The next step in VR is here and its called the Oculus Rift S. Its easy to set up, has accurate tracking and an improved resolution. All for a very consumer friendly price of £399. This device is driving down the requirements to get into the VR Eco Space and is making Vr more appealing to the general public. Here are my first impressions and short review of the device.
The unboxing experience was quick, slide off the cover, open the box lid and you’re in business. Immediately your gaze will be captured by the neatly packed headset and controllers.
The ergonomics of the controllers is outstanding and fits the palm perfectly, providing easy reach for the trigger, grab and front facing buttons. They do require batteries which are provided in the box.
Another thing that is provided, unsurprisingly, is the manual. However, it features some quality tips that you may have not immediately thought of. Such as: Do not use the headset under the influence of drugs. And, do not walk out of the guardian boundary as it will not stop you from walking of your real life balcony. Thanks Oculus.
Moving onto the headset itself it has the two front facing cameras, 2 side facing cameras and one up facing camera which facilitates the tracking without the need of pricey light houses. Accompanying the headset is a 5 meter long cable which splits into a usb port and a display port. Plugging those cables in and installing the software concludes the setting up process.
But what about the software? The software can be found on the Oculus site and is 7gb in total. The installation process is quick but rough. The wizard doesn’t let you choose the install directory and for some reasons says its installing when its really downloading the code. This is where Oculus is over simplifying the VR experience, as most people who have PCs cable of VR have more than one partition.
When you first run the set up you are prompted to put on the headset and draw the guardian boundary. Other than that it was basically it for the set up process as the controllers came paired with the device. After that you are then launched into an empty room with a terminal containing store, your friends list, library and some useful settings.
The app that I tried out first was Google Earth VR. I wanted to try this out as soon as I found out it was available. When you first load in you are greeted with a tour where you are shot around the globe 5 times in a space of two mins. The places are some of the most beautiful places on Earth, with a mix of nature and modern cities. The views were jaw dropping and the immersion was dream like but with more clarity. The fact that it is also free is mind blowing in an of itself.
Its safe to say that the picture quality of the rift s was on par with expectations. The screen door effect was almost unnoticeable except for the slight glimpses in the periphery and the text was easy to read. I must say however that there is a sweet spot that you have to look through to minimize the amount of blur you see. I found that the best position for it was to tip it slightly down so that it sits tightly on my nose.
As for the audio. Well, the rift comes equipped with a headphone jack allowing you to plug in your own headphones. Unfortunately my over the ear headphones were too big and they wouldn’t sit over my ears comfortably. It was clearly designed for earbuds.
Overall, I’m enthralled by this headset and the worlds it lets me explore. The rift s is good value for the money, has easy set up compare to other similar headsets on the market and provides a good picture quality to keep you immersed in whatever is you’re doing.