It’s been 3 months since the Oculus Rift S virtual reality headset launched. Now is a good time to recap the good points and the bad points of this headset.
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Where Did The Oculus Rift S Go Wrong?
It’s been 3 months since the Oculus Rift S virtual reality headset launched. Now is a good time to recap the good points and the bad points of this headset.
source
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My right touch controller has a squeaking trigger
Never used VR before valve index but already had 2 plastic pieces break that hold the cable
Even tho I was disappointed with the announced Rift S specs I still bought one to replace my CV1. I already had the Go and when I first tried the Go I already said I would prefer the panel over the CV1. Lenses are a hugeee plus aswell. I have also had the Vive, PSVR, Odyssey and Odyssey+. I have tried the Pimax and Index and I still am super happy with my S. I designed and 3D printed my own over ear solution which is awesome now (after many interations). I can suggest the Rift S to everyone that is interested in VR BUT! make sure your IPD is in the close range. I have an 61-62mm IPD and its great.
I currently own a CV1 and I've tried a Rift S at a Microsoft Store a few weeks ago. From my time with both, the Rift S feels like a slight downgrade from the CV1 in almost every way, but with a few minor upgrades thrown in. It's like two steps forward, five steps backwards.
I know I didn’t have a whole ton of time to spend with it, but with the short time I had with it, I was able to confirm all the issues with it that were there on paper and the issues that other people had experienced. The audio is way worse, I couldn’t hear anything, even with the volume maxed out at 100% in the store(might not be a fair review since I couldn't hear it but just goes to show how poor the volume is on them and I have not heard good things about the sound quality anyway). the head-strap is a bit worse, not as bad as I expected, but still not as comfortable as CV1 (Although, I will say the headset itself is a bit better fitting with glasses than the CV1, that’s nice). The refresh rate is worse, only slightly and it’s not very noticeable but still a downgrade. It has inside out tracking, but that only makes setup more convenient, it doesn't improve the actual gameplay experience and I noticed some tracking issues that weren't there on the CV1(I have read about similar experiences online that back this up). The only major improvement that I noticed was the higher resolution panel, which did create noticeably clearer image. However, I feel that was more a result of the switch from an Oled panel to an LCD, which gets rid of much of the "screen door" effect due to the closer sub-pixel arrangement but has noticeably worse colors and black levels when compared to an Oled panel. On paper, the resolution improvement isn't very dramatic (2560×1440 on the Rift S vs 2160×1200 on the CV1).
Overall, it's a fine headset, it's just that when you compare it to its predecessor, the winner is obvious. Which is disappointing, not because I expected a massive upgrade but I expected at least slight improvements overall, not slight downgrades overall with only one or two upgrades; especially since they are selling it at the same price as the now over 3-year-old CV1 headset. But now that I think about it, the Rift CV1 wasn't always $400, it was $600 at launch in 2016 and that was without the touch controllers; those would be released a few months later with an added cost of $100, bringing the Rift to $700 total. They later dropped the price of the bundle with the touch controllers to $400 in mid-2017. So, to take $300 off the price tag of a product that used to cost $700 in little over a year must have been very taxing financial on the company. But they must have sold a lot of units at that price because they stuck with it for a few years. Facebook has a lot of money to burn, but they didn't get to where they are today by burning money forever.
This is just a theory, but I think the Rift S is just designed to be a cheaper to make headset that’s more profitable to be sold at the consumer friendly $400 price tag. Everything about it screams cost cutting. Just look at it’s biggest feature, the inside out tracking; I’m sure once they got it figured out, it was much cheaper to have the sensors built into the unit rather than to manufacture 2 individual sensor towers. That also saves on shipping costs as you can fit all of it in a smaller package. There is the major improvement of the panel resolution, but high-resolution panels get cheaper every year, so that probably didn’t cost them much to upgrade (it could have even been the same cost as the lower res panels in 2016). And of course, getting rid of the high-end headphones saved them a few big bucks per unit.
I notice that most people who like the Rift S, own it as their first headset, while the people that don't like it, own a CV1. Which makes sense to me as first timers don’t have much else to compare it to. Like I said earlier, the Rift S is a good headset, it’s just not as good for the price as the CV1 was. But then again, the CV1 at $400 was a freakishly good deal, one likely born out of desperation to solve sluggish sales; so perhaps that’s not a fair comparison.
Hey just wanted to mention that the adapter is working on my headset! That I'm using it on a gaming laptop and works great 🙂
I dont understand sometimes, most people buying vr are pc gamers so you most likely have a gaming headset just use that with your rift s, most gaming headsets are large and meant for comfort so they fit over the head band well.
Or just spend 20-40$ and get a good pair of earbuds (skullcandies are a great option)
I dont understand why i see people returning a whole headset just because the audio it comes with is bad when it has a headphone jack for that reason.
That being said i would like some kind of of thin cover for the controllers to improve grip but still be compatible with gun stocks
if in doubt call confused dot com or their friends myheadhurstevenmore……………..com
Your saying slight upgrade in visual department, but when i tested Vader Immortal it looked way better on the Original Rift – especially in the Prison Cells section. Also the tracking kept screwing up, maybe this was a fault on my headset. But i have watched no end of Youtube videos with others having the same issue's. Some people do watch adult content and it also still looks better on the Original Rifts oled lenses. Then there's the fact the lead is far more weighty, in fact it was pulling the headset to the side due to the rigged form factor of the cable – this could be resolved maybe with a huge cable extension. The audio is god awful so using a separate headset is key, problem here is more heat build up causing the lenses to fog up quicker! My children asked why the new controllers feel like junk compared to the old set also the battery runs down quicker. Now for the Lenses ! LCD monitors caused bad eye strain, as a programmer trust me i no this all to well – this headset made my eyes feel tired, something i never encountered on my Original Rift. Also my IPD is 65 yet i seemed to have issue's. Heard issue's with certain SteamVR games also. Simply put, we need an official Oculus Rift 2.0 without Lenovo..
My first vr headset is going to be oculus quest. Mostly cause I don't have a pc able to handle pc HMDs
The padding on the forehead and back is removable though. It is glued to a plastic bracket but the bracket snaps off and back on.
Rip. I have higher then 68 ipd.
Put on some headphones ya knob.
So I have a pretty decent PC that I've invested a lot of money into. I tried VR once at a gaming arcade and absolutely loved it. But I don't know if i should get the rift S or go all the way and get an index. I play a lot of games pretty frequently and would like to get into VR gaming (more movement and such). Should i get the rift S or the index? I'm afraid i might get the index and end up wasting my money, and i'm also afraid I might get the rift S and be disappointed.
The ear phones suck but the Rift s is really good. I use my Hyper x II headphones with it. Fits over top very nicely.
I use it mainly for sim racing in a seated position. No tracking issues yet. 😉
Click bait. If you look at it the headset is awesome considering it’s rival is more than 2x expensive with not much benefit.
The speakers on the rift S are not bad, dont know why every reviewer is complaining about them. I mean for what they are they're just fine. Probably a better sound experience with the older ones but the fact that youre ears are "free" of anything will still hearing everything in the game is great. You'll use the default ones alot. Can recommend a pair of decent in-ear earbuds, i've used some B&O in ears and they are just perfect for that total imersion. Also the rift is very easy for others for newcomers to try, theres not that extra step of "let me adjust the earphones for you" kind of scenario.
please help, due to a disability I spend a lot of time in bed. I currently have my monitor wall mounted but want to go vr. I bought the oculus go (got it cheap used) and I love it , but I cant play it much because even resetting the viewpoint the vr environment is still flat and level with floor. so when i play anything except movie viewing i am always looking at the sky. does the rift s have this same problem? i would hate to spend the money only to be unable to use often.
I've tried the Rift s recently and it was great, but I had a problem playing Beat Saber on expert because in the high tempo the whole game became blurred and I had no chance beating it. Does anyone knoe why?
All the settings of the game and PC were fine as this doesn't happen with vive pro.
idk I have the S but i still prefer the CV1
don't even work for me
fairly accurate views on the head set. I have a rift s head set and love it. I think its pluses pretty much outweighs it minuses
I have just ordered Mamut grips for my Quest and Rift S from the link provided by you. Thx for the tip, as issue with magnet battery holders was an issue when smashing blocks in beat saber :p
The rift s went wrong? No it didnt. I'm enjoying mine. I also have an original rift and I tried it on last night, the rift s is way better, except for the sound.
My rift s had constant issues and I ended up sending it back, it was my first headset and i was really disappointed
I'd you have a good enough pc for it, you should definitely get the rift s. Although, I've seen alot of people that have a very good pc but chose the quest for portability and being able to bring vr to other people.
I own a psvr and i want a good Pc vr right now im looking into getting the Rift S i also want to know how much it will be when black Friday comes around if theres anything i should be worried about for the Rift S pls tell me. (If i had any bad grammar im sorry because A im dyslexic and B its very late and i have a exam tmr lol
Ive a Rift S, and Index and a Pimax. Have to say I think it packs the best bang for its buck and recommend it to anyone who's interested in dipping in to VR.
Title makes it seem you're about to throw the smackdown on the Rift S but it really felt like a normal good vs bad comparison.
No headphone accessories by now is just reckless. Returned mine and waiting for next gen without bugs.
7:00 I have an ipd thats about 70 mm and i dont know if i should buy the headset or not because of my ipd so plz respond if i should buy it or not
Wait there's a setting to edit your ipd
Love my Rift S, the only thing I can complain about is the sound, which doesnt bother me much since i always planned to use my own headset. For the price you really can't complain, easily the best out there for the price.
Got a Valve Index kit with defective lighthouse base stations. Couldn't even use the damn thing. Waiting for the Cosmos because I don't want to be at the mercy of the (arguably) downgraded base station 2.0s.
I recently got the Rift S mid-august, and have been using it since on my Digital Storm Nova (laptop). It feels great to use and, as my first VR set, I was blown away. I can’t compare it to other sets, but I find myself using it whenever possible, even over playing well established non-VR games!
Thanks for a good review. However, we are all different but I really can't understand how can find this headset uncomfortable? It's way way ahead of my Rift, Vive (DAS) and Vive Pro because of the halo strap.
My Rift S already broke a month ago… (i was a preorder)
I upgraded from a Lenovo Explorer to the Rift S, and I don't regret it one bit. Way better tracking, built-in audio with surprisingly good sound, more comfortable fit, better controllers, easier setup.. Just better in every single way.
If anything wrong for me
It’s the tracking and just not the best comfort.
I have rift Cv1, Rift S and the quest and due to comfort (and the convenience of using my desktop from my bed sometimes :B)
I've been using the rift S 90% of the time now… I guess it also counts that I use mainly oculus medium and Quill which you can't really run with the quest. The sound too quiet but it's nice not having to wear headphones esp if i do need to hear the outside;;
wrong, CV1 > Rift S. I returned my rift S because it was a cheaply made piece of crap.
I had to return the S because the lenses were too far apart. Too far off for digital IDP adjustment to help. Quest is just barely OK on smallest setting.
the controllers seem to be more prone to breaking compared to CV1..
if I was a VR newcomer I would definitely get Rift S tho.. for the price it doesn't have much competition besides maybe a used CV1.