Oculus Rift S

69 Above Average!

Reviews Summary

. With the Rift S, Oculus popularized modern virtual reality, and its new virtual reality headsets take two different techniques. The Rift S is a direct successor to the Rift that streamlines the setup process, upgrades several specifications, and gives a better overall experience. It also has more VR software than the Oculus Quest, the company’s other new device. Both headsets cost $399, however, the Rift S requires a PC connection, whilst the Quest is totally self-contained. Each is a step forward for Oculus, but the standalone Quest, in our opinion, represents the future of VR.

The Oculus Rift S has been discontinued

Please select an image first to render the grid properly

Pros

  • No external tracking stations
  • Improved Visuals
  • Backward compatible
  • Easy to set up
  • Accurate motion tracking for both headset and controllers

Cons

  • Uses physical cable to connect to PC
  • Prone to crashing
  • Reduced refresh rate

Where to get it?

Review

The Oculus Rift S is a sort of successor to the original Rift, and it is the spearhead for a new generation of Oculus products, according to Mark Zuckerberg. The Rift S is a full-fledged gaming VR machine that eliminates the clutter, using the same technology that allows the Oculus Quest to run without peripheral sensors.

The images are better than the original Rift, with 1280 x 1440 pixels per eye compared to the original Rift’s 1200 x 1080. It also has an LCD panel rather than the OLED screen found in the Quest. It connects to your PC through a 5-meter long split USB cable. It comes with two Oculus Touch controllers, each powered by a single double-A battery; the headset itself has five outward-facing cameras, bringing the total weight to 563g.

 

The Design of the Oculus Rift S

While the Oculus Quest was created entirely by Oculus, the Rift S was created in collaboration with Lenovo. As a result, while the headset is simple, black, and curved like the original Rift, it contains design aspects that are comparable to the Lenovo Mirage Solo headsets. Both have two conspicuous outward-looking cameras on the front panel that interacts with two more on the lower left and right corners, as well as a fifth facing upward, to enable positioning tracking and environment recognition without the need for external sensors, as the previous generation did.

The Rift S contains a button that lets you adjust the distance between the eyepiece and your face without having to adjust the headband. Because no spacer is provided in the box, this is especially useful for people who wear spectacles. It’s also worth mentioning that, because of a rather flat nosepiece, the Rift S is exceptionally good at preventing outside light from leaking in.  Also, while a new “release button” on the front allows users to slide the headset back and forth, the entire headset seems tighter and more unpleasant for anyone wearing glasses.

The touch controllers that come with the Oculus Rift S are also reasonably comfortable to use, having light and sensitive buttons and thumbsticks. Unfortunately, not all of this device’s design changes are for the better. The over-ear headphones have been replaced with directional speakers, which can leak a lot of sounds and distract anyone nearby.

 

Performance of the Oculus Rift S

Because the Rift S is fully reliant on a powerful gaming PC, you’d expect it to deliver Oculus’ finest VR experience. Fortunately, you won’t be disappointed, not only will you be able to play games from Oculus’s own storefront, but the Rift S will also support SteamVR out of the box and display the whole Windows 10 desktop. For optimal VR performance, Oculus recommends an Intel Core i5-4590 processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 970/1060 graphics card.

Unfortunately, despite its simplicity of setup, the Oculus Rift S has some stability issues. The Oculus can occasionally fail to respond when booting up applications, resulting in a black screen. This appears to be exacerbated while utilizing the Steam VR system, therefore it may be less of a concern for individuals who use enterprise and commercial products.

The touch controllers would periodically fail to register movement when held at arm’s length. Although Oculus claims that the arrangement of the cameras on the Rift S improves the range of motion tracking over the Quest, it’s one of the few drawbacks of ‘inside-out’ tracking. This has been reinforced by post-launch software updates that have vastly enhanced motion tracking, the lack of additional sensors remains a minor stumbling block.

 

Is the Oculus Rift S Worth It?

Overall, the Rift S is a fantastic device with excellent performance and ergonomics. It’s simple to set up, has a nice resolution, a comfy headset, and is reasonably priced. If you already own a nice VR headset, unless you’re a committed user, this isn’t worth picking up. However, if you’re fresh in the field of VR, this is a must-see device. 

While the extra capability of the Oculus Rift S may be appreciated by some, Facebook had terminated the Rift series in 2021.

Product Stats

Product sentiment (% of positive sentences about the product)
71%
Features Sentiment
Display 80%
Price 78%
Comfort 79%
Controllers 73%
Features 72%
Refresh Rate 71%
Cabling 67%
Crashing 60%

Video Reviews

Technical Specifications

VT Type: PC-powered VR
Platform: SteamVR, Oculus Home
Hardware Platform: Oculus, SteamVR
Display type: LCD
Shape: Oval
Series: –
Positional Tracking: No
Max Resolution: 1280×1440
Pixel Per Degree: –
Field Of View: 88
Refresh Rate: 80 Hz
Audio: 3.5 mm audio jack, built-in microphone

Recent reviews

Table of Contents

Share this review

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Reddit
Email