Oculus Rift - Reviews
(4.5)
702 reviews
Info
Reviewbucket.co.uk scanned the internet for Oculus Rift reviews.
You can find all Oculus Rift reviews and ratings on this page.
Analysis
For Oculus Rift, 702 customer reviews collected from 1 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.5.
Detailed seller stats;
Amazon has 702 customer reviews and the average score is 4.5. Go to this seller.
Detail
2.11.2018
This turned out to be a massive review but I'd like to think it's full of useful information. I've summarised a number of points at the bottom of the review if you haven't got time to read the whole lot though!My first VR experience was with the Gear VR and a Samsung S7 Edge - another VR headset that was made by Oculus. Unfortunately my experience with that product gave me a fairly negative impression of what VR gaming was like and as a result I didn't even consider purchasing an Oculus Rift, especially considering it originally shipped with an X-Box controller and only offered seated gaming experiences.It was about 6 months ago (May 2018)when my friend at work said he'd just purchased the Oculus Rift with touch controllers as it had come down in price to £399. He was very excited about how awesome some of the games that came with it were, and, that it was leagues above any mobile VR. I didn't know anything about the touch controllers but soon came to realise that these would definitely make the VR experience truly magical.I bit the bullet and decided to buy the Oculus Rift with Touch controllers. Unfortunately it was out of stock in a lot of places (including Amazon) so on this occasion I purchased it elsewhere but I thought I would share my review on it here anyway.Before my purchase I read up on the requirements first as there's a few things you definitely need to be able to use it properly.Firstly, you'll need a fairly high end gaming PC with at least a Geforce GTX 960, Intel i3-6100 CPU and 8GB of RAM (or equivalent AMD parts). You really don't want to be running it on the minimum specs if you can avoid it because newer games are almost certainly going to require faster components for better performance and/or graphics quality. These specs are required to be able to output a constant 90fps to the Oculus Rift headset otherwise it can negatively affect your experience. If your computer can't maintain 90fps the Oculus Rift will use a feature called Asynchronous Spacewarp which will try to smooth the frame rate by inserting 'predicted' frames. This technology certainly helps users with slower graphics cards but it's not perfect and it's definitely better to have a more powerful GPU. Your GPU will also need a spare HDMI port to plug the Rift into.Secondly, you need at least 3x USB 3.0 ports. This is because the headset requires one and the two provided Oculus 'constellation' sensors also require 1 each. The sensors are essentially special infra-red cameras that track the position of the headset and touch controllers in your play area. If you use your mobile phone camera to look at the Oculus Rift headset and touch controllers when they are turned on you will see they are covered in glowing IR emitters and this is what the sensors track. I didn't have enough ports on my PC to connect the Rift and sensors to so I ended up needing to purchase an add in card. I used this Inateck 4 port one from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inateck-Superspeed-Ports-PCI-Expansion/dp/B00B6ZCNGM/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1541191580&sr=8-8&keywords=inateckWhen I purchased the Rift it was nice to see it arrives in a box with a carry handle and moulded areas to secure the various components. This basically means you can store the Rift in its box and also safely transmit it around if you want... mine hasn't gone back in the box since purchase though and has stayed permanently set up!Installation was really easy it was just a matter of connecting the devices to the PC and downloading and installing the Oculus software (which is about 5 gigs and take a while to download). The wizard then helps you to set up the rest.For what's called 'room scale' VR you will need a reasonably sized play area, preferably at least 2m x 1.5m. You can get away with a smaller area but some games won't support it properly. When setting up the Rift you define your 'guardian system' by using a touch controller to draw the limits of your play area. Once this has been done you will see a blue grid appear in VR and if you move your controllers towards any of your defined boundaries and this should prevent you from hitting things outside of the play area by showing you a blue grid... I must admit in the panic of being swarmed by zombies I've hit things likes walls and tables outside of the guardian zone though because I've inadvertently ignored the blue grid in a state of panic!If I have any recommendations for room scale VR, it is to mount the sensors quite high up (like near the ceiling, looking down on the play area) and the additional purchase of another Oculus Rift sensor. This additional Rift sensor goes in the rear of your play area in one corner. This additional sensor will also require another USB port, but I believe it can be a USB 2.0 port if you don't have any spare USB 3.0 ones. I found the room scale was a bit hit and miss until I purchased the additional sensor and this is because when you have your back to the 2 front sensors it struggles to track you properly so your virtual hand will just drift off into the wilderness until you move back into view of the sensors. It's also much easier to pick up virtual items off the virtual floor if you have the 3rd sensor.The Oculus Rift with Touch Controllers bundle comes with a few awesome games and demos to get you started in the world of VR. I personally found the introduction demo 'First Contact' absolutely mind blowing. I've shown that to all my friends and family and they were also blown away. It's just a 5-10 min tech demo of how you can use the Touch Controllers in VR but it's simply amazing. Robo Recall is awesome too, where you basically go on a mission recalling malfunctioning robots by blowing them to pieces or ripping them apart. Dead and Buried is gunslinger show down game which was really cool but I struggled to find many players online. I had a similar problem with Echo Arena, awesome game just not many other online players.A few of my favourite games that I highly recommend are:- Lone Echo (space adventure game... think Half-Life in space)- Arizona Sunshine (zombie apocalypse shooter.. hilarious fun with your mates!)- Pavlov (Counter Strike in VR)- Brass Tactics (RTS game)- Creed (Boxing game where you fight opponents.. or your mates!)- BoxVR (Fitness game when you punch moving items)- The Climb (Rock climbing simulator with awesome scenic graphics)- Skyrim (Skyrim but in VR!)- Fallout 4 (Fallout 4 but in VR!)- The Forest (Survival game on a desert island with cannibals. Quite terrifying at times!)- Loads of others.. too many to listI personally feel that the Oculus Rift has completely transformed by PC gaming experience for the better. Once I put the headset on it transports me to somewhere else and the Touch controllers really add to the immersion. I have far less desire to play games in 'pancake mode' any more too. My Oculus Rift has been used heavily in the last 6 months and I think it's been worth every penny. I really wish I bought it sooner!I don't suffer from VR motion sickness but it does affect quite a lot of people so it might be advisable to try before you buy, if you can. I do find the screen door effect (seeing the pixels that make up the screen) and god rays (rays of light that are really noticeable where there's heavy contrast - i.e., white text on black background) a little distracting but these still exist even with top of the range products such as the Vive Pro. It's still early technology - you just have to accept that's the way it is at the moment.I've just realised I've waffled on forever here so I best summarise now(!)Pros:- Totally immersive gaming experience, unlike anything you will have ever experienced before- Great selection of games now and more being released almost daily- Touch controllers are a truly awesome bit of kit. They feel comfortable in the hands and generally track well in the Virtual space- Touch controllers use AA batteries so can be swapped out when needed. They also seem to last for ages.- Product seems to be well made and the supplied box can be used as a carry case- Lower system requirements than other tethered VR experiences (i.e HTC Vive/Pro etc.)- Some cool Oculus exclusive titles such as Lone Echo- It's still the cheapest tethered solution, even if it is somewhat expensiveNeutral:- I found mounting the sensors up near the ceiling and pointing down on the play area made a big difference. (I used these https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N4IOQP6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)Cons:- VR is still expensive but this is the best value solution you can get for the PC- Requires a fairly high-end PC with a decent GPU and CPU- Requires 3x USB 3.0 ports (I needed to purchase this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inateck-Superspeed-Ports-PCI-Expansion/dp/B00B6ZCNGM/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1541191580&sr=8-8&keywords=inateck)- Ideally needs an additional sensor for 360 degree room scale to work (which also requires an additional USB port)- Not a lot of online players for multi player games. I'd highly recommend you try to meet up with one or more of your friends for hours of laughs and fun.- Some games purchased on Oculus store may not work with Steam versions- It's tethered to the PC so you always need to be aware of the cable- God rays and screen door effect are noticeable and will bother some usersTotally awesome bit of kit. I can't live without it now!
Read more..
21.2.2019
If you are thinking about getting a VR headset, here is my view and some things to consider.If you have tried Google Cardboard or any of the other mobile phone headsets out there and not been impressed, You won't be.They are a not a true representation of "Proper" VR. These types of devices track your head rotation only, there is no "translation" awareness, so you cannot move around (Forward, Backwards, Left, Right, Up or Down), you are fixed in position. You are free to "look around" only."Proper VR" has the ability to let you move around freely within your enthronement in all 6 degrees of movement, the extra ingredient that brings VR to life if the inclusion of your hands in the environment.THis give you the ability to interact naturally with object withing the environment. something a phone device has absolutely no way to provide.Personally I have an Oculus Rift, it has an isolated (zero-crosstalk) stereoscopic display which uses image distortion and fish-eye lenses to achieve an wide field of view. This is a big deal, it adds tremendously to the sense of immersion. You really feel like you are "inside" the virtual space, and have an accurate sense of where objects are in relation to you, depth wise. The hand trackers are so perfectly positioned, you do not, (And cannot), see them in the real world when wearing the HMD, but just moving your hand naturally to the position you see in the virtual world, you will be able to pick them up! That in itself is impressive.The PC needed to power this headset also needs to be fairly substantial and requires a dedicated 3D graphics card, but then any PC game these days worth its salt requires that. the more powerful the better the experience though. I think the minimum specification GPU is an Nvidia 960, but this will not run the most demanding games at their best graphic ability. I'd recommend a minimum an Nvidia 1080ti for the GPU.The "Elephant in the room" : Some experiences WILL make you feel sick. Its something they are working on. Some games have solved it, some haven’t.It all depends on weather the game or experience you are using has was is known a "free locomotion" or not. long with the frame-rate the graphics are delivered.Free locomotion allows you to "glide" around your environment smoothly just by pushing the hand controller joystick in the direction you wish.This sounds great, but in VR it is very confusing for you brain/vestibular system to correlate their differing inputs and as a result motion sickness can be felt.It does need to be said that this is a "beginner" symptom, and with regular "training" you will overcome this feeling and gain you "VR legs" so to speak!It's not a question of “Does a VR headset actually feel realistic?”. The only question is if you are ready for such a jump in technology.This is NOT Nintendo Wii 3.0 or XBox X-5 or PS 5! This is NOT an updated console system or fun little gadget. This is something different.Something you have never experienced before. It's another dimension. The future of gaming and home entertainment.For me, its the most amazing thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of being a part of, and cant wait to see where this will go.When I first got it, the only way I could explain it to people was that its just blows your mind and is an absolute game changer in every way.No amount of watching YouTube videos of people using a Rift, or me saying "it is good", can't relay the feeling of of actually wearing and being in the headset.I read recently that 2/3 of the population still don’t know that VR even exists or think its just a gimmick and are reluctant to take that step into VR.To that I say, after Mark Zuckerburg was shown the Oculus Rift, he immediately offered $4,000,000,000, (Yes 4 Billion dollars!), to buy the company.Now that is a response!!Regarding the price of getting started with VR, people often say it is "too expensive". Depending on your needs, VR is not “too expensive”.If you have a relatively recent generation smartphone (last ~3 years or so), you can buy a Google Cardboard (or similar) adapter for as little as £1For a step up, you can get something like a Google Daydream or Samsung Gear VR. They both still need a smartphone, but they are both under £100.You can get an entry level all-in-one system like an Oculus Go for £200. Still not terribly expensive.Now all three of these systems are entry level, and as with all things in life you largely "get what you pay for."For someone that has never experienced VR, all three can deliver something exciting, but it is not "true", full immersion VR.Over the £200 price point, things get a little more interesting...You have Playstation VR for about £350, or less if you already have a PS4.After that, you get into things like the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality. Those range from £200 to ~£600, but you need a pretty beefy PC to run them. The total cost is £1200 – £1800, which is starting to be expensive, granted, but not ridiculous. If you have a PC that can be upgraded (you can often just upgrade the graphics card) you’re looking at £500-£800 all in.For this amount of money, you get a top notch immersive VR system that can cover an area as large as 15′ x 15′ (4.5m x 4.5m), which is pretty big.You’ll be free to walk around that entire space within a virtual environment.VR can provide some escapism, exposure to new things, engagement, excitement along with everything else you can get from other media, books to a movie or video game. In my opinion, and according to the growing body of academic research, VR is more immersive than other media. In other words, you can, and will, get more engrossed in what you are doing when in VR.Estimates show about 6 million units have been shipped of higher end systems (PSVR, Vive, Rift, Windows Mixed Reality).At the other end of the spectrum, Google cardboard alone was over 10 million units!That’s comparable to a gaming console like Sega’s Dreamcast, and ahead of Nintendo’s Wii U. And we’re only a couple of years in to VR.Uses for VR at home span the range from educational/practical to pure fun, but many of those uses combine a little of both.On the practical side, there are a variety of things you can do in VR at home:Visit real places around the globe — see VR Travel: 10 Ways To See the World From Your Living RoomVisit real places on other planets — see Mars: Curiosity RoverImmerse yourself in a concert LIVE with NextVRHelp house-bound seniors deal with depression and isolation with Virtual Reality for SeniorsVisit museums with Amazing virtual museum toursExplore a new kitchen with Virtual Reality from IKEAWatch news feeds from around the globe with 360 video.On the fun games and experiences front, whilst there certainly is plenty of "shovelware" on Steam (and to a lesser extent Oculus Home), there are plenty of great experiences to be had from both stores.My personal favourite VR games/experiences which have given me many hundreds of hours of fun include:-Skyrim VR, Lone Echo, Arizona Sunshine, Assetto Corsa, Battlezone, Brass Tactics, DCS World, Dead and Buried, Echo Arena, Elite Dangerous, Lucky's Tale,Minecraft, Onward, Project Cars II, Robo Recall, Superhot VR, Willson's Heart, Google Earth VR, Farlands, Sparc.I could go on, but think I'm doing that already :-)I would argue that no gaming system in history has ever had a line-up so involving, exciting and physically jaw dropping at times, and the best is still yet to come :)I have played many games in VR but I have been extremely impressed by the conversion of the Skyrim from Bethesda to VR.Even though these are not perfect conversions, as they were not "built for VR" in the first instance, and you will run into bugs or oddities, they nevertheless convey a world you can get completely lost in. I regularly spend 8 or more hours per session, but it feels fleeting!You have a huge world around you that when you play in flat-screen is nice but its like watching a movie, now replaying it in VR it feels strange, almost like a religious experience at times. You stand on the top of a mountain and look out over the land and all its majesty, but its all just code, realistic looking code, you are left with a feeling like you are in the matrix.I am still awed and find myself sat with my mouth open, by the vistas presented in Skyrim (Modded to hilt of course).I am that Barbarian with a hunting bow in hand, crossing Tamriel in search of adventure ;-)All in all, it is the biggest leap forward in home entertainment since the Atari 2600!If you can, buy one, I whole heartedly recommend it, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Read more..
18.10.2016
Oculus Rift – a lot of money for sure, an extra £190 for the Touch controllers, a £1000 computer to run the Rift….sounds crazy doesn’t it? Let me tell you though, if you have the money, the Rift is worth every penny.To be fair, I already had a machine powerful enough to run the Oculus system but even so, an outlay of £700 (including the Touch controllers) is still significant. However, world-leading VR was never going to be cheap and whatever they may tell you about the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift is better and, even with buying an extra sensor for ‘room scale’ VR, is about the same price as the Vive.So, what makes the Rift so good? The simple answer is to find a store demo and go and try it,then you’ll understand. However, in case you live far from the nearest demo, here are the salient points and pros and cons:The Pros1. The Rift is totally convincing, once you allow your brain to take over. You really will believe you are standing on a skyscraper gantry hundreds of feet up; in fact, many people immediately grasp for something to hold onto as they feel themselves about to fall.2. The Rift’s head tracking is smooth and utterly reliable. It is also easy to set up and, unlike the Vive, does not require you to purchase an electric drill to make holes in the wall. The Rift sensor simply sits on your desk.3. The whole setup takes less than an hour. Took me just 33 minutes.4. The infamous ‘God rays’ that people complain about are almost unnoticeable. If you had a DK2 headset, forget it; the Rift is a hundred times better.5. The resolution is as excellent as possible, though there is still slight blurring around the edges, as there is with any device that uses a Fresnel lens.6. The Rift is super light. The HTC Vive on the other hand, feels like a brick. You can spend hours in the Rift. Try that with a Vive and you will have a massive headache and sore neck.7. The sound from the built in headphones (which are easily removed if preferred) is superb. Almost too high a quality to be credible but credible it is.8. The built-in microphone is high quality and crystal clear and appears to have noise-cancelling qualities.9. The headset itself is amazing to wear and, given the technology involved, well worth the significant substantial outlay.10. The included wireless xBox controller makes for easy control of games, while the Oculus BigScreen application (it’s free) enables you to sit in a totally convincing virtual cinema and watch any type of movie (or anything else) through the Rift headset.2D, 3D - no problem; and it feels just as though you were sitting in a real cinema…but thankfully without all the sweet and crisp packet-scrunching idiots around you who normally disturb your viewing. If you don’t like your seat, you can go sit in a different one! Watching a 3 hour blockbuster in 3D on the big screen in my own private cinema was no effort at all. No headache, no discomfort, fabulous sound; just slightly annoying that there was no usherette and I had to break halfway to get my own drink!21. With the free applications available from Oculus Home, you can even go and sit in someone else’s room and talk to them, or set up your own room for others to join. Either way, they will be sitting next to you and you’ll find yourself turning to talk to their virtual ‘head’. Honestly, you can’t resist it!The ConsActually, there are not many:1. The headset takes a little getting used to, rather like a new pair of shoes. Once adjusted properly however (there are many ways to adjust it specifically for your head) the Rift headset is as easy to put on and take off as a baseball cap; honestly.2. Unlike the Vive, there is thankfully a slight ventilation space under the nose which prevents any restriction on breathing and also ensures minimal misting-up of the lenses. Again however, it takes a little time to get used to but once familiar with the Rift, you really won’t notice its presence.3. That’s it.What about Oculus Touch?The Touch controllers will be released on December 6th. They look futuristic and are apparently so well designed that anyone can pick them up and more or less immediately control the virtual hands that are attached to your brain.If I get a chance to review the Oculus Touch, I will publish a subsequent review; I already suspect however that the Touch controllers will be of the same high quality as the Oculus Rift headset. It is simply about how or even if you personally feel the need to ‘touch’ things in VR.The truth is however, reaching out and touching is the first – and totally natural – thing you want to do, just as a child does when exploring new experiences.VR however actually makes you WANT to reach out and touch simply everything…which means that VR is incomplete without hand controllers.The Vive ‘wands’ are OK but not in the same league as Oculus Touch when it come to interactivity and naturalness of use. That much is clear just from looking at the Touch controllers. Who wants to carry two sticks around when you can have Oculus controllers that form part of your hands?The question really is whether or not the Rift controllers can be used with non-touch specific games/applications and, crucially, whether they offer you added value. Such value is of course dependent on the games or applications you use.For example, I participate in online motor racing on a semi-professional basis. Consequently, VR for me is the best thing ever. However, for racing I have a specialised steering wheel, gear shift and pedal hardware setup to enable me to race at that level. Virtual hands in that respect would be largely useless.I have also flown real aeroplanes however and love flight simulation. Yes, I have special controls for that as well but, when sitting on the VR flight deck of an A320 Airbus, a pair of ‘virtual hands’ would enable me to fly much more realistically, with hand access to all the many controls around the pilot area.ConclusionMany people say that VR is still evolving and you should wait before spending such a lot of money on Oculus Rift. I totally disagree. You can wait forever. All you will do is miss out on one of the best (and in terms of learning, valuable) entertainment experiences of your life.Including the Touch controllers (assuming they do what they say – I haven’t had the chance to review them yet but will let you know if I do) and assuming you already have a powerful gaming computer, £700 is very reasonable for what you get; both in terms of the advanced technology and more importantly, the experiences that will entertain, inform and thrill you.Sitting in my racing car simulator now FEELS almost the same as when I first drove a real Formula 3 car. Your brain fills in the gaps where the G-force should be. Looking out of my aeroplane cockpit window FEELS real. Sitting in the cockpit of a fictional space-fighter at a star base in a fictional galaxy FEELS real. Totally. Absolutely. And the possibilities are endless as more developers design new experiences and games.So often, you don’t get much for £700 nowadays (paid for a football ticket or an F1 ticket lately??) but in my view, Oculus Rift is worth every penny.Even if you decide against buying the controllers – which means missing out on having a ‘complete’ VR setup - don’t let that put you off buying the Rift headset itself. The experiences you will enjoy are both stunning and exhilarating, whilst the headset itself is comfortable to wear, extremely high quality, effective, highly efficient and in no way intrusive.I must say that I cannot possibly say the same of the Rift’s main competitor, the HTC Vive for reasons outlined above. The Vive may have its fans but personally speaking, I found it heavy, cumbersome, complex to setup (and expensive if you have to buy drills, mountings etc) and truly, unbelievably uncomfortable.The forthcoming PlayStation VR is a cheaper alternative but, as with most cheap things in life, it is cheap for a reason.I thoroughly recommend the Oculus Rift. If you have the money and already have or are prepared to get a sufficiently powerful computer to run it, get yourself an Oculus Rift. Be prepared though for the fact that when you next see or do anything on your computer in ‘boring old 2D’, you will feel dissatisfied and cheated.Oculus Rift VR really is that good.
Read more..
31.1.2018
Having spent around six months contemplating the pros and cons of delving into VR, I finally took the plunge with the Oculus Rift. I spent time reading lots of articles comparing it to the HTC Vive and other VR devices, and watching YouTube videos of owner reviews. Having experienced it for myself now, one question comes to mind: Why didn't I get it sooner?!Let's face it, there are only REALLY two main competitors out there when it comes to experiencing VR on your home PC. Oculus or HTC. And the one thing i've learned during my six months of contemplation is that there are a lot of people who believe that one is "better" than the other. much like the age-old Android/Apple smartphone debate.Ultimately,the specs between the Oculus and the HTC are very much the same, but each device has it's own merits and demerits, as does everything these days.So, why did I go for the Rift? Well, a BIG deciding factor was the price difference between it and the Vive. Aside from the additional tracking sensors and a camera for the chaperone system on the Vive, I really didn't see how it could possibly cost £200 more than the Rift. The additional sensors apparently make for a much better room-scale VR experience, but since I live in a tiny studio flat and only intend to use VR for standing or seated experiences, the Rift is better geared for that out-of-the-box, whereas the Vive would have been overkill for my personal needs, requirements and limitations. Also, the Oculus Touch bundle seemed to offer excellent value for money since the headset package alone costs £80 more. Crazy!Regarding the controllers, it seems that the reviews I had read and watched favoured the Oculus Touch controllers over the Vive controllers, and understandably so. The Touch controllers are smaller and are a comfortable fit in the hand. The buttons, triggers and thumbsticks are naturally placed, and I love how the controller knows what position your fingers and thumbs are in, even if they're not touching any buttons. Each controller takes one AA battery (pack of 2 included in box), and it will last for around 30 hours of gameplay. That's a LOT of gameplay, with experienced owners saying they are replacing controller batteries every 2-3 months.Setup seems fairly straightforward, as long as you have a minimum of 3x3 feet of play area, so the sensors can do their job effectively. Incidentally, I read many reports of people having tracking issues with the Rift. I've not experienced any tracking issues at all so far, and it's had a lot of use over the last couple of weeks. The sensors have also been relocated twice while I was rearranging furniture and making more room, and still i've had no problems. (If, during the setup stage, the software tells you to continue setup in your headset, and you find the setup video continually looping the last few seconds, just restart your computer to solve this issue.)So onto the headset itself. I love the design. Its somewhat smaller and less ugly than the Vive. It's also reportedly lighter, making it more comfortable to wear for long periods. The adjustable straps are durable and comfortable, and the built-in headphones are unbelievably good for their size, and have such good clarity and wide frequency response, with crisp, clear highs and prominent lows. I was expecting to remove them on the first day so i could use my own headphones, but I haven't used any other headphones as yet. They really are that good!The display quality is as to be expected for current VR devices. VR is still in it's infancy, so it will likely still be a couple of years yet before we can expect to see HD resolution in these tiny displays. That said, what i've experienced so far is still nothing short of absolutely mind blowing! Yes you can see individual pixels, but only really if you're thinking about them. Once you're drawn into a VR video or game, you won't be thinking about it. You'll be lost in the immersion of 360 sights and surround sound. I'm using my unit a lot on flight sims, and while cockpit/instrument text can appear grainy, the overall immersive quality is breathtaking, giving you a real sense of height, speed and distance. I've heard that the Vive has a brighter display, but I do wonder HOW much brighter, since I personally wouldn't want the Rift display to be any brighter than it already is. To me, that would be uncomfortable and headache-inducing. Speaking of which, I haven't yet experienced headaches, sickness or dizziness as a result of VR alone. I did initially experience slight nausea the first time I went into a flight sim in VR, but that's something i've gotten used to. Everyone will have their own tolerances and sensitivities, so I would recommend trying out VR first if you've never experienced it, so you can gain some idea of how it might affect you, as well as what it can offer in terms of enjoyment. Lastly, i've heard people complaining about the heat from the headset. At this point i'm lost, because I haven't felt any real heat from the unit. It gets a little warm, but only a bit. It's barely noticeable.I don't know what the microphone quality is like as I haven't used it yet, but the sheer fact that a built-in mic, headphones AND the display itself all runs through a single trailing cable as opposed to the multiple cables on the Vive was another deciding factor for me.The trailing cable from the headset is around 12 feet long, and while it's not really suitable for room scale VR gaming, I am led to believe you can use extension cables up to 16 feet to allow extra freedom of movement. You may want to clarify this prior to purchase, if cable length is a concern to you. The cable terminates into two "tails". One for HDMI connection (which needs to be connected to your graphics card HDMI socket, NOT the motherboard HDMI socket), and a USB 3.0 connection.Both sensors also have USB 3.0 connectivity. Oculus say that both should be connected to USB 3.0 sockets, but subsequent sensors can be connected via USB 2.0. I have one sensor connected to USB 3.0, and the other connected to USB 2.0, and they are both working fine. The setup software even acknowledges and accepts these connections.Finally, there are many places advertising spare parts and accessories for the Rift. It seems most of these items are not readily available through online retailers though, at least not here in the UK. Personally, i'm not worried about that, but if it's readily available parts and accessories you're after, you might want to consider the Vive.I definitely feel I made the right choice with the Rift, and don't regret my purchase one bit. I think if I had spent the extra on the Vive, I would be grossly disappointed. I'm more than happy with my experience so far, and I hope there is more to look forward to in due course.If, like me, you've been wasting time debating this purchase, and you can afford it, hit that buy button! I can't recommend it enough!
Read more..
2.8.2017
*I am a verified purchaser but it has me listed as such on the two separate product pages, rift and touch skus, rather than here for some reason even though I bought this bundle deal - see links to those at end of review*I've owned them all. I had DK2 first (Oculus) way back when things were still early. Then I bought Vive at launch, was one of the first to get it in the UK in fact. I sold it a month later as it wasn't good enough for the very high price. Had terrible ergonomics and lousy sweet spot. In some ways it was an upgrade from DK2 (of course esp the great tracking and the motion controls) but in other ways it felt like just another dev kit.Then to fill the gap while waiting for Gen 2 (initially ignoring rift at the high price and lack of touch controls)I bought PSVR (I can also leave a 'verified purchase review' there if anyone doubts) which was actually really cool in some ways. Nice ergonomics (mostly), cheap, decent lenses, good screens (if not a little low res) but overall I wasn't happy with it because the tracking was really bad, the controls (move wands) weren't that good and the software was limited to whatever Sony allowed.Now comes the Rift, bought while on offer at £399 but even £499 (which it will be going up to soon) is a bargain when taken in context of ALL the competition. I had pretty much sworn off Gen 1 VR after the others and was going to wait for gen 2 (which may be some time now it turns out) but at this price I knew what utter value it was, even if I treated it as an imperfect Gen 1 'dev kit'. The controllers and two sensors alone are 'worth' £300 of anyone's money vs the competition's prices, which leaves the HMD for just £100? WOW!.So I wasn't expecting rift to be as good as it is, after Vive and PSVR had tainted me. I was wrong. It is extremely comfortable when adjust right (and left set - no need to readjust each time as you can pull it free using the spring loaded sides not the straps), it's the lightest of the 3, it's the comfiest of the 3 (even over PSVR which had head weight issues though was comfy on the face). Best of all with rift is the sheer quality of the product, including the controllers, and even the (old sku) packaging (the separate boxes which puts the rift in a lush high quality case - note new orders will get the all in one cardboard box with touch packed into the same box but don't let that you put you off). The feel, the fit and finish, the built in headphones, the touch controls, even the cable itself are all much nicer, higher quality and feel better to use than either Vive or PSVR.To be more technical for a moment, the actual 'in game' view on the rift is by far the best quality out there yet. It is the sharpest, the least SDE, the highest 'sweet spot' (my eyes never leave the focus area unlike Vive where they were constantly seeing blurred edges), it has the best blacks, the fastest performance (ASW helps on low end systems), and by far the best software. Oculus home may be basic vs steam but it is slick and works every time. I've had a ton of issues and crashes with Steam VR (both in Vive and now Rift).The god rays in rift are there but I find them far less annoying than the rings that would light up on the lenses of the Vive (PSVR has no god rays but doesn't compete elsewhere with the PC stuff).FOV is pretty comparable between all 3, even though it's technically vive > rift > psvr. Its such small differences that its more about 'feel' of FOV at this point rather than numbers, and to me the rift is great here. It FEELS natural when I put it on. I forget about the sides/FOV and focus on the VR world. In Vive, while it does allow a little more top and bottom it's like a giant circle which I always found off putting and 'fake'. Give me the rift FOV shape any day. Also because it has a slight reduction on FOV this is why Rift is so much sharper than Vive even at the same res, because Rift has cleverly packed more pixels into the centre where your eyes look most of the time. It gives the impression the rift is running on higher res than the vive! The SDE is far reduced on Rift and feels smooth and uniform, not overly pixely. On Vive it was quite obvious little thought had gone into combatting SDE.Note this is not a 'fanboy' review so I'll appreciate it if there are no fanboy comments. It's an honest review on the differences between systems, I've put my money where my mouth is and bought and used each one before finding these things out. I'm not just repeating this from others on the net. Bear than in mind. Hopefully this may help anyone on the fence.Oh and one last thing, you may hear how Vive is worth double the amount because it's so called 'premium system' but believe me it's not. When it was the only one with proper controls and great tracking? sure, but rift has those too now and way more besides and actually feels premium quality inside and out (and in game). Don't be fooled by that price difference. HTC Vive doesn't have the financial clout to sell as cheaply as rift, the low price of rift is NO reflection on its quality. It's at least twice as good as Vive objectively in all ways that count for VR (except tracking where Vive is king of the hill but rift is no slouch).And remember, to enjoy VR you'll want to actually put it on daily without dreading it, Rift allows that. Vive didn't. I would avoid wearing Vive as it was very clunky (even with the new DAS strap it still can't match Rift + that strap costs another £100 on top of the Vive's already high price).This price is great, believe me you are getting the best of the best for half the price of the rival.Links to my separate product page reviews (Rift and touch) showing my links back to this main review as 'verified purchaser':Rift: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R2MYE3PWO1N6MI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00ZFOGHRGTouch: https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R2TL90WGRA1P9S/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
Read more..
20.11.2016
After spending months researching the Oculus Rift (and saving up sufficient conkers) I finally decided to bite the bullet and order one. As a 40-something lifelong gamer I'm always curious to try out new technologies that can offer a fresh experience to something I've always enjoyed doing as a pastime (I was inline day 1 when the Nintendo 3DS was launched). If you're thinking of getting one you should ask yourself the following questions, as this may help you reach a decision as to whether you will feel it's a piece of technology that will not only make you feel like you got your money's worth (even at £550) but will also be something you will keep using and not just end up back in the box once the "wow" novelty has worn off.1)Do you have a powerful PC?It is very important that your PC be AT LEAST the following specification:Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290 or better.CPU: Intel Core i5 4590 or greater.RAM: 8GB or more.Video port: HDMI 1.3.USB port: 2 USB 3.0 ports.Windows 7 SP1 or newer.You also need to make sure you have the necessary leads to connect your PC to your monitor/tv as the Rift MUST be connect via your graphics card's HDMI port. As my card only had the one HDMI I had to purchase an additional DisplayPort lead to connect my PC to my TV once the Rift was wired in.If you're not quite up to this spec then upgrade your PC first. You won't be getting a smooth VR experience with anything less and this in turn will lead to poor performance and motion sickness (due to dropping frame rates).2) Do you already have a problem with motion sickness?VR has had lots of negativity regarding the impact of motion sickness in some people. I myself can happily read in a car and rarely get motion sickness, but within a few hours of using my Rift for the first time I started to experience nausea which was brought on by the movements in the game I was playing (Luckys Tale) and it took the rest of the day for it to wear off. I've read a number of reviews on here with people returning their Rift for this very reason, but I'm determined to take at least three weeks of regularly using it to try and "get my VR legs" and overcome this nausea with regular use - something I've read has worked for a lot of users. You have to remember this is high-end technology that is still in its infancy and the human brain has yet to adapt to this.3) What type of games do you like to play?With the "VorpX" software (available at extra cost) the Rift can be used with a large number of AAA titles, but on the whole the number of games that officially support the Rift isn't currently huge. I myself like "cockpit" style games such as Eurotruck/Project Cars and space sims like Elite Dangerous. All of these are supported by the Rift and are genuinely enhanced by it. If you prefer Call of Duty/Battlefield style games then I would say this product isn't for you as the experience of playing those types of fast paced first-person titles in VR would probably make you projectile vomit like Linda Blair!4) Do you have to wear glasses for short sightedness?If you do then be prepared to struggle trying to wear the device with your glasses on. Don't be fooled into thinking you won't need your glasses as the screens are so close to your face, YOU WILL NEED THEM. The 3D in the Rift can accurately represent items to make them look like they are far away from you. If you are short sighted things WILL seem blurry without corrective lenses. The Rift can fit glasses up to 150mm wide, but my glasses were too large so I had to order additional prescription lenses from 'VR Labs' that are designed to fit into the Rift, negating the need for spectacles.If you can answer those four questions positively then let me just give you some more quick pros and cons before you hit that "Add to basket" button...PROSIt really is mind blowing. The first time you run the setup and go through the "experiences" to acclimatise you to VR it will definitely knock you for six and make you think what you are seeing is truly magic. Words cannot describe the feeling of immersion it gives you. You'll find yourself trying to reach out and grab things in front of you, or genuinely jump as things come at you in 3D. It feels REAL. I've played Eurotruck for over 100 hours on a TV, in the Rift it felt like I was actually sat in the drivers seat of a real truck.Another pro is the attached headphones - which are surprisingly effective with good, strong bass and a nice representation of surround sound.CONSThe graphical resolution of the device is not massive. Don't buy this thinking you'll be seeing your games as you see them on your large monitor/tv but in 3D. You will definitely be seeing lots of "jaggies" due to the lower resolution of the two screens inside the headset. Personally I didn't find this to be too much of a letdown as I'd read up enough on it to know beforehand, but it still may put some people off.God rays. As the rift uses Fresnel lenses you will notice a strange effect of light "bleeding" out whenever you see bright items on a dark background (such as text on screen). Imagine looking at a streetlight with greasy spectacles, it's that kind of effect. Again it doesn't bother me too much as with most games you will barely notice it, as mentioned it's only really visible where there are areas of light against dark. But again some people may be put off by this.To sum up the Oculus Rift is an amazing piece of technology that offers a genuinely stunning experience, but it is still in need of further improvements to be truly outstanding. If you really can't wait and have read my review and are still positive about owning one then please go for it. Just know that you'll be putting it on eBay when the inevitable CV2 is released in a few years.
Read more..
15.1.2017
I’ll compare both headsets as I’ve had both.Setup:Setting up the Oculus Rift takes a couple of minutes. If you have the touch controllers, you will need 3 USB3 ports (1 for the headset and 2 for each of the sensors). Most modern PCs have at least 4 USB3 ports, if yours does not you can always buy a PCI-E USB3 card which will give you 4 USB3 ports. One thing to note about the sensor cables is that they’re not too long so you may need to buy a USB3 extension cable depending on your setup.Setting up the HTC Vive is a bit more time consuming. You need to plug in both sensors to a power source as well as the HTC Vive base box. That means you lose 3 power plugs straight away.For some reason HTC decided to include a base box instead of going straight to the PC this means you have more wires and boxes laying around. You need to plug the headset into the base box and then there are 3 cables going from the base box - 1 to your graphics card (HDMI), 1 USB2 and 1 to the power source.Sensors:Setting up the sensors on for both the Oculus and Vive is very simple just run the Oculus/HTC application and follow the instructions. Oculus is a bit more picky which way the sensors face and they have to be at least 2m apart.One thing that I was not aware of is that the HTC Vive sensors make a whining noise when they're on whereas Oculus sensors are silent.Controllers:Oculus controllers use normal batteries which you’ll have to replace when they run out whereas HTC has built in rechargeable batteries. HTC provides 2 additional power plugs to charge the controllers but that’s now 5 power sources that you need for the HTC… I’m not sure about you but I don’t have this luxury without daisy chaining my power strips which is not the safest thing to do.Oculus controllers are fairly small. They’re light and feel very natural to use. There’s a plastic band thingy that goes around each controller which prevents you from hitting your hand against the wall or other objects. During the setup, you also get to draw an imaginary wall which again stops you from walking into the walls etc. It’s not visible during the game until you get really close to it.HTC controllers are big compared to the oculus. I did not find them as easy to use as the Oculus, they definitely did not feel natural however with some getting used to they should be ok. You have to keep an eye on the circle outlining your play area if you don’t want to hit or walk into things.I don’t have enough room for a room scale setup so the above only relates to a standing only setup.Headset:I personally found the Oculus headset a lot more comfortable to use. It’s lighter than the HTC Vive – 470 grams vs 555 grams. This might not seem like a lot but you can really feel the difference when you try them both on and for longer VR gaming sessions this makes a difference.The cable connecting the Oculus to the PC runs on the left side of the head strap and is barely noticeable when on compared to the HTC Vive as it’s just 1 cable which then splits at the end (PC connectors). The Vive has 4 cables running down the middle and you can feel it every time you move. It’s not the easiest thing to explain but when you try on both headsets you will feel the difference immediately.Oculus has headphones integrated into the head band so there’s no messing around with cables (even if you purchase the in-ear ones) however you can’t use any headphones as there’s no audio jack. Vive on the other hand has an audio jack so yes, you can connect any headphones you like however it’s an additional cable you have to worry about and if you use the earphones provided you need to faff around with finding the left and right ones as they just hang at the back of the headset. HTC has announced a deluxe audio strap which fixes this issue however no pricing has been announced and this is already present on the Oculus.Both headsets provide the same resolution so you won’t see much difference there however they seem to be using different lenses. Oculus has clear lenses whereas Vive has small circles running all the way around the lenses. You can see this on a lot of the images of the headset. This is slightly annoying when you’re watching movies or playing games but you can probably get used to it.Game store:Oculus has their own game store however you can play games you purchase on Steam. I’ve not purchased a single game on the Oculus store as it would tie me to 1 platform whereas Steam is open to all. You just need to turn on the “Allow games from untrusted sources” switch in the Oculus application.HTC doesn’t have its own store (yet?) so everything you can buy is on Steam. This means if you buy a different headset next time you will not lose any game you purchase now.Overall, I decided to stay with the Oculus Rift. I’m not sure what all the hype about the HTC Vive is as they have the same resolution and most games work on both platforms. Oculus requirements are slightly lower than for Vive too. The one thing that Vive has and Oculus does not is a camera at the front of the headset which could be used for augmented reality in the future but at that point we’ll all probably be on v2 of both headsets. You can also turn this camera on in the settings so when you’re playing games you can see exactly where you are in the room.One thing to note however which slightly concerns me is that Oculus was nowhere to be seen at CES 2017 whereas HTC were really busy having announced some accessories, partnerships and subscription plans. I guess I have to wait and see what happens next. Hopefully Oculus will come out with some good news soon.
Read more..
21.9.2016
For those of you that don’t want to read lots and lots of rambling please find the short story below……VR is AWESOME, buy one now!Now the long story version……..So today after several months of putting money aside my Oculus Rift arrived.As I’m sure you have already guessed I’m blown away by it, hell I was blown away by it just setting the thing up.1The demo scenes were just draw dropping and immersive, ranging from being in a Minecraft style world to being on top of a skyscraper to having a T-Rex walk right up to you and over you, my jaw had to be picked up off the flaw at that point.But the demos had one flaw, there was no interaction just me sat there looking round,so as soon as setup was complete I booted up iRacing (only game I had installed that supported VR) and took the RUF C-Spec out for a few practice laps.My jaw dropped again, and it literally felt like I had to pick it up off the foot-well of the car and I had even started driving yet, I’m sure if I recorded it I would have had a grin from ear to ear.Driving is just something special, it completely changes your approach to everything.You start looking to your apex and checking your mirrors all without thinking, then you notice you’re doing it and get carried away with it and end up in a wall. lolI then jumped in the Skip Barber.Driving the Skip Barber on a monitor I was always left with the feeling it was a tiny little formula car, jumping in it in VR and suddenly the car felt huge!I mean I could see down the nose of the car, see my sidepods when I looked right or left I could even see the front wheels perfectly. It completely changed how the car was perceived, so I done some laps and this was when I noticed that VR had opened up so much.The car now felt bigger yet I could position it more confidently because I could see where the front wheels were actually going, what I once thought were tight awkward corners suddenly become big open spaces making them much easier to navigate again and again.I briefly installed AC and took the McLaren F1 round The Green hell and wow that car felt faster, the sense of speed was insane and I honestly had moment where I’d lift because I thought I was going too fast in sections that I would normally be flat out.It did initially make me hell of a lot slower, probably down to looking around to much lol but after several hours of playing with it I had knocked that time back down to were I was (pre-VR), but a similar thing happened when I got my first wheel it took time to adjust to the differences.Ok, you got me it isn’t all amazing.The image you are staring at isn’t crystal clear quality like you’ve got on your monitor or TV, which makes reading text a little tricky and you lose detail on things in the distance.I spent 8 hours on it today and I can’t say it’s a problem, I could see my brake markers, kerbs and other opponents and that screen door effect.Other than that I really can’t say anything negative about it, but I didn’t expect the quality of the image to be like 4k anyway so it’s all good.I could ramble on for hours about it guys but nothing will do it justice.Oh and by the way, my PC according to the Rift required specs isn’t good enough.On part down to me using an AMD processor not their required Intel, and only having 2 USB 3.0 ports when I should have 3.But 3 USB 3.0 ports aren’t required you technically only need 2 (sensor and headset) the 3rd is for the xbox pad which I’ll now be selling on eBay lol.Hell, I’m only using one USB 3.0 hub as the sensor stopped working in them for some reason, so it’s now plugged in to a 2.0 USB. Couldn’t tell you if the headset works in a 2.0 as I didn’t try.So my advice is if you think your PC has the power to run it,buy one!Not got the coin? well then sell a kidney the kids, dog or even the wife. trust me you won’t regret it.Just imagine having that mid life crisis and instead of buying one fast car you have a whole garage full of them with the funds to race them on any race track you like and that's VR ?[EDIT] Ignore my previous comment about reading text a little tricky, turns out I need to wear my glasses with this. Yes you can wear glasses with the Rift, and for those wondering why I didn't wear them to start off with. Well I'm short sighted meaning I can read and see things close to me with no issues at all, but apparently that doesn't apply to a VR headset. Now with my glasses on reading text is no longer any issue, don't get me wrong the image quality still won't beat a 4k monitor, but reading any in game text is no longer an issue.So if you wear glasses for any reason at all, try playing it with or without them to find your best results. [EDIT]
Read more..
8.1.2017
I ordered the consumer unit as soon as I could and had a long wait. Originally scheduled for delivery in April it got bumped to June due to the high demand, but boy was it worth the wait!I've been a gamer for years and it takes a lot to really impress me these days. I remember loving the Wii when I first tried it, it offered a genuinely new way to play games. Kinect was an impressive bit of kit...but no one really did anything with it.So when the day came that my Rift had finally arrived I was like a kid at Christmas. First thing to note is it comes really well packaged in a lovely box that contains everything you need to get started.As well as the Rift and sensor unit there is a small remote,Xbox One controller and an Xbox controller PC dongle, handy as I almost purchased one of these recently!Setup was surprisingly easy. There is a lot of plastic tape to remove but the Oculus software does a great job of guiding you through the setup process.My graphics card is a GTX 980 Ti and I have two monitors, one of which was plugged in via HDMI. I've since changed this to connect via a DP to HDMI cable to free the main HDMI port up for the Rift. You'll also need space USB ports, one for the Rift, one for the sensor and on for the controller.I don't have a large room to play in, just a box room, so while the HTC Vive sounds great, the advanced tracking features would also be totally lost on my setup, I'll be using VR sitting or standing only.I had a couple of issues getting the headset to fit correctly, but this was due to me not noticing the headset could be adjusted via Velcro straps at the side and on top. You also need to pull the headset right down, further than I expected, in order to ensure everything is in focus.The initial demo reel is brilliant and gives you an immediate VR experience like nothing I've tried before. The headphones are excellent, both in terms of comfort and sound quality. These experiences are what you'll fire up to show the rift off to guests so I recommend downloading Oculus Dreamscape so you've access to them at a later date.To date I've tried Eve: Valkyrie, Elite: Dangerous (yes I love a good space game!), Luckys Tail, Project Cars and the Dreamscape app. All have blown me away, this is genuinely a new way to play games and it's incredible.For example looking around your cockpit you have a very real urge to want to reach out and touch the canopy. In Project Cars you're literally in the drivers seat, you use the mirrors, you look to the side to see where your competition is, and you brace for an impact if, like me, you're not very good at the game!I was surprised at how good Luckys Tail is, the platformer works really well in VR and it's a decent little game.There are a few niggles I've had, for starters the Oculus software likes to tell me my PC isn't good enough. Given it runs everything on max settings I've no idea what this is based on, it'd be good to be able to dismiss this message but you can't.The wires are a good length, but this means it's a bit of a pain to store. Ideally I'd like to pop the Rift back into it's lovely box when not in use but that means messing around at the back of my PC to unplug it every time, it'd be good if the headset had the ability to disconnect from the wires.Another reason I'd like to disconnect the Rift is that even when not in use it feels warm. I suspect this is due to it being in standby mode as the moment you pop it on it detects it's being worn and fires up.These are very minor issues and can't take away from the wondrous amazement I have every time I pop the headset on and fire up a game.Personally I find a session of 10 – 20 minutes is fine, I've done up to an hour (with breaks to set something up or change the game) and while the headset remained comfortable I've found eye strain does start to set it.Will this replace my TV or monitor for a hard core gaming session? Probably not. But like a rollercoaster ride it packs in such an amazing experience you won't mind getting off and catching your breath every now and again.I've also recently got the Touch controllers and they take the Rift to the next level, the entire setup is fantastic! If you get both be sure to pickup Space Pirate Trainer, a very addictive 'just one more go' shooter.Amazing product, now if you'll excuse me I have an important space battle I need to get back to!
Read more..
2.11.2016
I thought a good while about getting one of these, finally took the plunge when i realized most of the games I play regularly have VR support (Elite, Assetto Corsa, Project Cars, Dirt Rally, DCS World).First things first then.. It comes in high quality, well presented box that should be kept if you want to pack it away or take it over a friends house, you get the remote, an Xbox controller, the sensor and the Rift.It's pretty easy to get it all plugged in, cables are minimal(just the one going to the headset) and the instructions on the software are easy to follow.I did run into a few problems on setup, the Rift is VERY fussy about which USB 3.0 ports it uses, and couldn't get the sensor to pick up at all,it worked with a USB2.0, but the sensor was erratic. This was solved by purchasing the Anatek USB 3.0 card(oculus approved).. Popped that in, and it all worked well, and I flew through the set up procedure. But it's something to consider in the price, you may have to spend an extra £20 on a usb card.Took about 10 minutes to get the headset comfortable, and once you do it's very easy to wear, and in the few days I've owned it, can go a fair few hours with no discomfort, it's of good build quality and the detachable earphones are surprisingly good, though you can use your own if you wish, there is a small nose gap at the bottom of the headset, which can't really be gotten rid of, but I found this quite handy for typing, game commands etc, and it doesn't detract from the experience.Onto the experience then... It's pretty mind blowing, run Dreamscape (which is a series of small demos) and you can't help but stare in wonder, careful where you step though, I cut my ankle on a dumbell not looking where I was going. There's a few free things in the store you can try, and the odd game, Luckys Tale is a good little platform game that is just great in VR, Virtual Vesktop, while a paid app, is a must if you are going to own a rift, it's great.Onto the setting up of games, taking Elite as an example.. This takes a long time, each game has many setting to fiddle with(if you buy one, research ASW, debug tool and pixel density), there was a few hours of fiddling, trying out different HUD colours, driver issues etc to get all the game running smoothly. This is mainly because of the screens lower resolution, which is then magnified, can make far away object on graphically intensive game look blurred, but with a little patience, while it will never look anywhere near as sharp as a monitor, games can be made to look quite spectacular.Having said all that, jumping into a cockpit in Elite and being greeted with a life sized space station, life sized planets, or racing an F1 car around Spa, and experiencing what it's like to go flatout through Eau Rouge in what feels like an actual F1 car is priceless, at times terrifying, or flying an F15 through a valley, is such an amazing feeling. Most other games can be converted to run in VR, though it required paid software to do so, all games can also be played in Virtual Desktop on a giant screen. It also works flawlessly with Steam.On my experience with it so far, I'd say do some research on problems you're likely to run into, whether it's setup, or how to get your fav game working as it should, and you'll be up and running that much quicker.It's a brilliant device, it should drop a star for the pains of getting everything running smoothly, but thats mainly down the software developers and not the headset.I'd also point out, you may have watched some videos on YouTube, and thought wow, that looks great, say.. Elite, these are recordings taken from the monitor display, not the Rift, The resolution does drop significantly from any videos you've seen, but, you really won't care, and soon forget about it and forgive it's shortcomings, it's not the Rifts fault, but a limitation of the technology available, and will be that way for a few more years.If you play any of the games I've mentioned in this review, it's a no brainer, I'll never go back to 2D gaming...
Read more..
18.8.2017
I bought this during the Oculus summer sale at £399 and found it very easy to setup and have working. I also purchased and Anker 4 port USB 3.0 hub, that I use for the two sensors and both show as connected via USB 3.0 within the Oculus set up software. I plugged the headset into an HDMI on my graphics card, with my monitor attached to a Display port as well as to it's own USB 3.0 direct on my PC motherboard.I also own the PlayStation PSVR and can confirm little difference in the quality of the display during use. I do like the PSVR nose cover as the Oculus leaves this more open and you can see through the gap around the bridge of your nose. This was however,less of a problem when playing a game as I was very immersed and did not notice the gap. It is great that the Oculus comes with attached speakers where you really need additional headphones with the PSVR. The speakers are loud and give good detail and kept me in the vr experiences I have tried.My other main difference is that the PSVR seems mainly designed around a seated experience except when using the aim controller, but again this is a more static experience from all the games and experiences I have used on my PSVR and play pro. The Oculus, now coming with the touch controllers has opened up into more of a room scale and during setup, you mark the edge of your room to allow it to tell you when you are reaching past your borders and about to hit the wall!My problem with this is that I do not have a large room, where my PC is stored. It is about 6 foot by 11 foot but with my computer and desk there is little movement room left and the sensor view to reach the floor is limited by my desk. There had been no recommendation for room size and this is why I have dropped a star! It seems from running set up for SteamVR for room scale, my play space is not big enough and within Oculus it is not the best. I have noted that the PC versions of games and experiences use moor movement and allow you to pick items from the floor. This has occasionally been difficult for me to do as they have been laying in VR space, just beyond my physical space, so I have had the warning to let me know I am reaching a wall.This has been a slight loss in my experience and it seems that each game is different. However, as a general rule, the PC version of VR seem to give more freedom of movement whereas the PSVR limits this but makes it a better headset for limited space.Now the touch controllers are fantastic and very easy to use. I love the fact that the top edges and triggers are touch sensitive and know when your fingers are off them allowing you to raise a thumb or point a finger or make a closed fist. They are very responsive and track very well, even when I have completely turned around, which I find I am able to do far more with Oculus. I often forget which way I am facing and yet the tracking still seems to work well.Now, the comfort of the headset... I wondered if the strap was going to be too tight and give me a VR mark around my face, but no problems as long as you don't over tighten the straps. I actually found that having loooser straps made the fit more comfortable and stilll held the headset in place. It is also lighter than the PSVR headset which has a band that tightens onto your head and then the headset slides up to your face. So different approaches but both seem to work well.Finally, when your headset is not in use, put it back in the sturdy box that the headset arrived in. I keep mine plugged into the PC and put the headset and extra cable into the box, close the lid with the cable out of the side and lay it alongside my PC. This will keep the dust from my VR headset and protect it from unwanted knocks or bangs.
Read more..
17.10.2017
I have been a proud owner of the Oculus Rift since launch. Despite everyone's reservations with Facebook ownership, the only gripe I have is that they are pushing their own App store, which is kind of going back on the original open-source nature of the development a bit, but I'll accept that it probably wasn't Palmer Luckey's call. However, political goings-on aside, the Rift remains to be a thoroughly enjoyable piece of kit and all my friends and family have been impressed with the experiences they have had, leading some to consider taking the plunge.If you are choosing between the many VR headsets, I will give you a quick verdict. I helped a friend set up the Vive and personally I found it much harder to configure,it was more expensive, the headset is heavier, the controllers take some getting used to and the thick combined cables from the headset pulls at the back of your head. I'm not writing off the Vive completely however, I feel that the Vive would make a better VR experience if it was lighter and wireless and if a version 2 comes out and addresses these issues I would happily consider it. I do also have PSVR and I was impressed with it, it's a lot easier to set up and the experiences are great, especially Resident Evil 7, but you do need a PS4 Pro for the maximum experience. The old PS4 will work fine but the textures are muddy and blocky - not recommended.But going back to the Rift, I found that the experiences were more than just tech demos, they were actual full blown games and the immersion was top notch. The Oculus Store is easy to navigate and there are many bargains you can grab from time to time, so it's worth waiting for some deals. There are some really nice games like, Eve Valkyrie, Chronos and Feral Rites, and I think it's only getting better. I'm waiting for Arizona Sunshine to come down in price as I've heard it's supposed to be really good. The free ones have impressed me as well.As for the controls, the included remote is really useful and handy for navigating menus. The Touch controllers have to be the best motion controllers I have ever held in my hands, they just feel right and easy to learn how to use because they remind you of an Xbox One controller cut in half, you don't have to fumble around and find where all the buttons are. They work wonders for Fruit Ninja and Google Tilt Brush - some titles obviously only work with Touch - others work with an Xbox One controller. If you add a third sensor to the room (which you can buy separately) you also get Room Scale which is handy if you have a large playing space, but two sensors should be fine for most people.Quite frankly I don't understand people who have given up on the Rift at launch. Surely people will no doubt be familiar with how a typical gaming launch process starts. Sometimes you have to be prepared to wait for the library to mature - as is the case with any console and the same applies here with VR. I think people are forgetting that development on a VR title will take a bit longer because it is a new technology, and it is harder to add VR to an existing game, it either means starting a new game from scratch, remaking the entire game, or creating a new VR title within the pre-existing game universe. All this takes time, but the library is growing and gaining traction now.VR is an exciting technology, the possibilities here are endless and it's great to be a part of it. Those that complain that VR is a fad most likely have never tried it, or if they have they are missing part of the bigger picture. What I will say to those people is, "your loss" ;-)
Read more..
28.10.2017
Finally got around to buying a VR set. The bundle is expensive but great value considering what you get. I was very torn between the Oculus Rift and the Vive and still not too sure if I made the right choice. Firstly VR is great. I was wondering if I would actually get the usage out of it, and the price coupled with an expensive video card upgrade really made me hesitant. I am pleased I did buy it and it does get plenty of use. There are loads of games and videos available, a lot of them are free, so there is new stuff to try on almost a daily basis. VR is great, you feel like you are literally in the virtual world. My observations below are in no way detracting from my enjoyment of the Rift headset,but if you are coosing one, they are worth noting. I don't own the Vive so can't comment on whether it suffers from the same issues, but these are things worth looking into prior to deciding which one to buy and parting with your hard earned money.Observations:The Rift is not Glasses friendly. You can use it with glasses but it is not very comfortable. There are websites that clip in lenses speciallyfor the Rift but even these do not get fantastic reviews.The Rift lenses suffer from lens flare. This is very noticable on darker screens. Some people seem more perseptive than others though and find it ruins the experience, I find it quite noticable at times but it doesn't bother me.If you are a Steam user, then a small number of games are for the Vive only. 90% will work on both and there are still loads and loads for Oculus but Steam is obviously going to cater for their own as a priority. Even some of the Vive will work but tend to have minor glitches. Oculus does have it's own store though, but I don't like having two libraries for games.The Rift needs room. I thought I could get away with a small amount of space and play seated or standing games, but you soon find that even thoughs require a reasonable area. For these you need at least 2m x 2m and setting up the sensors so everything is visable from floor to standing hight means that you need to be seated an additional couple of meters from the PC.Everyones face is different. If you want multiple people to use the headset then you have to recalibrate the eye distance, and undo three straps. Doesn't take long, but annoying that I have to re-adjust eveything just to show a game to the wife.The headset gets warm. Not hot, just warm. This is quite a big problem if you wear glasses as they will steam up very quickly. There are loads of tricks that people have advised to get around this, but it is my biggest annoyance especially if you are moving around and sweating a little.The faceplate sponge is a sweat magnet. Protectors and replacements can be bought through Amazon thoughDon't let any of these observations put you off from buying, just be aware of them. I'm under the impression that all the VR sets suffer to some degree from these issues and none of them really upset my experience. The difference between Vive and Rift is likely down to personal choice rather than design and both will do room scale out the box. I was swayed more by price at the time of purchase as Rift was discounted. Now that Vive has also come down in price I don't know which way I would sway. However I do not regret buying the Oculus Rift at all.
Read more..
18.11.2016
First of all, I'm not a 'gamer' so am unfamiliar with much of that gamer language. I programmed and built PC's for much of my life so have more than a passing interest and VR is something I've been waiting for since 1990! I opted for the Rift above the others based solely on reviews and it arrived nicely packaged the next day.Setting up was a problem, OK I admit it's my fault for not understanding what ports I needed on my super-dooper pc, the instructions do say you need a HDMI port. However, my Asus Strix GTX970 only has one HDMI port so when it comes to plugging in the rift you have to unplug the monitor, meaning you can't continue the setup cos the monitor is now blank (and the rift is blank so no continuing from there!).My first critism then is that it doesn't come with a DVI-HDMI adaptor so you can use it for your monitor (which frees up your hdmi port) and as these only cost about a fiver it seems poor form to not include one when you're paying £549. So I ordered one and had to wait another day, really frustrating to have this thing in my hands and not be able to try it out, so make sure you have a SPARE HDMI port or buy an adaptor at the same time!Also, once you know you're getting one, do go to the oculus website and set up an account so you download a whole load of free software in preparation for when your rift arrives, as this can take ages and frustrate the life out of you too!Anyway, once the adaptor arrived it was a breeze to set up the rift. It's a bit fiddly to get it in the right position on your head but once setup it's very clear. I'm long-sighted so don't need to wear my reading glasses to see properly, which confuses the hell out of me as I'm actually looking at something inches away from my eyes!The actual experience is pretty amazing, I really had no idea what to expect, I mean how can you 'get inside' a game or a scene? Well you do, is all I can say, it really is like being transported to another place, it looks amazingly real. I started off with the demos where you don't move and was blown away. I then tried a game called 'Descent', a new version of a game I played years ago. I immediately started sweating and almost threw up! Never had motion sickness before so it's not like I'm a sickboy or anything, it was just impossible to play. I also had the same feeling on a pretty innocuous game called 'diggers' just from walking aroung a world war one trench! Now I knew it could cause motion sickness but I didn't think it would get me! Anyway, after reading more reviews I tried the tip of not moving my head too much whilst moving around and thankfully this helped. You do get used to it after a while so just stick with it - if it makes you ill stop straight away, then go back and try again when you feel ok, gradually you'll be able to spend longer and longer until it feels 'normal' to your brain.Overall, if you're thinking of getting one just do it, they are the future for sure, not just for games but entertainment and education. They'll be commonplace in a year or so and with the pound plummeting they're not going to get cheaper soon!
Read more..
10.9.2017
I want to preface this by saying I've used every form of modern VR. I've used the original DK1 Oculus. I bought the DK2. I own a Samsung Gear. All of these made for pretty decent VR experiences, but I could feel the future was definetely in this tech.Then came the CV1 of Oculus Rift - and it was great. Something was definetely missing though. Something HTC Vive later added with the full 360 degree freedom and touch controls.Now - here comes Oculus and completely blows the Vive out of the water with the Touch Controls.Here's reasons the Oculus Touch controllers are better than the HTC Vive controllers:[ * ] Controller: Smaller form factor makes for more ergonomic grip.[ * ] Controller: Better buttons & softer,more flexible triggers[ * ] Controller: Every button has touch function, adding yet another layer of depth to the controllers abilities.Here's reasons the Oculus Headset is better than the HTC Vive headset:[ * ] Headset: Much lighter - doesn't stress the neck as much as the Vive - I've played 5-6 hours without getting strained.[ * ] Headset: Less noticeable screen-door effect (and by extension, zero motion sickness)[ * ] Headset: Better straps that auto-adjust to your head, better lens distance controls[ * ] Headset: Built in microphone and earphones that make communication in multiplayer-games easier.[ * ] Headset: Less bulky cables - the whole headset connects through just one thin tube-cable as opposed to the Vive's flat 3-cable solution.Here's reasons the Oculus trackers are better than the HTC trackers:[ * ] Tracking stations: Better built with full-metal, weighted stands.[ * ] Tracking stations: Draws power from USB 3.0, doesn't require additonal power-supplies.[ * ] Tracking stations: More flexible in placements - doesn't really need their own tripods/mounts.You might ask, "okay, but what's the drawback?". You're right to ask!The major drawback of this bundle is that with only 2 tracker stations, you're limited to 180 or 270 degree tracking, depending on your setup. Beyond that your controllers might lose tracking briefly, and your headset can "jitter" a little bit when it loses the positional tracking. In order to get full 360 degree tracking, you should to buy an additional tracking station. It's possible to get 360 with just 2 trackers, but it's not as good. In my opinion though this isn't really a dealbreaker - especially not at this pricepoint. A lot of games offer a secondary form of turning (like using your joystick), which is honestly preferrably in a lot of cases to avoid tangling into the cable.So, overall, the Oculus Rift is a fantastic device and when it comes down to the headsets currently out on the market this is the most bang for your buck you're gonna get. Oculus slipped behind a little in the race when every other company started churning out their own headsets, so it's sad to see that they've caught such a bad rep in the VR world when they've honestly produced THE best headset on the market - it just took them a little more time to perfect it.
Read more..