What Do The Reviews Say About The Oculus Rift?
The Oculus Rift CV1 — the first consumer ready virtual reality device — begins shipping this week, and the reviews and hot takes are are all coming in. Is the future now? Maybe not, but if you have a rich friend, it's worth re-kindling that friendship.
The Future Is Here (Mostly)
While the Oculus Rift is certainly revolutionary, it seems like the first step down a road still yet to be traveled.
Within these limitations […] the Rift makes a good case for seated VR, and it lays a solid foundation for what's to come. The headset you can buy today is not Oculus' most ambitious vision for virtual reality — but it's a vision that Oculus has successfully delivered on.
This is not like having a tiny TV strapped to my face. Nothing like the Google Glass or Virtual Boy of yore. This feels like I've inserted my head into another world. Admittedly, it's a world where I'm wearing a big, black goggle-cap that keeps me from seeing as clearly as I'd like. At least the straps are fairly comfortable and you only have to adjust them once.
[CNET]
I can report that while the Rift is a well-built hardware system brimming with potential, the first wave of apps and games available for it narrows the device's likely users to hard-core gamers. It is also rougher to set up and get accustomed to than products like smartphones and tablets.
But It Comes At A Price.
The Rift's head-mounted display features a resolution of 1200 by 1080 per eye, with a 90Hz refresh rate. That means that, for your experience to be comfortable, your games need to be running at 90 frames-per-second or higher. The recommended specs for the Rift, as specified by Oculus, are an Nvidia GTX 970 or AMD 290 GPU or equivalent, and Intel i5-4590 or greater (or equivalent), 8GB of RAM or more, a compatible HDMI 1.3 video output, and two or more USB 3.0 ports. The Rift also requires Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 or higher.
[Polygon]
You'll need a beefy computer to power the Rift, and that means an all-in cost of somewhere between $1400 – $1500. That price tag is undoubtedly the biggest thing keeping more people from getting the chance to try virtual reality how it's intended to be experienced. But like the first color televisions, computers, or iPhone, the cost of the headset and necessary computer will only go down over time before converging with mobile around a decade from now.
It Looks Really Beautiful Though!
The Rift headset feels both high-quality and unusually subtle, especially in contrast to almost everything else you'll find connected to a gaming PC, a line of products which share a long tradition of truly gauche aesthetics. The Rift is, in a word, beautiful.
[Polygon]
There's only one bundle of cords snaking out from the headset, and with the exception of that pesky primary tether, which every so often catches a snag and pulls you out of your virtually transported state, Oculus has succeeded in making something that looks and feels like a premium consumer electronic device.
[Gizmodo]
And There Are Moments When The Rift Is Truly Brilliant
Standing on my tiptoes, I could peer out of my virtual hole to briefly glimpse the incredible 3-D landscape that welcomes new Rift owners. That experience defines this moment of truth for Oculus, and the VR mass hysteria it's been fueling. The Rift demonstrates flashes of a brilliant future where we can move freely through countless virtual worlds.
So how does the final Oculus Rift hardware fare when it comes to the concepts of immersion and presence? Surprisingly well, it turns out. Over the past week, I've been a space pilot dogfighting in distant galaxies in Eve: Valkryie. I've been a part of a live-action Adventure Time story. And I've seen aliens up close up on their home planets with Oculus' own Farlands. Of course, the quality of VR experiences varies, but it's heartening to see some quality content so early in the game.
[Engadget]
Some of them are mind-blowing. I lost myself in BlazeRush, a hilariously unpredictable game where you fling a tiny Micro Machines-sized car around a racetrack while sending competitors to a fiery death. I was a kid playing with my toys again — toys that came to life. It was 2 a.m. when I finally remembered to take off the visor.
[CNET]
Some Aspects Still Hold The Oculus Back (Mainly The Missing Motion Controllers)
Motion-controlled virtual reality experiences — games and apps that ask me to mime things like shooting or painting with my hands — have gotten me physically engaged with computing in a way I've never been, and they leave me feeling better as a result. I love the feeling of getting real exercise in a virtual sword-fighting game, or of walking around a real room to see the artwork I've created. Sitting down with the Rift, meanwhile, feels as close to being a brain in a jar as humanly possible.
Without hands, the experience feels incomplete. So much so, that I'd say it's OK to wait for the Oculus Touch controllers before buying a Rift.
[CNET]
The Rift has other consequences for the mind and body. I felt mentally drained after 20-minute sessions. My eyes felt strained after half an hour, and over a week I developed a nervous eye twitch.
Oculus Rift is the 2016 product you hope your neighbor buys. You'll definitely want to try it, but there's little reason to own one unless you're a serious gamer.
TL;DR?
If you're a hardcore gamer with a great PC, the Oculus has some great titles like BlazeRush, EVE: Valkyrie and Lucky's Tale ready to go for you. For the average Joe, you might want to save yourself $1,500 and check back in another year or so. Oculus' lack of social capabilities, high cost and rough edges prevent it from being ready for everyone.
Want more? WIRED has the full story about how Oculus cracked the impossible design of VR.
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