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Arrives
Thursday, Oct 1
Features
- Top VR gaming library: Blast, slash and soar your way through the top library in VR gaming. Oculus Rift S lets you play hundreds of games and exclusives already available in the Oculus store, with so much more to come.
- Improved optics: Stare down the competition with next-generation lenses and a sharper display. Improved optics deliver bright, vivid colors and reduced screen-door effect.
- Ergonomic design: Keep your head in the game thanks to a Halo headband redesigned with speed in mind. Rift S stays securely and comfortably in place with a quick twist of the fit wheel, so it can take-or double take-your fastest reactions.
- Oculus touch controllers: Arm yourself with our updated Oculus touch controllers. Your slashes, throws and grab appear in VR with intuitive, realistic precision, transporting your hands and gestures right into the game.
- Oculus insight tracking: take a step forward with Oculus insight. It translates your movements into VR No matter which way you're facing and provides room-scale tracking without external sensors.
- Oculus Rift S requires your Facebook account to log in, making it easy to meet up with friends in VR and discover communities around the world.
Description
Oculus Rift S PC-powered VR gaming headset.
Specs & Other Info
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Launch Date | May 21, 2019 |
| Pricing Strategy | The crossed-out price indicates the original List Price. The current price displays the discount on the List Price. |
| Dimensions | 10.94 x 6.3 x 8.27 inches |
| Item Category | Digital Gaming |
| Language Compatibility | English |
| Manufacturer's Model Number | 301-00178-01 |
| Product Continuity | Product is not discontinued by the manufacturer. |
| Item Weight | 5.92 pounds |
| Producer | Oculus |
| Battery Requirements | Needs 4 AA batteries - included with the product. |
| Availability Date | First available since March 18, 2019 |
Frequently asked questions
The Oculus Rift S system requirements include: Windows 10, 8GB+ RAM, Intel i5-4590/AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or greater, NVIDIA GTX 1060/AMD Radeon RX 480 or greater, and at least one available USB 3.0 port and compatible HDMI 1.3 video output.
No, the Oculus Rift S uses a technology called 'Inside-Out Tracking'. This means it uses built-in cameras on the headset to track your movement, so you don't need any external sensors.
Yes, the Oculus Rift S is a PC-powered virtual reality headset. This means it must be connected to a PC with enough power to run VR games and applications.
The Oculus Rift S features an ergonomic design and a quick twist of the fit wheel ensures it can be comfortably adjusted to your head size. However, comfort can be subjective and varying between different individuals.
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🚀 Abunda's Overview
This is our summary and key points to consider based on customer reviews.
The Oculus Rift S VR Headset has been met with largely positive reviews by users. Many praised the significant upgrade from its predecessor, the CV1, in terms of visual quality and tracking. Continuous updates from Oculus appear to resolve earlier issues and improve the user experience. Not forgetting the reasonable price point and enhanced ergonomic design which lends to a comfortable gaming experience.
Pros
- 🎉 Improved pixel density and visual clarity, reducing screen-door effect and god rays.
- 🙌 The inside-out tracking system is effective and easy to set up.
- 🔊 Option of using personal headphones for better audio quality.
- 🛠 Oculus engages in regular software updates to improve the product.
- 💵 Reasonably priced at $399.
- 🪑 Head strap is convenient and comfortable.
Cons
- 🧽 Foam rubber padding around the face isn't removable and it's difficult to clean.
- 🙅♂️ Headset does not work well in complete darkness or dimly lit areas.
- 🎧 Built-in audio quality could be improved.
- 👀 IPD adjustment only available via software settings, could be an issue for some users.
Should I Buy It?
If you're looking for a medium-price ranged VR headset with great visual quality and an improved tracking system, the Oculus Rift S is a solid choice. Given the regular updates, the usability and performance of the Rift S continue to improve. Taking into account some minor flaws, the substantial pros make this device a worthy purchase for a richer VR experience.
Would like to point I've never experienced VR before, but this VR set is AMAZING when it works. The IPD seems fine on default... Changed it via software and show no changes in vision soz. Gameplay so far is amazing. Only games i tried is beat saber and skyrim so far. Give this a 5 star for graphic, ease of use, setup. Rated 4 due do the issues i ran into so far, and absolutely hate that dumb advertisement window that pops up every time i put headset on for oculus software. Should be option to disable just that tbh unless there is and haven't found it. I've read all the issues and troubleshoot steps of head of time before purchase, and to say the least i was expecting issues. and yes this thing was a bit of a pain to setup. First of all its states my USB3.0 is not compatibility... yet it still plays and opens everything. Only real issue i had was it kept disconnecting, likely due to the USB 3.0. With all the troubleshooting i read online on reddit etc, i somehow got it to stop disconnecting for now. We'll see, even though it still states my USB3.0 not compatibility. Another issue i ran into on Day 3 of use is that the oculus software (Version 12.1) keeps telling to setup my guardian when it was already setup muliple times a day. I believe it still has something to due with the incompatibility of the 3.0 ports using "VIA USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller -1.0 (Microsoft)" Since my mobo (MSI GA-78LMT-USB3 6.0) is a small form factor, i have no more PCI-E slots or anything for a PCIE Expansion card, only slot i had was PCI, which heard PCI USB 3.0 doesnt work in most cases and some cases it does. So took my chances with "StarTech.com 4 Port PCI SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Adapter Card with SATA/SP4 Power - Quad Port PCI USB 3 Controller Card (PCIUSB3S4)" Read this PCI slot worked for some. My PC Specs; Win10 Version 1909 Pro edition GPU: GTX1060 OC CPU: FX8370 eight core clocked at 4.2 Mhz 24GB RAM clock at 1600 Will update once i get the card today to see if the incompatibility 3.0 ports can be resolved... UPDATE: "StarTech.com 4 Port PCI SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Adapter Card" Did not work saddly, spoke with start tech support and advised they have no PCI Cards that would support the amount of data that oculus occurs since only 1 channel card. Advised only the PCI-E would work. Saddly do not have a PCI-e slot available. So have to upgrade mobo or deal with the issue. (Personally can't upgrade as it requires upgrading to DDR4 Ram and AMD4 cpu slot as my mobo is older side with DDR3 and AMD3 slot., so will deal with the issue till upgrade in near future saddly) As for the issue, even those ports states incompatibility, it rarely disconnects, maby once a day if cables loose. As for the oculus software forcing to setup gaurdian all the time. This is still happening and apparently its oculus software that the issue and is known. So overall loving the experience except for the 2 main issues. UPDATE: 6/20/2020 Recently upgraded my PC motherboard to MSI MPG X570 Gaming Plus board with Ryan 7 3700x, DDR4 RAM and NVMe SSD. Ran for 2-3 months, and have not one single issue with it disconnecting. Everything seems to run smoothly and runs on max quality. (Still have my GTX 1060 Gaming X OC graphic card.)
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Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2020 by Jordan Grim
I don’t usually write such long reviews but I felt it was warranted after my experience with the HTC Vive Cosmos and the Oculus Rift S VR Headset. A few months ago I started wanting to get in to playing my flight sim programs in VR. All the videos I saw on YouTube made it look really cool and I loved the idea of a more immersive experience. I had already gotten the PS4 VR Headset last year and found it to be fun but very limited and seemed more for kids games to me. Being the smart man that I am I waiting until the country was on shutdown to decide I could not wait any longer (being home all the time made me want more home entertainment). I had wanted to try the Oculus Rift S, just from the reviews and all the hype behind it but when O started looking t was sold-out everywhere and it did not look like it would be in stock anytime soon. Being determined to get a PC based VR Headset and being limited on room I needed model that did not require external tracking, limited me to only a few models. I looked in to the HTC Vive Cosmos and even though there were some bad reviews I figured it must be pretty good with the price tag of $699 and higher resolution that the Rift S. I ordered the HTC Vive Cosmos from Best Buy and was very excited when it arrived. My HTC Vive Cosmos Experience. The box itself was impressive and I found the instructions and setup to be fairly easy and was up and running is a short time. I downloaded a few games samples from the HTC Vive Cosmos app store and tried to play a few. This is where my first issues came up. How do you use this thing? I went through all the instructions and as each game or app would load it give some instructions on what the controllers do. I found the buttons did not do what it said a lot of the time or the game would load as if I were 10 feet tall of 3 feet tall. It was frustrating but I was brand new to this and figured I just needed to learn. I was ready to try my first VR flight sim experience and started up X-Plane 11 and turned on the VR setting and just like that I was in VR in a flight sim. Ok now how do I actually get a flight going or control the aircraft? It took me probably 2 hours to figure out all the controls and get to where I could actually get in a plane and fly. Now remember this was my first time trying a flight sim in VR, but all the videos I had seem made it look amazing, smooth and clear. I could not read any text on the dash, no gages, nothing. You can see it all just not clear enough to read the test. I took off and was impressed by the graphics when looking at a distance, looking at anything close and it was blurry, also jagged edges and low frame rate. I also found the controllers to be a bit on the large side and seemed too bulky and the battery life is not good. The headset itself was not very comfortable and was heavy in my head and face but usable. and I spend the next few days researching on how to get X-Plane 11 to work best in VR. A few changes to some settings and I gave it a few more tries. I got the graphics better to where I could read large text but that was about it. I did enjoy flying in VR but it was buggy and just not a great experience. I kept this up for a few weeks ad finally just gave up, it was too frustrating and too many glitches. I also did not have much luck on any other games or apps using the HTC Vive Cosmos, but DCS Wolds was better looking than X-Pane 11. I returned the headset and decided to wait until I could get the Oculus Rift S, although I was not sure if it would be any better. My Oculus Rift S Experience. It took me a couple of weeks to get an Oculus Rift S on preorder with Amazon, I finally got one (on pre-order) on June 3rd and it arrived on June 16th. I was very excited once it arrived and could not wait to see what it could do and if it would be any better of an experience. Once again the box was impressive but when you open it, it seem like less clutter in the box. Now for setup, it could not be any easier. You download the Oculus software and it basically walks you through step by step on how to set up your Rift S. I had already downloaded the Oculus software so my full insulation from opening the box to playing my first Oculus Rift S tutorial in VR took just over 5 minutes. It was amazingly simple. Ok so now I have it on and the first demo tutorials starts and I was blown away but how great the immersion was. It looked and felt so very much better than the HTC Vive Cosmos. I went through the tutorials and knew just how to use my controllers from the simple tutorials and I was ready to go. I download a few free apps and gave a few a try. I was so impressed by the VR immersion and overall experience. The headset itself is light and more comfortable than the HTC Vive Cosmos and it was easier to focus and overall it seemed brighter and clearer to me. The controllers are much more comfortable, light and fit my hands better, and so far the battery life is much better as well. I was now ready to give my flight sim’s a go. I booted up X-Pane 11 again and started the VR. Now this is where my experience really changed, for the better. Just the interface was smoother and I was easily able to select my options and start a flight all in VR. With the HTC Vive Cosmos I always had trouble using the controllers and trying to select something or flip a switch in the cockpit when flying. I had the hardest time aiming and selecting. With the Oculus Rift S it was so easy, just point and click and it just works. Now my flight starts and the first thing it was terrible, I had my graphics set to the highest possible settings (just to give it a try), I adjusted a could things and restarted my flight. Now I was in my plane, sitting on the tarmac and it was so very different from the HTC Vive Cosmos, the graphics were so much clearer and crisp. It just looked better and felt more realistic. I took off and flew around and was just amazed at how much better it was. I paid $699 for the HTC Vive Cosmos and really did not care much for it and felt like I wasted my money (I did get a full refund), I paid $399 for the Oculus Rift S and feel like I got a great deal. I have only spent a few hours on my Oculus Rift S but I am already very impressed with it and am quite happy with my purchase. I would rate the HTC Vive Cosmos a 5 out of 10 and I would rate the Oculus Rift S a 8 out of 10
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Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2020 by James L
The PSVR was my first experience in VR and I loved it. It's a great introduction to VR but having spent about 20 hours in the Rift S it's going to be tough to pick up the PSVR again. The main things for me are how much clearer it looks, the range of motion, and large selection of apps to choose from. It did have a few hiccups though. Pros * Screen quality is fantastic. I have a 64 ipd so it works out perfectly for me. There is a digital adjuster but if you aren't close to that ipd I'm not sure this headset is right for you. Text and large screen viewing still has a little bit of that screen door effect, but it doesn't detract from the experience like it does in PSVR. Despite only being an LCD display the colors and blacks seem just as good as an AMOLED. *Ease of use. Setting it up is super easy. Hook it up, download the drivers and you're off to the virtual races. I love drawing my player boundaries. Being able to see my surroundings without taking off the headset is incredibly convenient. * Comfort. The PSVR felt great on my head but this has a very similar feel with a little extra padding and doesn't feel like it might flop about like the PSVR. * Tracking and controls. It's not perfect and if you try it can occasionally lose track of the controllers, but I moved my arms in every direction I could think of and watched it track them. In games I have not had any issues. It is night and day compared to the PSVR. Also not having to worry about setting up external tracking cameras is the main reason I bought this headset over others like the Index. Cons * Audio. The built in speakers actually do sound really good sometimes, but most of the time they crackle or just generally have bad sound quality. Luckily I have no qualms with using my own headphones and the Oculus team has acknowledged they are bad and stated they would come up with a solution so we will see how that goes. * Black Screen. I have seen a few others state this. I did not encounter this issue at all outside of the intial setup which a google search informed me to check my Windows privacy settings to make sure camera and mic were enabled for apps and that fixed it for me. * No Off Button. For now the only true way I have found to turn off the headset is to unplug the USB. Not a deal breaker but can be annoying. If you leave the USB plugged in, it will go to sleep so I have heard as long you don't touch it for a while, but it would be nice if I could just close the app and have it turn off. *Controller rings. I was playing Hot Dogs Horseshoes and Hand Grenades and noticed that the tracking rings got in the way a little bit of being able to do certain actions that require the hands to be near each other. Overall my experience has been fantastic. For me it has been like rediscovering VR for the first time and is such a huge step up from my PSVR. Do keep in mind it uses displayport not hdmi so we can avoid your avoid your 1 star reviews that indicate an inability to read product descriptions. If you want a not too expensive VR headset that is easy to setup, with great tracking, comfort, and controls then I recommend the RIFT S.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2019 by Wise Owl
Overall this is an excellent, relatively inexpensive PCVR system . If you have a decent gaming PC with display port and USB three, it’s easy to set up and get started in PCVR. I can compare this to the PlayStation VR because that is what I previously experienced. First some negatives, The built-in audio solution could be great but on my headset even at 100% volume it’s not nearly loud enough to enjoy or immerse you into the games. I’m not sure if this is a hardware limitation or if this could be fixed in software updates. Oculus seems aware of the issue and there is talk of a fix and I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I honestly don’t mind giving up some audio fidelity for convenience and you can always connect your own headphones. WARNING: The PSVR Mantis can work with the Rift S but . they just don’t fit right and one of them came apart while trying to put it on. Thankfully it did snap back and did not break but the Mantis headphones. Also, I had to remove the cable management clip us a Velcro tie and use that to move the anchor to higher and further back so it no longer interfered with the headsets. it did work in the end but it was a pit of a pain to get it all worked out. You may want to wait for Bionik to come out with a Rift S version of the headphones or use ear buds until other options are available. The black levels are also not as good as PSVR due to the use of LCD vs OLED. Its not "bad" but once you get used to OLED VR, its a bit of a disappointment. For many brightly lit games, you won't even notice the difference but other darker games do lose a bit of contrast and pop! OK onto the good. The visuals and field of view feel more immersive than the PSVR. I just get the feeling I’m inside the world a bit more with the Rift. The fidelity of the games is also much greater. The motion tracking and head tracking are also much better than the PSVR in fact I think the tracking solution is 99% as good as outside in systems with some issues in some game types but when compared to PSVR it’s no contest. Also the controllers have an actual joystick which makes controllers and games so much better than PSVR. Finally even the set up is simpler than PSVR you only need to connect two cables to your PC and you’re good to go. The fidelity of the experience and the ability to mod games goes along way to expanding your possibilities in VR. If you are the kind of gamer who enjoys messing around with all the layers of PC gaming, I think you will see this as a clear advantage of the more limited experiences with PSVT or the Quest. I think many Rift owners and PCVR fans were disappointed because this new system wasn’t a Rift 2.0 . But they ignore the improvements of the "S' but do ding it, fairly, on the lack luster built in audio . The tracking may not be 100% as good as the original Rift but saving you the hassle of running three USB cables and installing and mounting three cameras is worth the trade-off in my opinion . If Oculus can fix the volume issue through software (please!), I think they have a real winner here. Even without the audio fix it’s still a decent PCVR system. I think the price will go down and when that happens this will be a really good choice for users who don't mind a wired solution for better fidelity PCVR. if you want true convenience and no hassles I would say the Oculus Quest is a really great choice. Oculus is providing VR in the most inventive ways today. I look forward to the quest 2.0 and the rift 2.0 in the future.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2019 by D. Frost
Bottom line: possibly the final form of Oculus Rift. I've tried on a few VR systems. It could be through my friends' Rift and Vive, or it could be a demo of a WMD system or three from the Microsoft Store. I am intimately familiar with ups and downs of the systems (which unfortunately often involves me having to recoup from motion sickness and having to lie down for a few hours afterwards). As those are quite common and well-known regardless of the systems you choose, I'll scope this review to something that you should have concerns with this system only, and not for the whole of the VR systems that are out today. Consider this an unholy union of Lenovo and Oculus (and by some extension, Sony). Lenovo has licensed some of the Sony's design (after getting sued) from their last VR set, Mirage Solo. The halo ring rig looks and works quite similar, and it is quite easy to adjust. It is actually a plus if you're wearing glasses; I had no problem wearing my glasses and putting the kit on, while I had quite a bit more problem with the original Rift and Vive. Gone are the lighthouses from the original Rift and Vive, replaced with 5 cameras on the headset. It works quite well... but it also does not play nice with your computer if you have too much things plugged on to your computer on your USB ports, so keep that in mind. In a way, it's an evolution of Windows Mixed Reality kits (with 2 cameras), and to some extent, Vive's. Vive, though, needed lighthouses to function. The kit comes bundled with two motion controllers for each of your hands, and is powered by 1 AA battery each. Build quality seems on par with your regular gaming controller, although it is much lighter to account for the fact that you have to hold it up all the time when in use. The Rift S seems to work with all of the games and VR apps that is compatible with Rift, as promised. It will work with Steam VR (it recognizes the kit as a Rift with 3 sensors). Tracking works great with minimum blind spots, but you'll obviously want your controllers to be within the sights of the cameras of the head unit for it to work. The optics are quite forgiving for a VR unit, and I actually prefer the LCD in the S over the OLED on the Rift. Pixels look more filled in, and everything looks clearer. I do not really miss the lost 10MHz of refresh rate, or at least based on the games I played. You WILL need to keep your eyes centered on the optics, which are not adjustable, in order to get the best picture. Fresnel lens have come the long way and this is probably the best of its kind in the business as of today, but you won't mistake it for any other kinds. You will still see the rainbows if you look at the edge. Lights will separate. But it's no big deal; your eyeglasses do exactly the same, but it's just not as noticeable depending on how strong your prescriptions are. Can't completely cheat the laws of physics. But compared to the old Rift, build quality does feel cheap, or at least the head units are. Halo rattles as you pick it up. Paddings feel cheap. You won't mistake this for a high end stuff, although it does cost more than an Xbox One S. I do not care for the speakers on the head unit, but since it's internal I suppose it's two less hinges to break and two less wires to fray. There ARE headphone jacks if you want to use them. I did note some of the issues that others were having with the sound; hopefully Oculus will come up with a solution soon. This will not be an upgrade for your existing VR kit, or at least the ones that are not at the bottom of the barrel; if you're happy with your Vive or Rift, you should not get this unless lighthouses/sensors bother you a whole lot. Field of View is a lot better than a lot of cheaper (and some expensive) Windows VR kits, so maybe you should consider this if you have them. Short of buying an Oculus Quest--if you want to stay in the Oculus Store ecosystem it does sound like a compelling proposition, all without wires--if you want to harness the power of your computer and like to tinker yet do not care for excessive wires of earlier headsets, you should consider the S.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2019 by N
* Edited 2020-Sep-05 * As of Oct 1, 2020 a Facebook account will be required to use this hardware. Existing users have until Jan1, 2023 to covert to Facebook or the bulk of features will not be available and titles may not work at all. AVOID this hardware and company and go with a Vive or other VR option. I for one, will not continue to use this product. It’s a plain and simple spyware campaign that Facebook continues to expand and is now trying to force upon all users of the Oculus line. As a long time Oculus user, I find this repulsive and will not support this type of corporate behavior. Rating reduced to one star because zero stars are not possible... * Edited 2019-Jun-02 - marked by ** - ** I've used Oculus headsets since the first beta before Facebook owned it. This headset promises to be the first step in making VR accessible to the PC masses. It uses a single connection, no external sensors, and is plug and play (in theory). The graphics are a slight step up from the last iteration, noticeable, but not massive. The controllers are likewise a slight step up from the previous generation and very easy to adapt to. The new see through cameras and guardian system works very well. If you are new to Oculus, this is a visual barrier to let you know when you are going to run into things in the 'real world'. With the headset on, you see a camera view of the real world. You trace out your play area with a 'laser' and this defines your play space, surrounded by virtual walls. The setup is easy and intuitive. Responsiveness is great and much better than single or dual sensor tracking of old. There is no break in the motion when a sensor loses sight of the headset because this headset tracks from the inside out using cameras placed all around the headset. Also gone is the glare from the lenses. Bright scenes had no glare around the edges (halo) like the last set. Colors were good and vibrant. **In dark scenes the LCD panel shows its weakness with washed out blacks (more like grey than black). In dark scenes it is very hard to distinguish items due to a lack of contrast. When playing Arizona Sunshine as a test, I knew the area and still couldn't see things in the dark with a flashlight. Unlike the last panel, this severe lack of contrast and black level is a strong drawback from OLED panels for space sims (Elite Dangerous, etc.) or shooters i where there will be a lot of dark areas.** ** The lenses don't steam up as fast as the old units although I do notice that my face is much more 'sealed' to the front of the unit. This is good and bad (for me). It is good in that it seals out light almost entirely. However, I used to cheat and look through the gaps by my nose to see the keyboard, etc., in the past. Now I have to physically lift the unit to find the keyboard, etc. It should be noted that I use my Oculus more for seated gaming (Elite, Project Cars, Assetto Corsa, etc.) than standing games. When playing standing games with the touch controllers the better seal would be preferred. If you want to peek into the 'real world' you can double tap the Oculus button on the touch controller to enable the cameras. This works well, and is thoughtful, for situations when you are spinning around shooting zombies and become entangled in your headset cord. ** ** The built in sound is very weak with no bass. A canon shot sounds like a 'tink' rather than a 'boom' in War Thunder for example. The headset uses directional sound from the strap to direct sound down towards your ears. Unlike the last version, headphones will not fit over the straps on this version. While it does include a built in microphone, I prefer using a noise canceling headset for gaming that also provides a richer sound (for seated play). This design simply does not allow for that. The sponge on the strap sides (used for comfort) create a 3/4-1" (20-25 mm) offset, on each side, that hold the headphone arms (and ear pads) away from your head. This applies to over the ear, or on ear headphones. If you use ear buds it won't be a problem.** Speaking of the strap, it works surprisingly well with a single wheel to tighten the unit to your head. It pulls the headset to your face and there is a release to move the actual lens part (the big box) away from your face. If you wear glasses, this is far better than the last set. It is a little harder to get the up-down into focus because the 'box' does not pivot in any way. All in all, it's a mix of good and bad over the old unit. Definitely easier to put on, although it goes back to full tight every time it's removed, but harder to get into the sweet spot for focus. Once in focus, it stays put very well ** Note - I raised the rating by 2 stars after getting a replacement and further testing. ** So why one star? Because it doesn't work. Upon first plugging it in, you will have to update the BIOS on everything (headset and controllers). Then you go through the VR setup. First problem was a black screen when instructed to continue the setup in VR. I unplugged it from one display port and plugged it into another and it started working. I finished setup and jumped into a game. After less than 5 minutes in the game, the screen goes black again. It was still on because I could see the backlight, but no picture and no sound from Oculus home. I can hear system sounds coming from the headset though. A reboot later and it's still not working. Unplug, and re-plug into a new ports and it's still dead as a door knob. So much for quality control. The Oculus app shows all green check boxes next to the device, as though all is good when it is definitely not. ** I received a replacement from Amazon for another go at this model. The replacement also crashed during setup, but afterwards has worked so far. It appears the first one may have had a defective board that once heated, failed. I am rating this as 3 stars because the increased resolution and reduction in the 'screen door' effect does not overcome the issue with the lack of rich blacks and contrast. The old panel was better in that regard. Also the change to the strap, while comfortable, completely negates using superior headsets. Sound is every bit as important to immersion as the visual elements. In this regard, the sound in this headset is a big leap backwards. Convenient yes, but practical no. Performance wise, I have had a chance to run it through some benchmarks. This headset operates at 80 frames per second (ideally) as opposed to 90 FPS on the last Rift. On the surface this appears to be worse, but in practice it is not noticeable and did not lead to discomfort at all. I also noticed that this headset was able to keep up at a full 80 FPS in games that previously would drop to ASW (45 FPS). ASW is the Oculus method of dynamically creating filling frames when the frame rate drops below ideal. This helps with discomfort and creates a smoother playback image even through the frame rate is less than the desired 90. This headset did not drop below 80 in most of my tests using the same settings as the previous unit that would have stayed in ASW with the same settings. Clearly the unit is better at aiding graphics cards in rendering frames quicker.** I am running a current game rig with an Intel 8700k and an NVidia 1080ti. Pretty standard fair and one that worked reliably with the old headset. For $400 and after waiting years for an update, I had hoped that the headsets are intended to last longer than 10 minutes. I feel like I'm beta testing the original again. It's clear to me they have a number of kinks to work out. This one is going back immediately. ** After spending some time reviewing the latest drivers, etc., it still seems like an early release, but one that is worthy of $399. The alternative I would consider is the new Vive Index. However, the Vive is MUCH more expensive at $1,000. Furthermore, it still requires satellites setup around the room and can suffer from interruptions as a result (it usually works well in practice). This makes it less portable and more of a pain to switch between seated play and standing play in many situations. Also the touted 144 FPS refresh rate is highly unlikely in anything but simple whack-a-mole type games (Beat Saber, etc.). You will need significant hardware (2080, etc.) to push that frame rate. The controllers on the Vive also seem better (how it is held, finder tracking, etc.), but it isn't yet fully implemented and there are a lot of questions around play with legacy device support. For these reasons, the Oculus seems like the better consumer deal. If you will be playing mostly things like Arizona Sunshine, Beat Saber, etc., this is really a very easy headset to use, and is much easier to setup and put away too. **
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2019 by Microdev
I decided to purchase the Oculus Rift S so I could use it with the Flight Sim, DCS: World. It took me some effort and some trial and error during setup, but once I finally got everything working smoothly I was genuinely impressed. PROS: * - Integrated Headtracking. The Rift S uses its headset-mounted cameras to detect your movement and determine your position in the world, which means I didn't have to buy and set up IR cameras or sensors in the corners of my room that would take up extra space and cost more money. When I sit in the cockpit of an aircraft in my sim, I look around as if I'm really there. I can glance down at my instruments as I'm flying. I can look to the left or right and check the position of the airfield as I'm making my approach. I can look over my shoulder to see which way that bandit is turning after the merge. * - Higher Resolution. Images in the Rift S look clear. In a flight sim, this means I can read the instruments in my cockpit without having to use an awkward and unrealistic zoom feature. * - "WOW" Factor. There is no way to describe what its like to experience VR in a way that someone who has not experienced would understand just how awesome it is. To interact with virtual creatures. To stand at the edge of a virtual skyscraper and look down. To sit at the controls of a fighter jet as it's thrown off the deck of a the carrier. It has to been seen to be believed. CONS: * - USB Port issues during setup. I experienced issues with the Rift S not communicating with the Oculus Software because of my USB 3.0 Drivers. After some research and troubleshooting, I discovered that by simply uninstalling my drivers and reinstalling the generic drivers that came with Windows 10, the problem could be avoided. * - Windows Update issues during setup. I experienced issues with the Rift S not communicating with the Oculus Software because of Windows Updates. Simply making sure Windows 10 was fully updated solved that issue. * - USB Power issues during setup. I also had problems with the Rift S not working because it could not draw enough power through my motherboard's USB 3.0 ports. I solved this by purchasing a powered USB hub and plugging all my other devices into the hub. Once the Rift S was the only device (other than my keyboard and mouse) connected to my motherboard directly, it had no further issues. Setting up the Rift S was tricky, and I had several problems as I tried. The most common issues encountered are not the fault of the manufacturer however, and most issues are very well documented. The end result however, was well worth the trouble. Quite frankly, now that I've experienced Flight Simulation in VR I'm not sure I could go back to using a flat-screen monitor.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2019 by Jacob Pennington
I do own a CV1 Rift; and I still like it; although the main problem for me was the sensors. Few years ago, there was no escape, either if you pick a vive or a rift; but now there is an option. Granted, this is not a revolution from the previous rift; in some ways it has "lower" specs; but don't get that fool you. Technology is going forward, as such; you get better products with more optimizations, that are actually going "slower". Look at your 16 cores i9 and compare it to a single core CPU from years ago: it goes slower but can do hundreds of things faster, if the code is optimized. So don't get fooled by the number-lovers that tell you that more is better. Refresh rate is at 80Hz; this may be OK for you or not, can't say since most of the people can't tell the difference, but some are more sensitive to the variations in refresh rate, and those are usually more prone to get motion sickness. Give it a try first; but chances are that you won't be able to tell the difference between the 90Hz of the original rift, 80Hz of the S and the 100+Hz in the new Valve Index. The screen is new, it is just one screen, but the resolution is higher. To me it looks much better than the 2 separate screens of the rift; and everything looks crisp and defined, with the new lenses (both the screen and lenses are the same as the oculus Go) The big thing is inside-out tracking: forget about setting up lighthouses or sensors; you can plug in the device and off you go. 99% of the time I felt no problems with the games I play; both for room scale or sitting experiences. Some issues are manifesting if you occlude the controllers or the cameras, so if you put your controller behind you or below a table; but that is the same if you would use a sensor setup. As far as performances, not that much difference between the rift and the new S model. It just looks better and feel more precise. If you move around a lot, and don't want to re-calibrate the sensors every time, that alone is worth the upgrade. I am in this category. Bear in mind, you still have the cable, but can't do that without. The rift S is a tethered device; you can get a quest for the same price; but you get a watered down experience with the quest, but wireless. The quest is fundamentally a phone chip inside the headset, so while powerful, you have to strap a battery pack on yourself, because you get only few hours of battery life out of the quest; and the graphics is nowhere near the games you can play on the Rift S; because they are mobile games. Some look great, but that is because they were ported to the Quest; with the intention to show the max capabilities of the device. If you have a large PC game library, forget about the Quest, unless you want to stream on it (but you can do the same with the Go at that point, since you won't use the 6 DOF that the Quest support). So in the end, if you have no Rift, the S is a great upgrade. If you have a rift, it may not be a step forward, but more of an improvement. Imagine yourself buying every year the new Samsung or iPhone device; this is exactly the same thing. New device, iterative design, similar price. So pick and choose if the pros and cons are in your range of what you consider important, and decide if you want this device or not.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2019 by CF