Oculus rift headset is going to change the entire gaming experience by adding the VR aspect to it. Before gaming was only on the PC screens but now you can get the feel of totally being involved in the game.So without further ado lets dig deeper into this new technology.
With the Virtual Reality making its roots deeper and stronger , different developers have come out with their own versions of the reality headsets and one among them which is towards the high- resolution end is The Oculus Rift.
The Oculus rift headset is developed and manufactured by the Oculus VR. On 26 March 2014, it was acquired by Facebook resulting in the Oculus VR development team operating independently within Facebook in order to achieve its final product – The Oculus Rift.
The Oculus VR team came out with two development kits before the final consumer product was announced and they were the dk1 and dk2 (Click here for a detailed comparison between dk1 and dk2 ).
Specifications of the Oculus Rift
Resolution: 2160 x 1200
Refresh Rate: 90Hz
Field of view: 110 degrees
Tracking area: 5 x 11 feet
Controller: Xbox One controller, Oculus Touch
Requirements:
NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
8GB+ RAM
Compatible HDMI output
2x USB 3.0 ports
Windows 7 or newer versions
Cost: $599+ $199(Oculus Touch Controllers)
Best Buy: www.amazon.com
Reasons to love Oculus Rift
1. Just looking at the gaming aspect of it, after the collaboration of Microsoft with the Oculus team which resulted in a wireless Xbox controller getting shipped with every rift that you order! Yes, the gaming experience is actually going to be way better with the wireless controller and the virtual reality jazz added on to it.
2. The partnership with Microsoft not only added the wireless Xbox one controller in the consumer version box but the compatibility of Windows 10 with the Oculus has made it possible to stream every Xbox one game in the “Virtual Game Room” of the Oculus Rift.
3. The Final Design of the Oculus Rift consumer version hence includes the Oculus Rift headset and a wireless Xbox One controller as promised by the Oculus team in the E3 event held in June 2016.
4. They also disclosed the Oculus touch Prototype in the event hence making the future for Oculus Rift more promising. The Oculus touch is in the market as well, which makes the entire VR experience much more immersive and interactive for users.
Oculus Rift Requirements
Oculus Rift has a few requirements and that could be a drawback for some of us, but once you have got these in your hands then your Oculus is up and ready to take you into Virtual Reality.
1. It is said to support versions of Windows 7 and above, however, a partnership with Microsoft by default meant that upgrading your system to Windows 10 and as of now considering the hype, Windows 10 is the best option(so that you can easily stream every Xbox One games on the Virtual Game Room).
2. Indeed you need to have a beefy system and the bar set for the graphics specification is Nvidia GTX 970 GPU as specified by the Oculus team.
3. Few sources say that later it would support Linux and Mac as well in the future, as of now, it does go well with just the Windows support.
4. That being said, it does require powerful PC specifications.
Oculus Rift Resolution
The Oculus has been powered with the OLED display and has a resolution of 2160 x 1200.The refresh rate is about 90 Hz and hence requires a PC which has beefy specifications because you cannot expect your PC to run slow and the Oculus to give you an awesome experience because that combination is just not going to work well.
Unboxing the Oculus Rift
Well buying the consumer version which would be shipped to you on August 2016 you would get a
- VR headset
- Sensor designed for VR
- Oculus remote
- Cables
- Xbox One controller
- Lucky’s Tale (Game)
However, there might be a few changes in the contents of the box once the Oculus Touch releases.
Content that comes with the Rift
The Oculus Rift’s game catalog contained 30 games during its launch and they included puzzles, adventure, horror and mystery thriller games that are really immersive. You may end up using the gamepad, remote, and mouse or only the gamepad in few games implying that the usage of the input devices totally depends on the kind of games you are playing on your Oculus Rift headset.
However, consumers have felt that there is a need to include motion controllers in order to make the experience much better and immersive because let’s face it, the experience would be immersive if there is involvement of body parts like hands. It is more likely to induce a feeling that you are in another dimension.
Even though you can tell a clear difference between the reality and the VR world, the experience is worth appreciating.
Few games are similar to the ones on the Gear VR and the only good thing about them being on the Gear VR was that you could turn and look around easily but with the Oculus Rift, there is always this fear that you can get entangled in the wires with too much turning around.
The Oculus Rift provides with a variety of games which include the natural locomotion, cockpit locomotion, and artificial locomotion.The fact that all these games actually let you experience things which you might never do in reality or you might be afraid to do them for real makes this VR headset and its games really unique and interesting.
The few games that come in the Oculus Rift Game Catalog are: American Truck Simulator, EVE: Valkyrie, FIRMA, Flight Simulator X (with DLC), GUNJACK, iOmoon, Omega Agent, Prepar3D (with Mod), Radial-G: Racing Revolved, Space Bit Attack, Time Machine VR, Toy Plane Heroes, Valiant, VR Karts, War Thunder, Dreadhalls, Edge of Nowhere, Lucky’s Tale, Into the Dead, Crystal Rift, Albino Lullaby, Adventure Time: Magic Man’s Head Games and the list goes on.
There is always new content to look up to when it comes to the catalog of the Oculus Rift making the headset worth the price you pay.
How do I setup the Oculus Rift?
This question pops up in everyone’s mind and many of us quit by just thinking that the setup process is extremely difficult.Well, it is not as difficult as it may look like. There have been people complaining that the only reason they have been hesitant to buy the rift is because they think it is too complicated to set it up and they might just end up using it less frequently than expected because of the hassles involved in the setup.
I can assure you that setting up the Rift is not a herculean task and you can do it without any issue.
How do I do it, you ask? Well, check out the video and get to know the entire setup process much better.
Will I get motion Sickness while using the Oculus Rift?
This is a common complaint and many of the VR headset developers have been trying to do their best to overcome this issue. Motion Sickness does depend on the person as it varies from person to person. I always felt that motion sickness is something you get used to in your VR headset, but it actually depends more on the games you play.The third person games are much better than the First person games when it comes to avoiding motion sickness. I’m scared of heights so, when I play games where my fear of heights is targeted, I start feeling really sick and want to just throw up. However, my friends do not feel the same way about the same games.
Motion sickness is something that really depends on you and it can even reduce with regular use of the headset. Still, if you are really worried about getting motion sick I do recommend you to try out the demo for the Oculus Rift and then make your choice. But if you have been using the Gear VR or other VR headsets before, then I do not think you would find this issue a deal breaker.
What is Oculus Touch?
The Oculus Touch is yet to release later this year and it will be launched with more than 30 VR games, in which 20 games are going to be brand new which are designed around the usage of the Oculus Touch.
The launch titles include Unspoken, Dead & Buried, Rock Band VR from Harmonix, R Sports Challenge, The Climb(enabled with touch), headsetSerious Sam VR: The Last Hope, Pro Fishing Challenge VR, I Expect You to Die, Giant Cop, Job Simulator and Fantastic Contraption.
These games will be touch enabled and later this year after the release of the touch, team Oculus will be bundling the Oculus Touch with the consumer box which can result in an overall increase in the price of the bundle(Since it now includes the Oculus Touch).
UPDATE: The Oculus Touch was released on December 6, 2016. It is available on Amazon and you can check out the complete review of the Oculus Touch here. In order to make things easier, I would just include my final verdict for the Oculus Touch here which is AMAZING. It is a controller you should get ASAP if you have the money and are willing to spend some extra cash to get a much more interactive VR experience.
Want to buy the Oculus Rift?
There is no doubt that this technology leaves you intrigued and is very addictive. Once you get your hands on it there is a lot to explore as it opens up the world with new visuals and dimensions.
I recommend buying this once you have met the PC requirements(that being the only limitation) needed for it and I think it is one of the headsets which you could possibly get in the year 2017. Do check out the customer reviews on Amazon and in the case you have any further questions or queries, leave them in the comment section below and I would be happy to help!
I would go all in for the Rift, What about you??
This definitely sounds like an amazing experience. There’s been a lot of hype about VR lately, understandably. It really makes it seem like the future is here.
I’ve heard there’s a theme park with a VR roller coaster. That must be intense!
I can see a lot of people getting hooked on the experience. I guess that’s the main downside of this technology.
Yeah true!! 2016 is an exciting year for virtual reality! And I hope it really turns out to be good!!
I’ve heard a lot about the Oculus Rift headsets. YouTube gamers love the Oculus Rift, in that it manifests easily made content with tremendous attention.
Obviously, the Oculus Rift headset looks astounding. I’m definitely not considered a gamer, but I do get the occasional craving to get a few matches in.
I learned a lot of new information in your review that’s making me want to get my hands on the Oculus Rift more than ever. Realizing that I already have all the requirements needed to use the headset imposes way more consideration in deciding if it suits me. The resolution specs and stories behind the development of Oculus Rift was also informative. Thank you and well done!
Thankyou Dalton
Glad I could Help!!
I have been thinking about getting this for some time now. It seems still pricey to me, but I think it would be worth it. Seems like so much fun and it is really cool, the technology behind it. I have watched videos and it looks like a lot of fun, but if you play scary games, it may feel to real! That`s not a bad thing, I`m just a chicken and not sure I could handle it 🙂
You could always try out the google cardboard or even make one at home and check out the VR world!
I really think is something IMPRESSIVE that we have VR now accesible to anyone who wants it. No doubt about it: the future is here! I’m interested in the oculus rift and also on the future PS4 VR addition, and all of this is just the beginning…what will come later?? One can just wait and see the wonders!
You should actually see the graphics on the rift, Vive and gear VR , it is pretty dope!
Hello Shre!, The Dawn of the age of VR Gaming and the VR Experience. Every day I log on to my steam account I can’t help but notice all the new VR titles stacking up. I work in Retail and we sell the Samsung VR headset which actually has been clearing off the shelf. The Occulus Rift has been heralded as the next coming of Gaming experience and I can’t wait to see what it produces. Maybe this round they will get it right? sure looks that way!
Yes, Oculus Rift is going to do much better hopefully with the Oculus Touch around the corner.I hope the release is just on time rather than the same routine of them changing the release date and the consumers getting frustrated.
I really hope that it does better or at least as good as the Vive. Oculus can really be something more than a VR novelty and I think it would be proving that in the coming few months.
This is pretty awesome stuff. I had benefit of the country and when I came back I went to buy a new phone. When I went there was a big sign with this that said VR on it and I was like “What the heck is that!?!” Then the guy explained it to me. He had GREAT things to say about it. However, I am very frugal with my money so I was a little hesitant. He sounded like a huge gamer and sounded like he enjoyed these things a ton! It gave him joy to talk about it. So if you are a gamer, this sounds like the new up and coming things. I love learning new things about technology so thank you for helping me keep up with the culture!
No problem Erika,
The VR headsets are basically trending really quick and the three major companies(Oculus, Vive and the PlayStation VR) are doing their best to get their VR headsets on the top of the game.
So there are literally shelves that are being emptied on the gaming stores as people are really interested in buying these.You wont believe the rate at which the pre orders of the yet to be released Sony VR headset has been sold out!
Pretty good post on the OR. I really do like the potential that VR has and the hype around it is crazy.
I have been thinking of upgrading my PC so that I can pick up a VR headset. What sort of Graphics card and RAM card should I get?
Also, Which VR headset do you think is better? The OR or the HTC vive
As of now, before the release of the Oculus Touch, I would recommend the Vive. Once the Oculus Touch comes out, there needs to be a revaluation to be done as many sources have been saying that the Oculus Touch is really accurate, sensitive and can prove to be a bit better than the Vive wand controllers.
The requirements of the PC are
Graphics Card-GeForce GTX 970 or aboveCPU- Intel Core i5 4590 or greater.RAM- 8GB or more.
These are quite beefy specs and I think the much powerful your laptop specs are, the easier it gets to work with these VR headsets
It’s an awesome item, extremely snazzy. Toward the starting somewhat disappointed with oculus establishment, however after a little research, and having this sort of issues before with different antivirus I discovered the arrangement. Possibly as of now everyone would know as of now. You simply need to impair McAfee and introduce Oculus.
Hi Carlton
Yes, I too have heard of how the anti – virus interferes with the Oculus and the solution to it is to either add it to the trusted programs in the anti-virus software or maybe even deactivate the anti virus for a while(though this may not be safe).
I have even heard that changing the anti-virus software helps as well!
The Oculus Rift headset looks awesome and it is interesting to know Facebook have acquired it. What is the game lineup for it and will all games be produced by Microsoft? For people that wear glasses would the Oculus Rift headset work or is that not recommended. Would love to trial one of these hopefully my local game shop has one soon.
The games that come along with the Rift has been mentioned in the post above and for more you could always check out the Oculus center to get a better idea and individual game based review.
It works with glasses, however, it seems like a better option when it comes to pairing up with glasses than the Vive.
I think it should really come down in price, once the market is full of these high end VR headsets.
Hi , thanks for your review, Virtual Reality devices have a lot going for them now, I have try the Samsung gear and it was a nice experience. About the oculist rift , can I used it with any console or PC? Because I love the freedom of using it with any device.
Hi Jonel
You can use the Oculus Rift with your PC and the Sony VR headset is more console based.If you have a PS4 console then I highly recommend you getting the Sony VR headset, though there might be a slight gap when it comes to their indiviual specs.
For using the Oculus RIft you need to have certain PC requirements which I have mentioned above and once you get them right, you can easily use it with you desktop or laptop.
Hope this helps 🙂
Been wanting to try Oculus since I first heard about it, but, unfortunately never had a chance, yet.
Motion sickness is what really concerns me, as I think I’ll be prone to it. And also the price – I believe it’s still too high. How soon do you think it will drop and how low it will become? I’d give it a year maybe, before it goes down to around $250-300, or even less.
Btw, do you know if it’s suitable for kids under the age of 10? How well do they react to it and are there any VR-ready games for kids?
Hi Dmitriy
I think motion sickness depends on the games and is something which you will get used to, taking breaks also helps avoid motion sickness for beginners.
Thinking about the price, yes, it is too high and you can wait for the price to go down which I think will happen once the PS VR hits the market.
I think it can go to about $350 because that is something near to the PS VR range, however you can never tell.Looking at the falling prices of Gear VR, I think the Oculus can fall in the range you described.
I hope this helps 🙂
The article is pretty good, but what about health?
In the past people already descided that games where the cause of mental distrubances like killings in real life cause they played a game who let them. Now that the boundary has thinned more and more, wouldn’t people get more affected this way?
People need to understand the difference between a game and real life. Moral Policing cannot be done for adults all the time. One has to be responsible!
Hi Shrey. What a great article ! Honestly I have tried a VR headset and I was really impressed. But now that I read your article about Oculus Rift, I see that headset I’ve used was just a candle in the wind 🙂 . I find the Oculus very interesting and I am sure it’s a lot of fun, although the price is….. from another reality :), but I guess when you want the good stuff you pay for it and I agree. So, I have already came up with a plan of saving money to buy one ! Thanks for the great info ! Good luck !
True, the price of the rift is actually a bit much but if you are really interested in VR,you could try to buy it together with a friend so that the expense gets divided. It is really worth the money since it does provide one of the best VR experiences.
Try out the demo in a few stores and then you could easily understand all the hype about the Oculus Rift. Hope you buy this one soon and let me know your experience. Thanks.
Hi
thanks for taking the time to review this product. I have had many questions about it, but never had anyone to turn to. Id like to ask if you know if the Oculus Rift will be compatible with the new Project Scorpio console coming out this year?
Thanks in advance
Jonathan
Well, I think it would be because of the microsoft partnership and mainly Oculus Rift is the reason for the Project Scorpio. I’m pretty sure everyone is going to be thrilled with the Project Scorpio release and it would definetly better hte VR experience.
Now this is how you do a review! Not only do you start with the specs, which are a critical part of a review when it comes to technology, but you go into depth with how to use it, its requirements so people don’t waste their money, and why you love it. This review is impressive, and even for somebody who didn’t consider the Oculus before, gave me enough knowledge to realize its potential.
Thanks Carson! It was wonderful knowing that this page gave you all the information you needed. I try to give a review as detialed as possible!