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Rift and Vive pros and cons, from a DK2 owner

ThreeDeeVision
Superstar
I have had the DK2 for over a year and used it countless hours in pretty much every game that supported it (mostly Elite, Flyinside FSX, DiRT Rally, Euro Truck Sim 2, Live For Speed).  I feel like it really got me ready for the first consumer HMDs as I am able to spend hours in both standing and seated experiences.  So without further ado, here are some thoughts about the HMDs.

Setup - Both the Rift and the Vive are very easy to set up, just follow the on-screen directions provided by the configuration programs and you will be up and running in no time.  The Vive setup is of course a bit more involved as you will most likely mount your lighthouse stations using the provided kit (took me about 10 minutes to mount both in opposing corners of my room).  Cable lengths were sufficient in both the Rift and the Vive kits, although the Rift tracking camera cable wasn't as long as I had expected.  You would definitely need an extension to set up the camera away from the PC any significant distance (like in an opposing corner setup).  The IPD adjustments are awesome on both HMDs, it is way nice to be able to set it on the fly.

Tracking - Both tracking solutions feel very solid from what I have tested and I haven't lost tracking at all on either HMD or the Vive wands.  The HMD cable is a little longer on the Vive, so that is nice for moving about your space in room-scale.  The Rift camera is greatly improved over the DK2 and it looks good as well.  The lighthouse stations seem to scan my playable area very nicely and I have tracked my controllers from the floor to the ceiling throughout.  Due to the fact the Vive ships with the tracked controllers, which are key to mapping out your playable space and interacting with objects in VR, I give the edge to the Vive in the tracking department.  The room-scale experiences I have tried thus far have completely sold me on it.  Rift gets a nod for making their tracking camera bad ass and adding tracking LEDs to the back of the HMD so one camera can do a heck of a lot.  And later this year when the Touch comes out, the Rift users will be able to get in on the room-scale fun.  It is key to be able to map out your playable area though, as it allows you to safely flail about with tracked controllers and not punch your monitor or TV :).  

Comfort - The Rift gets the nod in the comfort department.  Although the Vive has proven to be comfortable for long sessions, it just isn't as comfortable as the Rift.  You can tell Oculus went the extra mile in making it as light weight, balanced, and breathable as possible.  The over-ear headphones are more comfortable than earbuds as well.  The Rift's padding is a little less thick and less plush than the Vive's, but it doesn't press on your face as much as the Vive, so the friction on the face is pretty similar (both give you ski goggle face).  The Rift's headphones are a great feature because they are quick to adjust, high quality, and comfortable.  The Vive earbuds have a little nob on the right one so it is easy to put them in the right ear, which is nice so you aren't fumbling around.

Lens/Screen quality - Both use frensel lenses, although the Rift lenses have finer grooves.  Both HMD's experience some lens flaring in high contrast situations.  Elite is a great game to test this out due to the bright HUD elements and dark cockpit.  I would say the flaring is similar in both HMDs in the same situations.  The Rift has a slight edge in clarity, as the finer lens grooves and distance from lens to the screen really mitigate the screendoor effect in the sweet spot.  The Vive has a slight edge in FOV and contrast as the darks seem a little darker and brights seem a little brighter.  The lenses on the Vive are a little larger, which seem to help the FOV as well.  Both HMDs are a big step up from the DK2 in clarity and I have experienced immersion like I never have before.  The content is good enough and the screendoor is mitigated enough you hardly notice it now.  I would be hard pressed to pick one over the other based on screen quality alone.

Nose Gap - I have a medium-sized nose and there is a slight nose gap on the Rift.  The Vive has a flap that rests on your nose, so there is absolutely no leakage.  I don't find myself needing to glance out of it much though. 

Storefront/Launch Titles - Both Oculus and SteamVR have great selections at launch.  The amount of free content you get for both HMD's is nice and gets you off to a great start.  The experiences are all very polished and it feels like a consumer grade experience in both Oculus Home and SteamVR ecosystems.  Oculus has some highly polished games and experiences but the amount of compelling room-scale content Steam has put together gives them the edge at the moment.  This will become moot later on this year when Touch releases and both Oculus and Steam provide more room-scale experiences.  Many Oculus demos are better standing, and it will be a very natural thing to start taking those first steps.  I have comfortably taken many steps in my little 2.5x2 meter area and it allows for many VR interactions that were never possible before.

All in all, it would be impossible for me to choose one HMD over the other.  The Rift has the edge in comfort, clarity and ease of use, but the Vive has the edge in FOV, contrast, and being the more complete VR solution.  The Touch would make this decision even harder.  Room-scale is going to be big though.  It is really the next step in VR evolution.  
i7 5960X @ 3.8 GHz | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 PC2800 | GTX Titan X Pascal | Win 10 64 bit | Asus ROG PG348Q | EVGA X99 Classified
175 REPLIES 175

Great to read your reviews @ThreeDeeVision, it's what I've been waiting for. As you say, it's not a complete comparison until the Rift is complete with Touch. The one thing that will seal the deal for me is the question I'm going to ask you in a month or 2's time.... which HMD have you used the most !!!

RedRizla
Honored Visionary
When you say a big step up from DK2, would you say the CV1 is 30% less blurry then DK2? I'm just trying to gauge how clear things are in CV1. Nice review though.

ThreeDeeVision
Superstar
@DaftnDirect I can already tell I will be using the Vive more out of the gate.  Since I got it set up yesterday I have been going through all of the various room-scale content and it is simply amazing.  Eventually I will have the Rift set up with a gaming cockpit and will use it for all my seated VR and the Vive will have its own room space for all the room-scale content.  This will of course even out as I spend time hauling trailers in Euro Truck Sim 2 and space trucking in Elite.
i7 5960X @ 3.8 GHz | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 PC2800 | GTX Titan X Pascal | Win 10 64 bit | Asus ROG PG348Q | EVGA X99 Classified

maxpare79
Trustee

lovethis said:

When you say a big step up from DK2, would you say the CV1 is 30% less blurry then DK2? I'm just trying to gauge how clear things are in CV1.


you shouldn't, you will only end up being disappointed if you try to put a number on it.
I am a spacesim/flightsim/racesim enthusiast first 🙂 I9 9900k@5.0, 32gb RAM/ 2080ti Former DK2, Gear VR,CV1 and Rift S owner

Shadowmask72
Honored Visionary
The biggest con of them all is the fact the Touch controllers aren't available at launch which is a shame really, because if they were then other than exclusives (software) what reason is there to get one HMD over the other aside from brand loyalty. The problem with comfort and perceived differences in screens is that it's quite subjective and determined by the shape of the user's head. One person posted that the Vive weight almost broke his neck after prolonged play, yet you're saying it's comfortable enough.

Anyhow thanks for posting but I'm really not happy that you got both now and yet I am still waiting...for what seems like an eternity after pre-ordering.


System Specs: MSI NVIDIA RTX 4090 , i5 13700K CPU, 32GB DDR 4 RAM, Win 11 64 Bit OS.

ThreeDeeVision
Superstar
@lovethis It is really tough to put a percentage on it, but if we were talking about the difference between no screen door at all and the DK2, I would say it is more like 50% better on the Rift and 45% on the Vive.  It is still there if you look for it, but many experiences make that little bit of screendoor melt right away.  
i7 5960X @ 3.8 GHz | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 PC2800 | GTX Titan X Pascal | Win 10 64 bit | Asus ROG PG348Q | EVGA X99 Classified

RedRizla
Honored Visionary

maxpare79 said:


lovethis said:

When you say a big step up from DK2, would you say the CV1 is 30% less blurry then DK2? I'm just trying to gauge how clear things are in CV1.


you shouldn't, you will only end up being disappointed if you try to put a number on it.


I won't, I'm not expecting it to be a hugh difference, but I'd like some idea.

RedRizla
Honored Visionary


@lovethis It is really tough to put a percentage on it, but if we were talking about the difference between no screen door at all and the DK2, I would say it is more like 50% better on the Rift and 45% on the Vive.  It is still there if you look for it, but many experiences make that little bit of screendoor melt right away.  


That's good enough for me. Thanks!

ThreeDeeVision
Superstar
The frensel lenses of course light flare a bit, so there is some give and take for that mitigation of screendoor.
i7 5960X @ 3.8 GHz | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 PC2800 | GTX Titan X Pascal | Win 10 64 bit | Asus ROG PG348Q | EVGA X99 Classified