Install
- Very easy setup.
- It takes 2 USB 3.0 slots. One for the head tracker and the other for the headset.
- You also need the HDMI output from your video card. I tried using a DP to HDMI converter which did not work with the Rift but did for my TV out so I can have both hooked up at the same time.
- The Oculus home software walks you through the setup process and I was done in about 5 minutes.
- The headset has 3 adjustment straps, one on each side and one on top.
- I guess I have a small head as the side straps where pulled about all the way just to make it tight.
- It is light and once you get the straps set it's easy to take off and on.
- You can adjust the spacing of the lenses with a small button under the right eye.
- The headphones work very well and I thought they did a decent job producing bass.
- I did play for 3 hours straight and my face did get a little irritated by the material that was touching my skin and that could be due to the newness and the chemicals on the fabric.
- My neck is a little sore this morning but nothing major. It will take a bit of time to build up those specific neck muscles.
- I do use reading glasses but since the Rift projects the picture far away I don't need them for the Rift.
- I did try putting on the Rift with my glasses though and it was not easy even after opening all the straps up. Maybe easier with more practice.
- I did not feel nauseous at any time during my playtime. I am running with a 980TI and have not had any frame rate drops.
Headset Performance
- The first time I put them on I watched an intro video and it was awesome.
- I was standing in front of an alien on a rocky planet and he was looking at me and making faces. .
- Then I was standing in a hall and a T-Rex was at the other end and he came at me and stopped just in front and roared and the spit came flying out at me then he walked over me.
- Next I was standing on the edge of a building looking down and I did feel a bit queasy since I don't like heights.
- The sense of being there in a different place is what is cool about the Oculus. Looking all around and being enveloped in the world is really a unique experience.
- With all that said the tech still needs a couple of years to get where it needs to be.
- The problem I have with the Oculus is with the Screen Door Effect where it looks like you are looking at the picture through a screen door, I can see the pixels that make up the picture so it isn't sharp and that is bothersome to me and it reinforces the feeling that I'm looking at a screen and not really in the world.
- Maybe my eyes are more susceptible to this effect as I've read on some posts that they can only tell if you are looking for it but I see it all the time.
- The games are also not in 1080P even the though the screens have a high resolution the picture you see is just not as crisp and clear it feels more like 720P and I've even read it's more like 480P.
- In a couple of years once the lenses and video cards get better this tech will really shine.
Software Impressions
Oculus Home
- You have to install this product and it be open in order for the Rift to work.
- It's a store front like Uplay and Origin.
- There is an option that you have to turn on if you want to be able to play games from Steam or other networks, it's not on by default. There are some games that are exclusive to the Oculus Store so you need to do some research before deciding on where to buy.
- I was able to play a couple of VR games through Steam.
Game Impressions
Project Cars
- I mainly wanted the Rift for driving simulators, mainly Dirt Rally, but most of them don't have support for the Oculus yet.
- I only tried PC for about 2 races and it was cool being in the car looking at the dashboard and seeing all the racers just by turning my head.
- The graphics are a bit jaggy and it's a bit difficult to see far away images because of the resolution.
- I need to do some more tweaking with the graphics to see if I can fix these issues.
Chronos
- A 3rd person action adventure game that feels a bit like Dark Souls.
- The camera is in a fixed position sort of like the Resident Evil games but you can still look around.
- The game is fun on its own and the VR does add a bit to the world in making you feel like you are there.
Lucky's Tale
- A platformer that works really well in VR.
- Again you do feel like you are in this place.
- There are some sections where you go underground and you see the action kind of like a diorama which is neat.
Eve: Valkryie
- Space shooter where you are in a cockpit and that feels perfect for VR as you do feel like you are in a ship and there is a cool thrill when it takes off as you see the scenery fly by.
- The graphics are great but once again the SDE takes me out of the world.
Doom
- Only got to play about 30 seconds before it crashed but it was Doom in VR.
Conclusion
- Is the Oculus Rift worth $600 plus the PC you need to run it?
- At this time I would say not yet, probably in 2-3 years once the tech gets better then this will be amazing.
- If you have to have the latest gadgets then you may want to splurge on one but right now there isn't a game that is a must play so again waiting until there is more software will probably be the best decision.
- I think these same issues I have will exist with the VIVE so I'm probably going to cancel my VIVE pre-order.
- It may sound strange but I got a similar feeling to the Oculus when playing games in 3D with the convergence set really high. The image felt like it was right in front of me and that I was in the world as well. It wasn't as tight as the Oculus since your whole view is the world but it was a similar feeling.
