xbox One controller just feels like a stop-gap until the Touch controllers arrive around autumn time. If you pick up a Rift now, you’ll still have a headset that can transport you to a litany of wondrous digital worlds - it just won’t be as absorbing as it can be later this year.
Bear in mind also that the Rift isn’t the only VR headset due out soon(ish). Hell, HTC’s Vive is due for release in the next fortnight, and its focus on room-scale experiences you can walk around in has the potential to be even more immersive than what Oculus has to offer right now. And don't forget the cheaper PlayStation VR coming in October. So no, Rift isn't quite perfect, and this war is by no means over in the first round. But that doesn't mean it's any less exciting.
Got a monstrous gaming PC and want to see what the future of gaming looks like? Then you’ll want a Rift. Until Vive or PlayStation VR prove otherwise, this is the VR experience to beat.
Were Rift more uncomfortable to wear, or less technically capable of displaying frames quickly with low latency, then I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending it. If it wasn't easy to setup and configure, I would think twice before claiming it's ready for market. But these concerns were quickly dashed. I had Rift up and running in a matter of minutes. I played game after game that opened my eyes to the possibilities that VR and headsets like Rift make possible.
$600 is a lot to pay for a piece of gaming hardware. But Rift is different from a console or a new graphics card. Rift allows you to experience games in ways that we've only dreamed of up until now, and while it requires you to make a few compromises in the name of immersion, it's worth it. Yes, you will look silly to anyone who watches you use it, and you will potentially feel uneasy after an intense VR session, but these issues can't take away from the fact that Rift delivers on its promise to enable more immersive and personal gaming experiences than we've ever seen before.
ENGADGET - 84/100
Pros
Cons
03-30-2016 01:53 AM
The Rift feels like a near-perfect execution of the device Oculus promised they would make back during their 2012 Kickstarter. It’s a VR headset that lets us “step into the game” in a powerfully immersive way that’s unlike anything you’ve seen before (assuming you’ve never tried VR). The user-experience so far is exceptional, which is especially impressive given the scope of today’s launch (the product, drivers, the Oculus Home platform for desktop, 30 launch titles, etc).
But a lot has happened in the world of VR since that 2012 vision—most notably the introduction of high performance motion input controllers which radically enhance the level of interactivity (and in many ways immersion) of virtual reality.
Oculus will of course be shipping their own motion input controllers (called Touch) in the second half of 2016, but with the HTC Vive including motion controllers in the box right from the get-go (and launching next week), the Rift is left with what feels like a significant missing piece for anyone that has already experienced great motion input.
The good news is that anyone who is getting into VR for the first time (not having tried motion input prior) will probably be blown away by the Rift even without Touch. And then when Touch joins the party a little further down the road, those new users will be further surprised at how much motion input adds to the VR experience.
03-30-2016 01:57 AM
The Rift feels like a near-perfect execution of the device Oculus promised they would make back during their 2012 Kickstarter. It’s a VR headset that lets us “step into the game” in a powerfully immersive way that’s unlike anything you’ve seen before (assuming you’ve never tried VR). The user-experience so far is exceptional, which is especially impressive given the scope of today’s launch (the product, drivers, the Oculus Home platform for desktop, 30 launch titles, etc).
But a lot has happened in the world of VR since that 2012 vision—most notably the introduction of high performance motion input controllers which radically enhance the level of interactivity (and in many ways immersion) of virtual reality.
Oculus will of course be shipping their own motion input controllers (called Touch) in the second half of 2016, but with the HTC Vive including motion controllers in the box right from the get-go (and launching next week), the Rift is left with what feels like a significant missing piece for anyone that has already experienced great motion input.
The good news is that anyone who is getting into VR for the first time (not having tried motion input prior) will probably be blown away by the Rift even without Touch. And then when Touch joins the party a little further down the road, those new users will be further surprised at how much motion input adds to the VR experience.
You simply must try the Oculus Rift. It’s breathtaking. I just wouldn’t buy one right now -- and there’s no reason you should feel the need to, either (especially with its archrival, the HTC Vive, also just days away). The longer you wait to buy, the better it will get. This is just day one for Oculus -- and for the future of virtual reality.
WEARABLE (first impressions)
Oculus has a lot more competition than it did when it started out - OSVR,HTC's Vive, PlayStation VR - so now it's a good job Palmer Luckey and his team have figured out when to stop tinkering.
Additions such as HRTF and the Touch controllers add a huge amount to the overall Rift experience in terms of immersion. High quality games are ready to launch day and date with the hardware. The display, design and performance of the headset is as good as its first consumer device needs to be.
The Oculus Rift is a crazy device that is more than the sum of its parts. As the first consumer high-powered virtual reality headset, it deserves props for just existing, but incredibly it manages to kick ass as well. Whether you should buy now, just try it out or wait until Oculus Touch arrives depends mostly on your patience and cashflow.
The Rift has had an entire industry riding on its back, and more than a handful of skeptics praying for its downfall. It impresses, and signals more good things to come from consumer virtual reality and — more broadly — our technological future.
03-30-2016 01:58 AM
The Oculus Rift is a crazy device that is more than the sum of its parts. As the first consumer high-powered virtual reality headset, it deserves props for just existing, but incredibly it manages to kick ass as well. Whether you should buy now, just try it out or wait until Oculus Touch arrives depends mostly on your patience and cashflow.
The Rift has had an entire industry riding on its back, and more than a handful of skeptics praying for its downfall. It impresses, and signals more good things to come from consumer virtual reality and — more broadly — our technological future.
PROS: Comfort, Construction, Display, Speakers, Weight
CONS: Available software caters to casual gamers, Cost, Lack of hand controls, No pass-through camera
VERDICT : The Oculus Rift is an incredible piece of technology, but it will take some time for the content to mature. Most people will want to wait until a richer content library is available, but early adopters should be happy with the launch lineup.
Some critics have dinged Oculus because the Rift doesn’t support ‘room-scale’ VR, where the user’s movements are tracked across a whole room, instead of just when they’re in front of a PC. Room-scale VR experiences are a main selling point for one of the Rift’s biggest competitors, the HTC Vive, which comes out next week. While they can be spectacular, I don’t really miss them on the Rift. This is partly because I don’t want to get out of my office chair, but mostly because the majority of VR experiences don’t really need room-scale support. We’re used to consuming the majority of our entertainment while basically stationary, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. (This is not to say that the Rift has the Vive beat —I’ll hold that judgment until HTC’s upcoming release.)
But even though it can’t do everything, the Rift is shockingly complete and polished, especially for a first generation product. Oculus has managed to produce a device that will thrill gamers and VR enthusiasts (if they can afford it, it’s a must-buy) but is also ready for the mainstream. While it’s still so new and expensive I can’t recommend it to the average consumer, you can bet I’ll be showing it off to everyone who comes to my house, old or young, luddite or geek. And I suspect in time —as Oculus refines the product, and as more game designers, filmmakers and artists create content designed for VR— a future version of this hardware will break into living rooms everywhere. I don’t know if that will happen a year from now, or five, or ten. But I think when that happens we’ll remember the Rift as the device that kicked off the age of VR.
Guys, this is the pioneer stage of VR. This is the first consumer Rift (there will be more), which is the first major player to market, in the very early stages of the industry. $600 is a massive pill to swallow for anyone regardless of income. Is VR the future? I'll let the market dictate that. Should it be the future in your home? I think so.
I've had a lot more fun with the Oculus Rift than I thought I would, and playing through the launch lineup was more exciting than any console in recent memory. There's something for everyone here, and all of it will feel new and exciting, especially if you're an average consumer who hasn't tried it out at trade shows over the years. We'll have more thoughts on the Vive coming up so you can make a better decision, because all told, you should probably only get one of them, and PlayStation VR doesn't arrive until October.