Oculus Rift S Revealed with Inside-out Tracking, Resolution Bump, & New Ergonomics

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Oculus today announced the new Rift S headset which ditches external tracking sensors in favor of a five-camera inside-out tracking system. The headset also gets a slight bump in resolution over the original Rift while moving from OLED to LCD displays. A brand new head mount design revamps the headsets ergonomics with a ‘halo’ style strap and top strap. Rift S will be priced at $400 at launch this Spring.

Rift S is Oculus’ first new PC VR headset since the launch of the original Rift back in 2016, but the company has made quite clear that this isn’t a ‘Rift 2’, hence the use of the ‘S’ moniker, which Oculus chose to signify that Rift S is a replacement for Rift, not a sequel.

Oculus Rift S Specs at a Glance

Here’s a quick look at the Rift S specs and further down is a deeper look at the most important changes and how they compare to the original Rift.

  • Pricing: $399
  • Availability: Spring 2019
  • Weight: A little more than Rift
  • Display:
    • Resolution: 1,280 × 1,440 per eye (2,560 × 1,440 total)
    • Type: Single fast-switch LCD
    • Refresh Rate: 80Hz
    • Field of View: ‘Slightly larger than Rift’
    • IPD Adjustment: Software only
  • Tracking:
    • Type: ‘Insight’ inside out – five cameras
    • Capabilities: Supports 6 degrees of freedom head and controller tracking
    • Recommended Environments: It should work in almost any lit indoor environment.
    • Recommended Playspace: Oculus Rift S works with your environment, so you can play standing or sitting, in spaces big or small.
  • Tether:
    • Length: 5 meter
    • Connections: DisplayPort 1.2 & USB
  • Passthrough:
    • Passthrough+: Low latency stereo-correct passthrough video
    • Guardian: Boundaries traced from inside headset using passthrough
  • Recommended PC Specs: Same as Rift except need DisplayPort 1.2 or later and just one USB 3.0 port instead of three

For a taste of what it’s like to use the Rift S, check out our in-depth hands-on article.

New LCD Display

Image courtesy Oculus

Even so, Rift S is more than just the original Rift with some new components inside. It’s an entirely new headset, and in fact Oculus says they tapped Lenovo to help in design and manufacturing.

Rift S brings a bump in resolution over the original, now using a single display which amounts to 1,280 × 1,440 per eye, up from the 1,080 × 1,200 displays in the original Rift, which gives Rift S 1.4 times the total number of pixels of the original Rift. This is also the same resolution found in Oculus Go, and a lower resolution than Oculus Quest (1,440 × 1,600). Rift S lacks the hardware IPD adjustment found on Quest, but supports software adjustments.

Not just a change in resolution, but Rift S now uses LCD displays rather than the OLED displays in the original. OLED displays typically have richer colors and better contrast than LCD displays which makes them great for dark content, but LCD displays for VR have gotten better in the years since the Rift first launched, and bring some benefits of their own.

Among the biggest benefits of moving to LCD over OLED is improved ‘fill-factor’ which means less screen door effect (the unlit space between pixels). So while the resolution improvement from Rift to Rift S doesn’t bring a significant increase in fidelity, it does bring a notable reduction in screen door effect which helps boost immersion. LCD is also typically devoid of mura.

The Rift S displays run at 80Hz, a change from the original Rift’s OLED displays which run at 90Hz. Oculus says that one reason for moving to a slower refresh rate was to avoid needing to increase their recommended VR specifications (to ensure that developers can continue to target one specification as the install base grows).

The lenses in Rift S are new and improved over the original Rift, and Oculus says they’re similar to what’s in Oculus Go and Quest (which have been touted as having better clarity and less pronounced god rays). The company tells Road to VR that Rift S has a slightly larger field of view than the original Rift, but declined to provide a specific figure.

Inside-out Tracking with ‘Passthrough+’

Image courtesy Oculus

On the tracking front, Oculus is ditching its outside-in ‘Constellation’ tracking system for ‘Insight’ inside-out tracking. That means getting rid of the external sensors needed for the Rift and instead using cameras on the Rift S itself so that the headset can understand its position in the world. As before, an on-board IMU does high frequency tracking while the inside-out system is largely used for less frequent drift correction.

The Insight system on Rift S is similar to Quest but has five cameras instead of four, and uses a different configuration. Instead of cameras mounted at the corners of the headset’s front panel, there’s two cameras toward the bottom of the front panel which face forward, one camera on the left and right of the headset which aim slightly downward, and one camera on top of the headset which faces the ceiling.

Not only does Insight mean that the headset is easier to use and set up, but it will also support larger (potentially unlimited) playspaces, and also means ‘room-scale’ tracking out of the box, which is a big shift from the default ‘front-facing’ setup used by the original Rift (which did support room-scale with an extra sensor and a more complicated setup). This aligns the headset’s tracking capabilities nicely with both Quest and other room-scale headsets like Vive, and may give developers a more consistent design space which would make it easier to design games that work across multiple headsets with fewer tweaks. Good timing considering the recent OpenXR news.

With cameras on-board, Oculus is also bringing pass-through video to the headset for the first time, a feature which allows users to see outside of the headset through the cameras. Oculus says they took extra care to make the camera input stereo-correct and low latency; they claim that passthrough on Rift S is better than anything else out there, including Quest’s passthrough function, which is why they’re calling it ‘Passthrough+’.

With passthrough on Rift S, Oculus has also developed a novel and likely easier way to facilitate Guardian setup (the headset’s boundary system). Instead of looking at the computer screen while using a controller to trace the edges of the playspace, users will simply wear the headset and use passthrough to look at the environment through the headset, then use the controller to trace a line on the ground to define the boundary.

New Design & Ergonomics

Image courtesy Oculus

Though the original Rift design has aged quite well, Oculus has scrapped it in favor of something brand new. The company says they partnered with Lenovo on the design and manufacturing of the headset, and some elements of Lenovo’s other VR headsets appear to shine through.

Most notably, Oculus has moved to a ‘halo’ style head strap with a crank on the back which tightens the band. The head mount mostly rests on the forehead while the rear of the strap offers some counter-weight for balance. Unlike most halo head mounts, Rift S adds a strap over the top of the head as well, which helps distribute some weight across the top of the head.

With the visor ‘hanging’ in front of the user’s eyes (instead of being squeezed against their face), Oculus has added a lens-to-eye distance adjustment; press a small button underneath and you can move the visor closer or further from your face. This is a welcome feature for both maximizing field of view across different face shapes, and making to fit glasses inside the headset.

The headphones on the original Rift have been removed in favor of a hidden ‘channeled audio’ approach for Rift S that’s similar to Quest and Go. Instead of over-ear headphones, there’s small openings along the headband near the user’s each which pipes in left and right audio. Rift S also now has a 3.5mm jack on the side of the headset for users who want to use their own headphones, though the halo-style headband may get in the way of certain headphones.

Oculus says the Rift S weighs “a little more” than the Rift’s 470 grams, but has declined to provide a specific figure.

Release Date and Price

Oculus says that Rift S is due out in Spring and will cost $400. The headset will replace the original Rift which the company says is being phased out.

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Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • That’s amazing. I hoped for a bigger resolution and a lower price… but it’s an overall improvement over the Rift and this is more than welcome

    • HomeAudio

      Yes.. that’s truely amazing… no IPD adjustment, LCD screen with only 80Hz refresh rate, no wide FOV, still low resolution comparing to competitors, no decent headphones, heavier than CV1… truely amazing!

      • Holy crap, guys. Go with HTC, PiMax or whatever Chinese knock-off you think will fit the bill. Or make your own.

        • HybridEnergy

          HTC is not Chinese.

          • Neither is PiMAX. And that is not what I implied.

          • HybridEnergy

            I realize you meant those as other options, my mistake.

          • Andrew Jakobs

            Well, tell that to the Chinese, they still think Taiwan is theirs..

          • HybridEnergy

            lol :P

  • HybridEnergy

    What the hell? A good chunk of it is a downgrade.

    • care package

      Quest to me is a glorified Go more than it is a wireless Rift.

      • HybridEnergy

        Maybe, specially with 2 hour batt life and that hardware…but…their mid range HMD by line up will still have the better resolution.

        • care package

          Hence, the ‘glorified Go’ part.

          • Zbyszek

            It has 6DOF which makes it not comparable to GO.

          • care package

            Depends on how you look at it. That could also be part of the ‘glorified Go’ part, but it’s a stretch I would admit. It’s not really comparable to the Rift either, since there is a big difference between mobile content VS PC.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      Quest is 72hz and 1,440×1,600.

      • Kevin White

        Accounting for the disparity in refresh and resolution, and assuming 1:1 internal rendering to screen res (I know it’s a lot more complicated than that) Quest SOC is rendering 12.5% more pixels per second than a PC GPU running Rift S.

    • Dark Avry

      This article is horribly wrong, Original Rift had the cheap, mobile AMOLED, not real OLED like in PSVR

      • HybridEnergy

        AMOLED is an OLED panel. Better than LCD.

        • Dark Avry

          No, not that simple, AMOLED is based on OLED technology but it isn’t real OLED, its cheap variation made for cheap mobile screens to save money.

          it uses pentile RGB and has less subpixels then RGB OLED or RGB LCD.
          For example take PSVR with 12 subpixels per pixel but lower resolution with Real RGB OLED Vs. RIFT/VIVE with 8 sub-pixels per pixels with Pentile AMOLED but Higher resolution and multiply to see the total amount of Sub pixels Per screen, you’ll find that, PSVR has higher pixel density them Rift/VIVE even thou it has lower resolution.

          Also due to this pentile arrangement [less subpixels] the brightness is lacking, darks are horrible, whites are not that white, loss of details, in VR there is pronounced SDE effect that you dont see on real OLED etc
          If you ever Played PSVR and compared with VIVE/RIFT you should know that PSVR has almost no SDE while the otehr two has insane amounts of SDE.

          So ill take regualr LCD then another AMOLED, personally if any HMD has AMOLED screen is automatic NOPE for me.
          Ill take LCD [preferably VA or IPS but for VR VA is better with OLED like dark] or real OLED or SuperAmoled or some otehr new display tech but not AMOLED.
          The only way ill take amoled is if its 4K by 4K Per eye so it has insane pixel density

          Here is comparison, AMOLED [Cheap fake mobile OLED] vs SuperAMOLED Plus [different name for Regular OLED]

          https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/330d2ba19b6617019ee067e20629d76fe2dae21e517907f01e801133a87cc1c8.png

        • Stanislaus Dixon

          Banana oil. AM/OLED does not necessarily mean better. Specs and buzzwords are the lazy person’s way of comparing technology. Compare a Rift and a Go side by side, in the same scene. The Go has a clearer image, with better fillrate. The pentile display on the Rift is distracting. Also the blacks on the Rift are not true black, and can often be smeary in especially dark scenes. (Creds: Rift DK1, DK2, CV1, and Go developer.)

          • HybridEnergy

            You’re talking about something else. the clearer image on the Go comes from the higher resolution. OLED vs LCD is about colors and screen quality. In general , I have always found OLED to be more vibrant, colorful, and have better color reproduction than LCD in every single comparison and that’s not just VR, inculding phones to TVs. Not necessarily clearer, that’s resolution and pixel arrangement tech.

  • A VR Enthusiastic

    .
    What a beautiful day!
    .

  • Adrian Meredith

    This is just hugely disappointing how can the specs be worse than the quest when it doesn’t even have an soc in it?

    • kontis

      PC is a bad, outdated platform and it has viruses (like Steam) and you can buy software without paying facebook. Just buy Quest! It’s better. Such a simple choice. It feels like Rift S made that choice, suspiciously, even simpler.

      • Icebeat

        what the fuck are you talking about, are you stupid or a troll from facebook?

        • HybridEnergy

          I don’t know, it seems like he’s being sarcastic….I think…hard to tell these days.

          • James Abrahams

            I personally think the word “suspiciously” was signalling the sarcasm but yeah it is hard to tell.

      • VR Troll is still a troll.

        • Hivemind9000

          /sarcasm

    • care package

      My guess is the slight res bump is also part of keeping the PC requirements the same (like the lower frame rate). Quest might have higher resolution, but the content is expected to be far less taxing for the Quest. Quest is more a glorified Go IMO, and NOT a ‘wireless Rift’.

      • Andrew Jakobs

        That’s exactly what was said in the Tested interview, they wanted to target the same (low) PC specs the Rift targets, so more people can actually enjoy these headsets (most regular consumers might just have a GPU like the 1050 or at most the 1060). But then again, the Quest has a lower framerate than this one. But it’s still not clear if the displays are the same from the Go but pushed from 72hz to 80hz, or are capped at 80hz, but are capable of 90hz (or more), I think 72hz to 80hz. But the people who used the S already said they didn’t really notice the lower framerate.

        • care package

          Ya I just watched it. Seems their hands were tide more than anything. Makes total sense not to alienate current Rift users by requiring an upgraded PC. If there is a Rift 2, I doubt it even will since I’m guessing it’s waiting for all those cheats to get ironed out that reduce power needs.

        • HybridEnergy

          By why do they always insult the consumer’s intelligence on these levels? They can give us 90hz and the better screens , just add a resolution/super-sampling setting and bam, your 1060 gpu friend can run it.

          • Andrew Jakobs

            It’s not insulting the consumer’s intelligence (most of the consumers they want to target don’t know the difference anyway). But better screens also means higher prices (not only in the display department itself, but also in the onboard chips), and that’s a problem if you’re targetting a specific pricepoint.
            In reality, most people bitching here are just looking at the specs on paper, but if you would give them a blindtest, most wouldn’t even notice the difference in 80hz vs 90hz. Also it might be that these displays can take 90hz, but at the moment they capped it at 80hz to get the same specs.. A lot can be done later through softwareupdates, but it would bite them in the ass if they said now they would bump it up to 90hz but couldn’t get it to run smoothly..

          • Andrew Jakobs…I appreciate your salient thought and calm demeanor in here. Too much hyperbole from most.

          • $400…….

          • HybridEnergy

            But the Quest is 400 as well with better screens and packed in hardware no ?

          • yes. But ONLY Oculus store. No STEAM. So, when you buy from
            Steam Oculus doesnt get a cut of the sale.

            Now, this may not actually matter to most people. If they are fine with Oculus store only for the quest, then Great!

            But, with the OBVIOUS amount and speed of changes taking place in VR right now, I would be uncomfortable making all my games purchases locked into only one eco-system.

    • Two words: Price point.

      The QUEST, though slightly higher in individual eye rez is a closed software eco-system and STEAM only works for PC (x86) architecture. Therefore, the higher quality(cost) of the QUEST can be offset by in-house software purchases, ala console systems like PS4, Xbox.

      Additionally, the (apparent) physical upgrades in features and quality factor into the price. This include 5 cameras, better head strap and lenses. Again, all this in a $400 price tag.

      I think this is pretty amazing myself. My only =( is that it doesn’t already have foveated rendering. We know they are all working towards that but nothing indicates that is coming this year. Still waiting on HTC Cosmos full announce though.

      Personally, I will be purchasing an S on day one. I currently have a Rift and love it. But, the Constellation setup is…..an annoyance. I move my setup constantly. The only thing that would prompt me to pick up an HTC Cosmos instead of the S is:
      1. If they include foveated (or announce it can be upgraded later)
      2. Display Link doesn’t announce a WiGig rig for Rift soon. (I will not get bogged down with a TPCast.)

      Inside out rendering was scoffed at by the Hardcore crown when it was announced. But, anyone who understands VR knew it was the only option going forward even if not initially as good as outside in. And…there is no way it wasn’t going to get better eventually. And according to BeatSaber devs that “eventually” is NOW.

      I am not wed to any particular developer. I just want a completely wireless HMD with PC tethered specs.

      Hell, I’ll buy one of each.

      • James Cobalt

        I think you have a strong point with the closed ecosystem side for offsetting hardware costs. But didn’t they imply the lenses were the same as the Quest? How is a single LCD panel with fixed IPD and lower resolution higher quality compared to the Quest?

        Overall the S seems like a worse experience. Yes, it’s more flexible in that you can access a larger library and better game graphics, but it’s also less flexible in the number of users for whom it’ll be comfortable and for where it can be used. Seems like a cross-grade over the CV1 rather than an upgrade.

        • You know…only time (and personal usage experience will tell) but the extra camera on top give you above and behind the head coverage so my Beat Saber sessions are safe!

          And even the reviewers are saying…this is NOT 2.0 hardware. It’s evolution…not revolution.

          I’m sure after we all upgrade this spring 2.0 hardware will be announce for this Xmas. =)

      • HybridEnergy

        “I just want a completely wireless HMD with PC tethered specs.”
        You need the PC for that, right now, HTC with the adapter has the best option. Cost aside. It’s worth it, but what you want in a stand alone is not for this up coming generation.

        • I know!!! I almost traded in my Rift for a VIVE simply because of the DisplayLink wifi (WiGig) but then the news started coming out around xmas for this new crop so I am waiting. And yeah, $300 extra buck may be a lot to many people but to go completely wireless for the cost of few family dinners out….SOLD !

          • HybridEnergy

            It’s amazing, I feel with it like I’m about half a generation ahead with the 3k+wireless headset. It’s awesome moving around with no front and tether at this spec quality…but it’s true, it was a round house kick to my wallet and my 4-core processor. I’m not wealthy or anything , it’s just one of my primary hobbies. I’m here looking closely where we are going from here. The quest looks great, but this RIFT S is confusing.

      • jwvanderbeck

        I am still hesitant about Inside Out tracking until I learn more. I agree that the simplicity is huge and important for VR adoption, but I have two main concerns:

        1) Tracking in low or no light. My understanding is that these use visible light cameras, so that makes it impossible to use in low light situations? That’s a HUGE chunk of what I do.

        2) Controller tracking. Sure Inside Out will do fine when the controllers are in front of me, but what about when they are at my sides or even behind me? If a game involves me holding something in one hand and looking in another direction, this falls apart as far as I know.

        • Kevin White

          1) I used my Vive in mostly dark or pitch black conditions, because my VR area is the breakfast nook which is connected to the kitchen and the living room, and my wife often wanted to watch a movie or show without a bunch of lights on. When I later got the Odyssey, I found it wouldn’t work acceptably in the lighting situation my wife insisted upon most of the time, so I could never really use it when she was home.

          2) Odyssey controller tracking was frustrating. It wasn’t just how often it would fail to positionally track, it was also how clunky and jarring the re-acquisition of positional tracking was. Even in Audioshield it was irritating and inaccurate, as whenever I lowered the shields to view incoming orbs, when I raised them back up it would “jump” back up making it feel “sticky” instead of smooth, and sometimes jacking up my intended move.

          Hoping the Quest and Rift S are better at least at point #2.

        • It’s IR (Infra-red) and it the points on the controllers EMIT IR light. It will work in complete darkness. But, it would not be able to see your room for walking around.

          • Kevin White

            Maybe I could put some infrared light markers around my VR space. Maybe like little IR lasers. Yah. Maybe instead of a bunch of them I just want two emitters that spray IR lasers across a swath in a cycle. Yah. We could call em IR boxes or IR houses or lighthouses or something.

          • jwvanderbeck

            So the cameras are seeing both visible light and IR? Would it then be possible to somehow decorate a play space with IR markers to allow it to function in the dark?

            (Constellation was a lot easier. Just stick some cameras up and run cords!)

      • Kevin White

        Is wireless a tougher technical hurdle with inside-out tracking that’s based on camera images? Does the Rift S (and Odyssey) have to send low res images to the CPU x times per second, and might that be an issue with WiGig? Just wondering, I don’t know the answer.

        • No sure what bandwidth/throughput is for the TPCast but it’s small enough that is actually had to reduce the FOV for Rift and Vive to be able to transmit fast enough.

          WiGig is 7Gbit/s. Fast enough for 8k PiMax at full rez. Only down side is it’s 60Ghz bandwidth/frequency needs line of sight. Walls kill it.

          • Hivemind9000

            The faster these things get, the more power they consume. I’m guessing the extra battery weight needed to power these things for any length of time can’t be insignificant either.

          • Absolutely. The ONE thing that people always seem to forget about new tech is it need POWER and needs batteries to be portable. But, even as a now AVID VR nerd, my individual sessions never last more than a couple hours at most. Most clock in about 1.5 hours (beat saber, natch)

            But, for VR parties (which i host on a regular basis) I would need multiple batteries (and large supply of dry facepad replacements)
            and the cost isn’t even a factor for me, personally.

            Once you try wireless…you will never want to go back.

            The Rift S is s step in that direction just not a leap like the QUEST.

    • FireAndTheVoid

      From today’s Ars Technica article about the Rift S: “Oculus confirmed that Lenovo took the lead on producing this headset.” That’s why this seems so disjointed from the Quest. It is a Lenovo headset that borrows some Oculus tech.

  • 3872Orcs

    I think I now understand why Brendan Iribe left the company.

    • Adrian Meredith

      Don’t blame him

    • FireAndTheVoid

      I came down here to write this exact comment.

    • daveinpublic

      Oculus is in a tricky place of trying to keep Rift updated without stealing the show from the Quest. This is a good refresh for now, gives the Rift better res, better lenses, and better ergonomics with the halo design. It’s the best of Vive and WMR in one.

      Imagine getting a Vive Pro with the old Vive wands for over a thousand $. Or getting the WMR with crappy tracking and an ok native store. Or getting the comfort of the Playstation VR but having to use a Playstation Eye and Move Wands. That’s the landscape right now. The Rift S is giving you the best of all of these headsets in one, and it’s available in a month at a price for the masses.

      It may not be Rift 2.0, but it’s still a refresh. PC VR Gamers are not the huge audience some companies thought, and Oculus is still finding creative ways to meet that very vocal segment’s needs at a normal price point. And there’s probably some opportunity to lower the cost built into that, as this is the launch price.

      • Darshan

        Exactly my thoughts…They tried to offer best of all worlds at honestly fair price point… I expect price to settle at $ 300 or 330 by DEC 2019.

      • Boogie Nights

        I just don’t understand why they just didn’t make the Quest a all in one. They say because of money but yet your manufacturing 2 sets. Makes no sense.

        • killking

          I too would wish for an all in one, but I can probably tell you why. Specialisation and marketing.

          Imagine you could use quest also as a PC headset.
          I me and you would probably say its great, but bad toungs would say you need a PC too get the full Quest experience. And while it actually would be true, it would probably would stop most not into the VR invested potential customers to buy this “standalone” headset.

    • yes, because he wanted to release a $799 headset and keep high end VR exclusive to hardcores, enterprise and trolls.

      • Jeff Axline

        When did he say that?

      • zflorence1

        No, because he probably wanted to release a $599 package with across the board improved specs without cutting corners for the sake of hitting a $399 target price and min Geforce 900 series system requirement.

        • And that is great! I think one thing that VR is showing is there is a market for almost any price point and feature set.

          But, just look at Apple, iNtel or Nvidia. They all have their TOP of the line products which are great show cases but NEVER sell anywhere near the numbers that occur after the price breaks.

          Just like with the GO (and the Quest to some degree) I think Oculus wants to GET more people INTO VR first…then let them decide on upgrades.

          Seriously guys. This. Is. The. Year. 2016 may have been the breakthrough tech wise, but 2019 will be the BREAKOUT that the platform needs, sales-wise for VR to firmly cement itself as a permanent robust…..uh, thing?

          • Trenix

            If people are as broke as you, they won’t buy Oculus Rift S, they’ll get the Quest. However this PC device, is going to be replaced with any outside-in device that comes out this year. You better hope people are getting the Quest and will be satisfied with it, otherwise Oculus will probably be gone within a few years. Not only did they change the device which can arguably be considered a downgrade, but they are replacing the older device which is again, arguably better.

          • Give me a list of all the new Outside-In devices that are coming out this year for home consumer.

            I’ll just wait here……

          • Trenix

            As far as I’m aware, none currently. But if I’m going to buy one, it will most likely be a Vive. Wait till knuckles get released, Oculus going to regret this change. While Vive will get the best controllers up-to-date, Oculus will get worse controllers and worse tracking. We’ll see how this will play out.

          • Baldrickk

            Given that lighthouse is inside out tracking and the rift is the only one that has done outside in in the last three years or so….

          • zflorence1

            It would have been great to have a Rift S with at least as good as displays with manual IPD adjust as the Quest. The drop to 80z is fine as it’s an increase from the Quest in regards to product differentiation and it serves to address the gtx 1060 users, but giving the Rift community less than displays and cut corners relative to Quest puts Rift S in a weird place. That being said I’d recommend the Rift S over any WMR due to superior tracking however -even the HP Reverb – Because resolution isn’t everything.

    • Adderstone VR

      He didn’t want to be part of this race to the bottom.

  • Arashi

    Wow, even lower than Vive Pro resolution, what a bummer.

    • care package

      And half the cost.

      • HybridEnergy

        What’s the excuse when compared to the Samsung?

        • Andrew Jakobs

          Different target audience? Let’s not forget the normal consumer still doesn’t have a very powerful GPU, a 1060 at most, but propably more a 1050.. And THAT’s the consumers Oculus is targeting, not people like you and me which want some better hardware.

          • HybridEnergy

            but the RIFT name is supposed to be the enthusiast level tier no? What’s wrong with lowering video game settings/ super sampling instead ? I’m a wireless Vive Pro user on a 1080 ti, I thought this thing is supposed to compete for my wallet?

          • Andrew Jakobs

            You’re clearly not the consumer they want to target, because of 3 things, 1. wireless, 2. Vive Pro, 3. 1080ti…. So no this was never meant to compete for YOUR wallet..

          • HybridEnergy

            In other words, Oculus according to you doesn’t have a high end VR product?

          • Andrew Jakobs

            Nope, Oculus doesn’t have a high end VR product at the moment.

          • You have a very valid point. They should really get better marketing. GO for low-end experience VR, Quest for stand-alone gaming, RIFT for enthusiast and…..something else for this range. It’s like they are trying to capitalize on the RIFT name more than Oculus.

            But, VIVE is even worse. VIVE, Vive Pro., Vive Focus, Vive Eye…etc. Seriously. HTC..your branding guys need to consult a dictionary.

          • HybridEnergy

            Exactly, HTC isn’t great with their branding either but at least it’s kind of clear when it’s enthusiast level. I was going to add a RIFT again (had one before) to my collection but held off since the RIFT S rumors. Now all these hardware announcements, I have to process all this information. It feels like we’re back at the experimentation phase of VR hardware again 2016/2017. I have respect for Oculus because they out of pocket invest in content/games…something I wish HTC did to be honest.

          • HTC is getting there with their own storefront and subscription service. I’m sure we will see more than a couple HTC exclusives in the next year or so.

            I personally don’t have that much of a problem with exclusives as long as the hardware is not restricted to a single eco-system. Which HTC knows and Oculus eventually figured out.

            That being said…..grrrrr….I want to play Spider Man and Horizon Zero Dawn but will NEVER own a Playstation until they clean up their act.

      • James Cobalt

        Hmmm… The Odyssey is the same resolution as Vive Pro at less than half the cost, and the Rift S is worse hardware than the Quest for the same cost. So what’s your angle?

        • care package

          My sneaky angle was merely pointing out it’s half the cost of the Vive Pro, which was the topic at hand.

          Rift S is slightly better equipped than the Quest for inside out with the added camera, and you’ve got the extra cost with the head strap. No expert though. Buy an Odyssey then. You mad bro?

          • James Cobalt

            I’m neither mad nor a bro, but when comparing to other 1.5 gen headsets, it’s hard to justify the compromises they made on the S as being strictly for cost — especially when compared to their very own Quest HMD. It’s really puzzling. Like… in an already overcrowded market, who is this for? Two differently-compromised products at the same price point?

            The Rift desperately needed an update along the lines of the improvements that were made here, but it certainly didn’t need a downgrade like the compromises that were made here. It’s a confusing move.

            I’m still curious to try it in a week or so (assuming that’s what their enormous PAX EAST presence is for) but my money would be on the UVP of the Quest.

          • care package

            All the Rift S is, is a replacement for the Rift as they said. People are freaking out because they’re still seeing it as an ‘upgrade’ when it’s not. The rumor is still strong a Rift 2 is coming, but pushed out for technology to mature.
            Referring to the changes as a downgrade is highly subjective. All I see are improvements. I still want my integrated headphones, but the touchless audio has it’s advantages as well. Nothing on your ears, and you can still hear normal sounds around you.

          • Again, (if you missed my earlier post) I think price is key. Even the slight cost of better screen would push over $399 price point. That is a very sweet spot. $499 or even $450 looks a lot worse market-wise.

            Plus…QUEST is not x86 architecture so cannot use STEAM. Have to use OCULUS store. Just like Playstation. Captive customers will drastically offset lower (or non-existant) hardware profits.

            In the end though, this year is going bear VR fruit for EVERY consumer either on price or feature.

          • care package

            There is no need for justification. The Rift S is the replacement for the Rift. If you want to buy an S to replace a Rift, then great. If you don’t then great.

      • Thank you. Seriously, all the vitriol in here. People simply cannot comprehend all the updates, NO CONSTELLATION, 5 cameras, better rez, better headset, passthrough cameras (so…AR) for
        A $400 price!

        Seriously, trolls. Buy what you want.

        • care package

          I’m more bummed about the lack of integrated headphones more than anything. The Rift S is a must for me if I want to keep using VR. My Rift just sits. I hate the low visuals and the sweating inside the headset (the Rift S ergonomics should solve).

          • Yeah, the sweat. I bought 3rd party interchangeable pads and quick change covers. My VR parties are a lot less gross.

            I still don’t have a problem with 1.0 visuals. And it’s just getting better. Holodeck (nerds!) is still a few years away folks. Enjoy what we have.

  • ¥DK¥

    No eye-tracking nor varifocal displays?
    I’m out, this be garbage!

    • You will not be missed, Troll.

      • ¥DK¥

        I’m sorry, can you clarify how I’m trolling?

      • ¥DK¥

        I’m sorry, how am I trolling ?
        https://youtu.be/FM7aviAhxG4?t=75

        • Great video….of a PROTOTYPE. These things take time to refine and prototype, not to mention line up suppliers for any new tech needed.

          It’s like with automobiles. The concept cars alway look SUPER fresh. But, you NEVER see them on the market that way. They slowly slip in bits and pieces to existing cars over the course of months/years.

          Like was mentioned earlier, I bet hardware 2.0 will be fully locked down by fall with announcements (and possible shipments) by XMAS or Spring of 2020 (omg….am I that old?)

          We’ll get there. And a lot faster than other tech industries have moved.

          • ¥DK¥

            A prototype from more than a year ago, they’re delaying it on purpose, we’re seeing major innovations from other companies, some of the stuff coming this year, and they don’t have the financial power that Facebook has, yet here we are.
            Yet instead of releasing an improved PC-tethered, we’re actually getting something worse than Quest and pretty much the same as CV1 ? I was looking for an upgrade for my CV1, this ain’t worth it at all for anyone that already has a VR system, and that’s the flaw here, 400$ for something that doesn’t really improve over the first gen, this can’t be called second-gen for sure, I’d be better off with a Vive Pro or MAYBE a Pimax (still have lots of doubts about Pimax…).

            Also, I bet Palmer Luckey could do something better in his garage XD

            I understand your fanboyism for it, I loved the Rift S trailer, but I’m hating the product because it’s pretty much the same, and even Quest has better specifications and resolution and hardware IPD adjustment and etc :

            If anything I’m utterly disappointed, been telling my friends to wait for this release, not to buy any VR headset until this one came out, now look at it… Simply not worth it. Rather spend 3 times more on something that’s actually good.

          • ¥DK¥
  • James Abrahams

    Oh well this is about as bad as an announcement as I could have imagined. Not just not “a quest with a cable” but actually worse then the quest. I kinda felt like having to buy two almost identical pieces of hardware to do the same thing with a rift s and a quest would have upset me because of the resentment of spending money twice or not getting one of the oculus worlds.instesd now whatever I buy I will know I’m getting a worse experience in some way. If I get a quest I get worse graphics, if I get a rift s I get worst resolution. Facebook VR is clearly no longer aimed at gamers.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      yeah, we all expected it to be the Quest without the SOC. But this, as more people here suggested, seems more like they outsourced the development of the headset to Lenovo with some of their own patents, but further basically just a Lenovo headset (even though Lenovo isn’t that bad)..

  • CURTROCK

    Day 1 purchase! This is an excellent refresh of Rift. Those seeking higher end VR experiences will NEVER be happy with Rift. Oculus aren’t gonna do that, for now. (for reasons so obvious its not worth repeating anymore) High ender’s might as well move on to Pimax, Reverb, etc…

  • Tesla

    Rift S after so many years with this low resolution, lower than WMR is supposed to last for next 2-3 years? What a stupid company! I am really angry.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      In an interview on tested they pretty much said there won’t be a new highend headset this year, but he was also not denying that there won’t be one next year (they way he acted it really suggested they have something up their sleeve for next year).

  • FireAndTheVoid

    “The company says they partnered with Lenovo on the design and manufacturing of the headset.” Ahhhh, so it’s basically a Lenovo headset with an Oculus badge with rights to the Oculus store and Oculus exclusives.

    • And the problem with that is……what?

      Lenovo makes really really good hardware. I know. I repair laptops all the time and Lenovo’s are dope compared to a lot of the trash out there.

      • FireAndTheVoid

        I don’t have a problem with Lenovo. I have a problem with Oculus outsourcing development of their flagship HMD to another company.

        • @fireandthevoid

          I’m sorry you feel that way. Lenovo make the Playstation VR headset. Samsung made the GEAR VR for Oculus. Xiamoi makes the GO.
          Facebook is not in the hardware business. EVERYONE makes android phones. Microsoft made the reference for WMR and farmed it out to….anyone who wants to build one.

          It makes sense to spend your time and money on research and development then partner with someone else who (for a cut) can make things better and cheaper because they are hardware manufacturers.

          So, I totally understand your thought, but I feel it’s unnecessarily misguided.

  • Tesla

    My Odyssey+ from 11/2018 looks like next-gen compared to Rift S. This is a total JOKE from customers and VR fans. I am not surprised that guy left Oculus after he was forced to eat this Rift S bs from Mark.

    • Muzufuzo

      this is so bad I cannot believe what I am seeing

    • Kevin White

      Not to mention the original Odyssey from 11/2017, with 25% more pixels than Rift S (and hardware IPD, true blacks, 90Hz) which is $250 right now.

      • KOSTANTINOS KOD

        + better clearer screen than the + :) (more obvius before firmware update)

    • daveinpublic

      I was hoping for a better design etc, but if you look at the market, this is what’s needed. Look at the Steam VR charts to see that WMR is the one getting the best increases due to easier setup and lower cost. What WMR is lacking right now is the tracking isn’t quiet good enough and the native store isn’t great. Oculus can bring those benefits now, and arguably better controllers even after the redesign, and combine it with WMRs benefits while they still have the advantage. The Rift S may eventually get even cheaper than WMR, as Facebook doesn’t mind subsidizing the hardware to increase adoption. Launch price is higher than some WMR headsets, but it’s the launch price, and those talking about the Reverb have to remember it’s $599.

      It’s not the sexiest business decision, but I think it’s addressing the needs in the market right now, and the Rift’s adoption rate will continue to move in the right direction. Rift 2.0 will still come, and it will probably blow away everything except whatever Microsoft and Apple have up their sleeve.

      • Rogue Transfer

        No, the Rift CV1 has been the one getting the best increase in SteamVR charts – even though the WMR have been repeatedly discounted to half the price of what the Rift S will be.

        Compare the Rift S to the Samsung Odyssey & +, which have both been much cheaper at $250/$300, respectively. It’s going to be difficult to compete with a launch price of Rift S at $400, for a much lower spec’d device – less res than standard WMR headsets at 1440×1440 @ 90Hz for double the price.

        While admittedly, the Rift S controller tracking coverage will be better, it won’t be worth another $150~$250 extra to most average consumers wanting a cheaper entry device to VR. It’s the launch price that’s the kicker for Rift S – higher than Rift CV1 – that’s a difficult sell, for something that’s lower than devices from a year and a half ago and much, much lower than devices lauching at the same time(HP Reverb with 2160×2160 per eye for $600).

    • Zbyszek

      But Rift S is not a next gen. It’s a refresh of a current gen offering some significant quality of life upgrades over the existing ones. Yes, it has some questionable stuff in it, but it’s not bad. It definitely has a potential to be a good product and find new customers, who didn’t buy Rift yet for different reasons. The lack of external trackers is a game changer for many people.

    • Eli Kulack

      what are you talking about i just looked and compared odyssey and oculus s and they look pretty much the exact same. from a distance they prolly look literally the same. not disagreeing with the rest of what you said though

  • mfx

    What a disappointment….
    Single screen tech, low res, software ipd, less refresh rate, lenovo made, 400 dollars…. is it a serious ?

    • HybridEnergy

      I actually checked to see if it’s April 1st since it’s so close.

      • Heh. That would be classic. And I would not put it past any marketing company to let a blunder like that slip by. Happens all the time.

    • sfmike

      Profits over innovation the corporate why. We all knew Facebook would only care about profits over innovation.

  • Lars Skinhøj

    So… we still wait for 2. gen HMDs……..yawn……..

    • Zbyszek

      I’m not sure if you are complaining or not, but this was well known for some time already. They’ve said they are not making a gen 2 headset, but rather a refresh of the current gen with some improvements.

      • And that salient thought should end this thread. Well put.

  • Lucidfeuer

    They’re dead set on killing their chance at the market, if there’s even one. I understand, it’s Facebook, their goal is not to produce and sell but to market and speculate.

    Oculus is dead for me, they’re not even in the top 5 headset I use or consider (which even includes the Vive Focus) selling to client for experiences and won’t try to push in China for it anymore either (although I’m baffled by the anti-concurrence practices).

    *Bonus for the FINALLY headband design rather than the headsack of potato strap design, although I don’t understand what the upper strap is for if they did it right…?

    • James Cobalt

      *the PC market. They’re going to OWN the mobile market. Quest is really impressive for the price and target audience. The Rift S though… yikes. Maybe Cosmos has a chance after all.

      • Lucidfeuer

        …right

      • Lucidfeuer

        There’s no hybrid mobile market, nobody wants a standalone VR Headsets according to surveys, maybe because it doesn’t make fucking sense in term of device. However had they released an updated Oculus GO, yes, having something so small, convenient and transportable at that very affordable price point…I wonder why Samsung hasn’t responded with a standalone Gear GO in fact.

        • James Cobalt

          Not sure what you mean by hybrid mobile market. Smartphone powered? What surveys are you referring to? I’d curious to see them; closest one I’m familiar with along those lines say most people are unsatisfied with their standalone headsets, which just to be clear, isn’t the same as “most people don’t want a standalone headset”. I don’t think Facebook would have launched a new product line without the market research to support its existence.

          Even enthusiasts want this thing. Case in point – I’ve been a VR nut since the first wave in the 90s and I’d LOVE a standalone or smartphone-powered headset if it met certain standards. The Quest seems to be the first one that does. Not a replacement for PC powered VR mind you, but as its own thing. My rig can outperform 99% of gaming PCs… but I still got a Nintendo Switch.

          I think Quest has an opportunity to do very, very well. Many times better than any smartphone/SOC type headset before it.

    • Tailgun

      This last part is true. I’ve worn five different virtual reality headsets in the last 2 years and by far the most comfortable was the PSVR , a halo design

      • EXACTLY !!! When I saw the COSMOS first announced with a flip up headset (and halo design) I thought…PERFECT! And then after a few days I thought…uh, why not just use a pass-through camera?

        The fact the the Rift S has halo design, with passthrough and inside out? It’s like they read my mind. Can VR headsets read your thoughts?

        I know it’s not 2.0 hardware (foveated, 180′ FOV etc) but it took what I love about my Rift and fixed all my other complaints.

        • Tailgun

          I wasn’t expecting foveated rendering or a huge field of view, but I would have liked to have seen a more significant bump and resolution and perhaps a mild bump in fov. This was a disappointment by most respects.

          I didn’t even get an announcement of a possible wireless adapter – sold separately, which would really have been nice. From where I stand it looks like 5 camera tracking and halo design are the only Improvements over the Quest.

    • Read some of the other articles. It’s exactly like the Lenovo WMR and the PSVR headset. I love the twist knob/spring loaded design, but some people feel it slides down a bit. Also, putting the majority of the weight bearing on the forehead, it actually make its far more comfortable to wear extended periods even if it is a few grams heavier than the original rift. The strap just helps distribute the weight and keep it in place even more.

      • Lucidfeuer

        Sure, but it sliding is more of a default of the design being rigid rather than semi-rigid and the spring-knob probably falling short of fixing that. However the added-strap defeats the ergonomic purpose of this headband, I have many clients for example who don’t want to go for a point of purchase VR pods because…the hairs, oh my god the hairs of the client, and I think they’re right on that.

        • OMG, that is awesome. Not that people fear of losing hair to velcro, but that is the kind of intimate details you never realize unless you are in a specific industry.

          But…the velcro strap can always be removed and be just a like a PSVR. Everyone wins! Even beehive hairdos!

          • Lucidfeuer

            True if it can be removed a no additional instability in the design.

  • zarelion

    That 5 camera tracking looks AMAZING, so why the dumb displays?? I’m so disappointed, that would have been an instant purchase but I won’t go with a lower resolution than my actual HMD. Maybe if they had an anti SDE layer like samsung, but that resolution alone, nope.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      Cost, that’s what it all comes down to. During development they targeted $399 as a top price. It’s not cheap to put all these technologies into a new headset, that just cost money, only after a while it’ll come down in price. I don’t expect them to have that high of a margin at start.

  • Manuel Riger

    its clear that they want to push the quest and it seems like a ” boycott”. But im happy so i get more for my old rift :D but sorry 2019 with this specs :D what a joke haha

  • Miqa

    I’m gonna go ahead and guess that the $400 is just to push the remaining Rift out of stock. Once this is done, price will soon be dropped to $300, for which this would be a really nice package.

    • Engineer_92

      Makes sense. Although the HMD hasn’t met expectations in terms of specs, a lower price would definitely help the Rift S’s case.

      • Miqa

        To me the case of the Rift S seemed like a cost rationalisation more than anything else, while also ensuring room scale for all, leading to a streamlined software development.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      Don’t expect it to drop in price that fast, the first reduction might be just before the holidays and it’ll propably be around the current Rift price of $350..

  • Engineer_92

    I’m pretty sure they are only offering the Rift S to PC VR players as an
    olive branch because we haven’t seen any improvements/upgrades till
    now. My belief is that while Oculus spent all their time building the
    Quest, they simply out-sourced the design of the Rift S to Lenovo. Its
    essentially a Lenovo Headset with better inside-out tracking. I’d be
    hard-pressed to call this an ‘Oculus’ headset smh. What a shame.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      I think you’re not pretty far from the truth in regard to outsourcing it to Lenovo.

    • Tesla

      If it was made by Lenovo it would have at least 1440×1440 panel inside. This one looks like made in a garage company. Total fail. Odyssey+ is the king and HP Reverb if we talk about resolution.

      • Engineer_92

        They partnered with Lenovo on this headset. Regardless, this is not what I would call an “Oculus” headest. Beyond disappointing

        • Tesla

          It is a joke. I hope Oculus owners who sold their Rift 1 will now buy HP Reverb WMR headset instead of this or Odyssey+.

      • Good thing we aren’t just talking about resolution. And yeah, the Odyssey+ is a fine headset. But the Reverb is still 1.0 system with “slightly” better screen.

        Not to knock though. If resolution is your KEY factor, then I understand. I for one would stick with Rift 1.0 rez if I could completely remove the wires.

        Once I’m in VR, I don’t even notice the rez. But I do notice when my cable gets snagged and my guarding mode net pops up. That takes me out of suspension. Not 250 pixels.

  • superdonkey

    the hp reverb is better if your throwing into fixed ipd and lcd – at least its 2k x 2k
    this should be $299

  • cbutters

    For the love of god, when is valve going to come save us and release their headset?

    • Tesla

      HP did that. 2k x 2k per eye, sweet and looks like Rift. HP Reverb is the new Rift.

      • HybridEnergy

        It also seems that HTC’s Cosmos will be a 2k x 2k with RGB headset as well. Though knowing them probably $800. I think Oculus just doesn’t care to compete this gen on PC, they’ll probably run the numbers on the success of the quest and if need be jump in gen 3 on PC if the quest didn’t steam roll everything because of cost/no-PC.

        • Zbyszek

          Cosmos is still in development so a lot can change. Also, for twice the price of the Rift it competes for a different customer.

          • HybridEnergy

            I don’t actually know the price, I pulled it out of my behind.

          • Like most of the comments in here.

          • HybridEnergy

            lol

      • CursingLlama

        Problem there is windows MR tracking.

      • daveinpublic

        Ya but the Rift S will always beat it in price. When Reverb comes down, so will Rift S. Oculus has always cared a lot about price, as that’s a major component in increasing adoption.

        • Rogue Transfer

          The Samsung Odyssey/+ will always beat the Rift S in sale price, it appears – with $250 off recently its list price, there’s never been a time when FB have able to cut that much off. That’s the advantage for Samsung being a first-party display producer, they can and will undercut.

      • Zbyszek

        But have they announced the release date, price point, required PC specs and so on yet? It might that it will be competing for a completely different customer in a completely different time frame.

      • Rob H

        Mixed reality tracking, LCD and only 100 FoV? No thanks.

      • 2 cameras. glorified MWR. Have fun with it but no thanks for me.

        I will personally get an “S” the day they come out and may look at a COSMOS depending on what they offer as well.

    • Before Half-Life 3, that is certain. =)

  • MW

    Cheap cheap cheap. Well, I can understand that approach. Sales and new consumers into VR instead of development. But this will not work. VR needs to be cheaper but also to be better.

    Why on Earth anyone who has original Rift can want this?

    • Zbyszek

      It’s meant as a replacement for Rift, not a Rift killer. This is meant to be middle of the road improvement to the existing product and not something completely new. If you have the Rift already, you are not a target audience for this product.

      • MW

        I can understand ‘middle of the road improvement’ a year after Rift release. In 2019 it is just pointless.

    • uh..have you ever set up a Constellation / Rift ? Ugh. Awful.
      I’ve tried PSVR, Vive, Rift and phone/rig headsets. I own a Rift. I love it. Now that may just be because I love VR in general, but I for one will be upgrading.

  • mfx

    Oculus had the chance the become and establish themself as the ‘Apple’ of VR. The brand that would be the tech and quality reference. Today is the day they just fucked up this great opportunity.

    • And you are an expert on this subject ….how?

    • Masta C

      Technically they’re on track to being like apple of vr. Apple is well known to use outdated technology, rarely innovate, and just e the reference for jokes regarding tech and quality in general. The only thing they havent mastered is the massive overpricing. I hooe they dont continue down this path of being like Apple.

  • DoctorMemory

    Seriously worried about the software only IPD. When I was testing the Windows MR headsets some of them would only go to 68mm whereas mine is at 70/71.mm. Any word on what range this will support?

  • Tesla

    Oculus is still selling original Rift on its website for 399 EUR. Imagine how pissed somebody will be if he discovers his mistake in days or 1 month.

    • Holy crud dude….take your meds. NO ONE…EVER….will get AHEAD of the tech/price curve. EVER!

      I just bought a RIFT at Xmas. First VR. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! (even though I hate the constellation setup) and yet I’m gonna upgrade.

      And then what? I don’t know. Sell the Rift 1.0. Keep in the library for the kids. Don’t care. You want to play on the cutting edge..you gotta pay now and then.

      But, if not, be happy with your Playstation 1. I still pull mine out for some classic Bloody Roar! now and then.

      • Tesla

        Buying Rift was a big mistake. I bought 299$ Samsung Odyssey+ on Black Friday 2018. OLED blacks, 1440×1600 per eye, AKG headphones, beautiful design. Odyssey+ is miles ahead of Rift/ Rift s crap and other headsets, also due to no screen-door effect. Sell Rift, buy Odyssey+ or HP Reverb. Having WMR device I can play Steam VR, Vive games, Oculus games and Windows store games. WMR looks like the best platform to focus on.

        • do you play beat saber on it Expert+?

  • Mateusz Pawluczuk

    I don’t think audio solution that worked so brilliantly on the Go will work for Rift. Watching content and playing mobile VR is a bit different than being immersed in a roomscale PCVR.

    • Is the new audio solution exactly the same as the go? Not being snarky..I just don’t know. I have never tried a GO.

  • Tesla

    HP Reverb is the new Rift S. This one from Oculus is just a shit.

    • with only WMR 2 camera system?

      I don’t think so…..

      Reading most of Tesla’s post I think he is just a scripted Troll-bot =)

      • Tesla

        You are a bot, dude. Two cameras, so what? Odyssey+ also has 2 cameras and works very very good.

        • Hey! @Tesla I have a Rift 1 and it works VERY very very good.

          Let’s get off this merry go round. Stick with your HP and be happy.

    • Have you tried it? Do you own a Rift 1? Oh wait…that’s right. It’s @tomszaw:disqus
      The HP shill.

  • gothicvillas

    Im looking at the images and can’t help but think, having Oculus name on the headset is not doing them any favours. This HMD is just awful to look at. And reading more into specs, my hype has evoparated. Oculus is abandoning PCVR thats what happened.

  • Muzufuzo

    F**k Oculus, F**k Facebook ლಠ益ಠ)ლ

    2560×1440 with refresh rate 80 Hz? are they f***ing joking? what is this? 2016? are they serious? really? (╬ಠ益ಠ) I am not buying that crap even for $200. Instead, I am selling my VR gear and waiting for something that’s actually good. Maybe in 10 years or so.

    • Andrew Jakobs

      bye bye, nobody cares…

    • motowntom

      C ya………

    • So……can we put you down as “not a sale” ?

      =)

      Curious…what do you currently run?

      • Muzufuzo

        Vive cause better tracking

        Pro is absurdly expensive
        Quest is too slow hardware
        Rift S too low res, not 90 Hz

        • Tesla

          Odyssey+. The best VR headset on the market now. I have it. Simply amazing and no screen-door effect. OLED, AKG headphones, well designed. I just replaced the foam with VRCover and its fantastic.

      • Muzufuzo

        btw I would be ok paying $500 for Rift S if that meant Quest res, OLED, 90 Hz and a better 3D audio solution or built-in wireless connection

        • Well…..so would I !!!

          I’d pay $600+ for that.

          Wait for 2.0 then.

      • Tesla

        Odyssey+ is better than this Rift S by a mile. Odyssey+ was released in 11/2018 just as a refresh to the original one. Now, big company Facebook is releasing a worse spec device for next 2-3 years. This should be penalized in court. Rift S is SHIT, nothing else.

        • That is an actual lie.

          Because you have not tried the Rift S.

          BTW, How does Beat Saber Expert+ mode run on Odyssey+ for you?

          Inquisitive minds want to know!

  • george mckenzie

    “Instead of over-ear headphones, there’s small openings along the headband near the user’s each which pipes in left and right audio. ” autocorrect has failed you

  • Icebeat

    The only thing they needed to do in order to have a 2nd generation was add a PC connection to the quest, now they have three wannabe products and none good enought. I guess this is the reason most of the employees from Oculus (included Abrash) moved to AR division.

  • MosBen

    Well, I got a number of things wrong. First, I didn’t think that the S would come with a price increase over the $350 that they’re charging for the Rift. I’m sure that that $350 was intended to clear out stock of the original unit, but still, I expected them to keep parity with that price. Not only that, but I expected that the lost of the Constellation tracking and the use of parts from the Quest would result in the S being significantly cheaper that the original Rift. While I’m still pretty sure that the S is cheaper for Oculus, I guess they could just be pocketing some profits instead of putting a ton of downward pressure on the retail price. And really, there aren’t a lot of competitors that can beat the S on value, so there’s not a huge incentive for them to push prices down. That said, if their goal is to build VR as a medium, and Oculus as a big platform in that medium, I would still expect them to drop the price sooner or later.

    I also got wrong the idea that the S would be basically a Quest without the internal processing and battery. That still seems like a fairly good idea to me, but I also get the idea that any further bump in screen specs would likely require them to change the minimum recommended system specs for PCs running VR software, and they want to keep those locked in for this generation.

  • Zbyszek

    I don’t understand this negativity here. They’ve never said it would be the next gen HMD. It was said it was going to be a mere refresh of the current platform with some tweaks here and there and this HMD looks just like that.
    It has higher resolution so that’s a plus, it will have less mura and screen door effect which is plus. The lower refresh rate might be a problem, but it doesn’t have to be one. We have to wait for some hands on reviews to find out about that. The same is with the LCD, yes it has it’s problems, but it might not be such a big deal and the pros can outweigh the cons. The lack of hardware ipd and earphones is something which might also be problematic. Also, the inside out tracking is a great step forward if it is going to work properly. It opens the world for a whole new group of people. This is quite big IMO. The better strap is also something positive.
    Overall I have some doubts about it, but it has a potential to be a great product. If you were not expecting a gen 2 headset (which they never said it would be), you really shouldn’t be pissed. I really see no reason.

    • Muzufuzo

      let me explain:
      3 years since Rift 1
      that’s enough of an explanation

      why wouldn’t we expect something fully new after such time? I really don’t understand why they couldn’t provide at least Quest pixel count with 90 Hz and better 3D audio solution

      • Zbyszek

        But they’ve never advertised it anything else but the refresh, so why would you expect something new if the company never said it was going to be something new?

        As for why, I can only speculate, but I would guess that current state of the VR doesn’t justify going gen 2. I would say they would have to first develop the foveated rendering, eye tracking, better oled displays (fov, mura, screen door effect) and be able to squeeze it all into $400-500 package. Also the cost of an adequate PC would have to go down significantly. As long as these are not met, consumer level HMDs are not going to go much further.

      • Zbyszek

        Also, I understand your pain, I would also like to see a HMD with foveated rendering, 170 degree fov and no screen door effect and mura. It’s been 3 years, but the current state of the VR simply doesn’t make it possible at this moment.

      • Baldrickk

        Even a tethered option for the quest would be better.
        It looks like the better headset, just restricted to its own built in computer…

        • Muzufuzo

          Give us at least 3 Mpix per eye OLED display, you cheap cheap Oculus! It’s 2019 damn it! 3 years of waiting ffs! I can pay $550 but it has to be a substantial upgrade!

    • Tesla

      Odyssey+ is a great product, NOW, higher spec than Rift S. There is no need to downgrade from Odyssey+. HP Reverb is the only interesting new device just announced.

      • Muzufuzo

        game resolution can be always super-sampled if graphics card isn’t up to task for native, higher pixel count makes SDE less noticeable

  • Adrian Meredith

    HTC have a great chance with the cosmos to get it right, if its got the same display as the new HP only with better tracking it could be in for a win. Now I have a pimax 5k I can’t really stand the rift, the image quality is just terrible. Unfortunately my IPD is too small for the pimax so I’m probably not going to keep it despite how awesome the image quality is

    • WHAT !? you have a 5k? OMG…I demand details!

      • @adrianmeredith:disqus Serious. I want to know how awesome a 5k PiMax is. I’ve never even seen one IRL.

  • Foreign Devil

    I figure with all the HMD releases. . somebody is going to hit just the right combo of features and price point this year. We just need to be patient. Rift -S isn’t it unfortunately.

  • Dark Avry

    I skipped first gen PC HMDs due to all of them being horrible low, cheap AMOLED displays res and with sensors.
    This one looks the only real contender for PC VR, it has 5 cameras and inside out tracking, good gamepads RGB LCD display, the resolution not the best but I can downsample.
    Plus Viva has the best game library after PSVR and they invest money into exclusives

    Of course I want something better but there are no alternatives.
    Pimax is Chinese with everything what makes Chinese products shitty, they over promise and under deliver.
    HP Reverb is amazing resolution-wise, OK gamepads [better then vive for sure] but people say the tracking is lacking.
    If Valve makes something that will be great but they silent.

    So who else?

    • Tesla

      Samsung Odyssey+ is the king of VR right now. I bought mine for 299. HP Reverb is the new version of Oculus Rift.

      • Dark Avry

        what about tracking?

  • That’sright

    Like I said before 100fov I no longer consider Vr come on oculus catch up yourey so 2016

  • Tesla

    Oculus Rift S(hit) version. The S stands for “Shit”

    • Ok, I gotta give you that one there. If only for being the first one to question what does “S” signify. My guess is for SONY since it’s their (Lenovo) headset design.

  • Hivemind9000

    Man, this is an incremental update with a lowercase “i”. I sortof expected it, but thought they’d at least match the specs of the Quest (in terms of screen resolution).

    The only bright spot for me is the passthrough cameras. I’m an advocate for proper stereoscopic passthrough cameras, both for seeing your keyboard and mouse when you need to (especially if it could be activated by simply looking downward), but also for the potential of VR headsets also being capable of AR. I do a bit of development with the Zed Mini to create AR in VR and it’s not half bad (albeit at 720p). Will be interesting to see how good these cameras are.

    • We will get there. I personally just want a tracking “kit” where you can add VR optic “dots” to other devices such as a keyboard and have the software visualize it in game as an overlay of the physical device. So, i can see my keyboard in game…without actually seeing it.

      Also, just learned over at ARS Tech that passthrough is B&W. Serious?

  • fuyou2

    OH MY GOD, WHAT A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT…..IS THIS APRIL FOOLS?

    THEY HAVE GONE BACKWARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • hey @fuyou2

      Troll-boi. Take a sip of wa-wa..grab your woobie and calm down.

      Have you personally tried an S? For that matter which headsets have you tried? I’ve tried them ALL except GO and PiMax.

      Specifically, (and calmly) which areas do you feel they have gone backwards?
      I get that 80Mhz is less than 90Mhz but would you notice? How can you even tell unless you have prior experience on this.
      -Screen resolution is higher than Rift 1.0. so NOT backwards. And remember..they are not updating anyone’s hardware but their own.
      -FAST LCD is not backwards from OLED. Blacks arent as black, but also less screen door. and if LCD was so back, why are 1/2 the TVs being made still LCD and not ALL OLED?
      -Head set is more comfortable, is easier to get on and off, and distributes weight better for longer play duration. This I know from experience. How is this backwards?
      Single screen instead of two and no physical IOD. It this backwards? was it backwards when Apple removed all the buttons from the cell phone? Heresy !!
      Five(5) cameras instead of 2 cameras! is this backwards? How *do* you count anyway?

      etc

      etc

      etc

  • fuyou2

    LCD?? 80HZ… SHITTY TRACKING… HEAVIER.. ECT. ECT.. TOO MUCH SHIT TO LIST

    • Heavier? Yeah. Will you notice? Probably not. Have you tried a PSVR headset?
      COM-FY! Lenovo makes those and was allowed to license for Rift S.

  • That’sright

    So this is next Gen? Disappointed.

    • Pulley

      No, it’s not, it’s clearly Gen1.5 and not “Rift 2” as Oculus have said.

    • No, this is Gen 1.5

      As everyone stated and predicted ahead of time.

      • Baldrickk

        More like 1.25.
        1.5 suggests a refresh, like odyssey to odyssey+, some improvements, some refinement to the design to make it cheaper, more comfortable.

        That this comes with some drawbacks over the original, it’s debatable on how much this is an upgrade.

  • KOSTANTINOS KOD

    Trash.. But i want the new inside out tracking with the 5 cameras.
    A movable fov 170 to 110 just like pimax 5k but with a hq 90 hz oled screen
    And a nice comfy playstation like -halo(not like those fail odysseys)with samsung speakers and ipd adj.
    And i dont want companies to pretend this is a new tech and the cost to be 5k. (All those headsets dont go 5k together)

    • …and I want a pony, and a lamborghini and a unicorn and…and…

      for FREE !

      • KOSTANTINOS KOD

        You believe that 400 for device from the past is free?

  • Pulley

    I like the Rifts Headphones so to see them gone is worrying, I’m not convinced the built in Strap Speakers will be any good and outside noise interference is bound to play a part. At least give the Option of original Headphones.
    Other than that it’s Gen1.5, I wasn’t expecting Rift 2 so it looks alright to me.

    • I personally still like to hear peripheral when needed. Otherwise I end up scream at people while in game. I play my Rift with the audio pads slightlight pushed forward.

      I can hardly wait to try new design. I have never tried a GO. Either way, you can still use your own for complete isolation.

  • Sam

    Why is everyone bitching like a spoilt little gamer? For 50 bucks we are LOSING the annoying 2 – 3 sensors, seeing a bump in optics and resolution and an overall improvement to the headset to see if through to next gen.

    Next gen has to be A) wireless and B) implement eye tracking, but for any of you who actually have done your research you will know both those techs are not ready. -Good- Wireless is HIGHLY reliant in 5G tech, and that tech is 2 – 3 years out and eye tracking is simply not ready, anyone remember FOVE?

    • James Cobalt

      I think people are bitching because Oculus set themselves up to disappoint. For years they’ve teased all of the amazing next gen technologies they’d been working on. So when, long after they had previously predicted to hit Gen 2, they release a 1st Gen refresh, it should come as no surprise that the people following them collectively groan in disappointment.

      But I also don’t fully follow your reasoning- there are multiple wireless VR options and I thought those reviews had been pretty positive.

      Mu buddy has a FOVE, but that tech was developed nearly 5 years ago. How does that imply eye tracking still isn’t ready? Eye tracking demo’d in the past year has been significantly better, and HTC is soon to release (and already demo’d) a commercial headset with foveated rendering capabilities courtesy of eye tracking.

      • @jamescobalt:disqus Well, if you have been following the news over the past 6 months, no one was predicting (or expecting) 2.0 hardware to hit this summer. XMAS at best for one or two vendors, but even that I think is a long shot. I think you’ll see the 1.5 stuff take a nice dive in prices prior to next spring crop of 2.0. Just like they did this year for 1.0 -> 1.5.

        And I for one am ok with that. With the extreme (IMHO) uptake in VR interest and ownership this year, I think we are looking at updates every 12-18 months. I think 3 years is a pretty acceptable time from to go from 1.0 to 2.0 (ok, almost 4 years this time) but think it will actually be more along the lines of cell phones. 12-24 months depending on model line.

        The thing is…even if they churn out updates as new features are perfected as fast as possible, people will still whine because…” I just bought this ver X.Y headset! And now it’s out dated? This is Crap!”

        LOL, can’t win for losing. And you never will in the tech/price race.

        Just be happy with what you have…and then upgrade to whatever is available….at that time….when you are no longer happy. Otherwise…you will NEVER be happy.

        I’m still extremely in love with my Rift 1.0 and will still be getting an S and a 2.0 (and possible a Vive Cosmos depending on how they handle that). It’s like my kids…I will love them all. But, just like kids…they grow older…and move on.

        • Baldrickk

          The S isn’t an upgrade to 2.0 level though.
          Apart from the change in tracking technology (side-grade – pros and cons) and the change in the screen (more cons than pros imho) just what makes it all upgrade?

          It’s just different, and when they are bringing out an all in one headset with better specs… just… what are they thinking?

    • BTW, @disqus_JkjIkswk1Z:disqus your avatar is creeping me the f*** out. =)

  • q23main

    It seems that Rift S = Lenovo Explorer +

  • Trenix

    The solution is simple, don’t buy it. If you want to try it, remember to return it afterwards. The only way businesses ever learn is through sales and losses. Don’t be part of the problem and don’t get it just to get it. All I can see is that Facebook tried to screw the customers. What PC VR gamer wants a cheaply made headset? If you want cheap, go with the Quest because chances are you can’t afford a reliable computer anyway. Hell, I don’t even get why the quest doesn’t support phones, so they could upgrade their headset as they naturally upgrade their phones.

    Let Facebook fail, lets hope HTC takes over or some other company. While I don’t mind inside out tracking, it’s clearly to expensive for a much heavier and bulkier device. The only people who defend this halo design is fat people who don’t move around. You’re like the people who played Wii while sitting down. Go play PlayStation VR if that’s what you want.

    • wow. love the sentiment and passion..but holy cow you are either hyperbolic or just very very wrong. Decades to come? NOTHING lasts decades in the tech sector. Nothing.

      Inside out is already in the same ballpark as O-I and will over take soon if for no other reason than no-one is continuing development on it with the exception of niche players for VBE’s

      And what is wrong with fat people playing VR? Beat Saber is the MOST FUN way to lose weight I can imagine!

      • Trenix

        Inside-out is not remotely as accurate as outside-in and it wont be anytime soon. Besides that, Inside-out tracking is far more expensive and makes the headset much heavier and bulkier, which is why there were trade-offs. Anyone who’s used a VR headset for longer than an hour, knows that weight matters, as does comfort.

        • I agree with you (as does physics) that inside out makes the head set weigh more since…ya know…you took all that stuff that was on the outside….and…uh, kinda shoved it inside. And if you aren’t impressed by that and would rather just b!tch about it, that is your prerogative. I for one, am impressed.

          And when you say it’s “not remotely” as accurate…can you expound on that? I mean…outside of hyperbole…do you have numbers? Percentages? or…gasp….actual hands on knowledge?

          If so, please share. And if it’s comparing WMR 2-camera head sets to RIFT or VIVE O-I tracking…then I AGREE with you. Which is why I would not buy an Odyssey+ no matter how much the trolls in here demand that I do cause it r0x0rz!

          But, even if you have current WMR personal experience it means. jack. squat. Because if you have been following ANYTHING about VR in any general capacity over the last 6 months you would know exactly what has gone into COMPLETELY reversing this tracking process to the degree they have achieved.

          And when JOHN “Almighty Game Programming God” CARMACK said he used BEAT SABER to fine tune the code for the quest…..well, I’ll take his expertise over your hyperbole.

          Sorry. Buh-bye.

          • Trenix

            I’d be impressed if it didn’t increase the weight and design of the device.

  • Q23….I’m gonna take your bet and….well, I’ll bump.
    FB would love to unveil Rift 2.0 at F8 when they don’t have to share the stage with everyone else like at GDC and E3.

    As far as 10M copies…that’s a lot even for a NON-VR game. But, if the quest does well, and ALL this attention brings VR more into the main stream…Beat Saber could be the AngryBirds/Candy Crush of the platform.

    10 Million would be hard, but…well, crazier things have happened.
    Beat Games is gonna be riiiich !$$$

  • Starrlord

    Oculus says they are “phasing out the original Rift” .ALARM BELLS SOUNDING !!! I’ve only just ordered a third sensor and in the process of updating my PC. And what about the Oculus Store ? Will the Rift-s have it’s own for games and apps since the original Rift won’t support Passthrough+ ???

  • I think Samsung beat them to market by 2 years with the exact same headset, aka the Samsung Odyssey.