This involves teaching it where the ground is (it asks you to reach down with a controller and touch the floor) and setting your play space by walking around and drawing a perimeter line. The headset requires both USB 3 and DisplayPort connectors, while the controllers just need a pair of AA batteries each (included in the box).įrom there, it’s a case of just downloading the Oculus desktop app and walking through the setup process. As I said at the top of this piece, setting up the Rift S is a breeze.
The other benefit of the Rift S not being more of a leap forward is that the system requirements remain the same as the original Rift if your current PC can run the Rift okay, it can run the Rift S. It may seem surprising that the Rift S specs aren’t higher considering the original Rift is nearing four years old, but price is still a huge barrier to entry with VR, one that Facebook and Oculus have been trying to keep down, and to keep the Rift S at £399 some concessions will undoubtedly be made.Ĭase in point: Valve Index is a much more spec'd-out and better reflects the progress that has been made in VR - but it also costs $1,000. Thankfully there is a software-level adjuster on the Rift S that does the same job, but it's less convenient. Ever borrowed someone’s binoculars and had to adjust the tubes on the hinge to get them into focus? It’s similar with VR. For me this hasn’t proven an issue, but I can see why it has irked some people: everyone is different and the distance between our pupils can vary quite a bit.
OCULUS RIFT S PC SETUP MANUAL
Somewhat annoyingly, Oculus has removed the manual IPD (interpupillary distance) slider on the Rift S. Personally, I don’t see a lot of difference with the Rift S, and I’m someone who's definitely prone to bouts of VR-induced nausea (I once had to lie down after a short stint on DriveClub on the PlayStation VR, no joke). Generally speaking, the higher the refresh rate, the less likely you are to feel nauseous. How important that slight dip is will depend on your susceptibility to VR sickness. However, the refresh rate is now 80hz, lower than the original’s 90hz. The resolution is now 1280 x 1440 pixels per eye, slightly better than the previous 1200 x 1080. Inside the Rift, the optics have been given a small bump-up. It also enables the new passthrough mode - more on that later. No longer: There are now five cameras scattered around the headset that lets it see where it is in the room. If you own/owned the original Rift, you’ll remember having to find space for the sensors to track the system so you could walk around inside VR. I've tried it for longer play sessions of around 45 minutes and didn't find it uncomfortable.īut better yet, Oculus has also added inside-out tracking into the headset this time, allowing room-tracking without the need for external sensors. The Rift S is more comfortable to wear than the OG Rift, despite being slightly heavier, with better weight distribution. That’s no coincidence as the Rift S was designed by Lenovo, which licenses Sony’s VR patents, and made a similar-looking headset of its own a couple of years ago. However, it does now add PlayStation VR-esque halo band to the top and a two-level design to the front of the visor. In terms of design, the Rift S isn't too different to the OG model, with overall still quite a bland, utilitarian look. We’ve now been living with the Rift S for quite some time, testing it out with several games and experiences. The Rift S is meant to provide the most “premium” VR experience from Oculus right now. Then there’s the Oculus Go, Facebook's other standalone headset that isn't quite as good. It was launched alongside Oculus Quest, Facebook’s all-in-one system which doesn’t require a PC at all. The Oculus Rift S is the latest PC-powered headset from the company and replaces the original Oculus Rift CV1. Now, the Valve Index is a fantastic virtual reality system that trumps the Rift S in quality, but I cannot overstate the brilliance of a VR headset that just… works. Read this: The best VR headsets to buy in 2020 To my surprise, there were just three parts: the headset and two wireless controllers. So I cut my losses and took the Rift S out of the box.
OCULUS RIFT S PC SETUP DRIVERS
I started with setting up the Valve Index, an hour-long hassle that involved updating my PC drivers and meticulously positioning the base stations, which are needed to track the headset and controller, around the room.Īfter an hour of running wires around the room and balancing base stations on shelves, I still couldn’t get the controllers to connect despite the computer telling me they were there. I actually got the Rift S alongside the Valve Index, another high-end, PC-powered system so I could compare and contrast them. I’m going to start this review with an anecdote that I think perfectly encapsulates the biggest strength of the Oculus Rift S.