* Edited 2020-Sep-05 *
As of Oct 1, 2020 a Facebook account will be required to use this hardware. Existing users have until Jan1, 2023 to covert to Facebook or the bulk of features will not be available and titles may not work at all. AVOID this hardware and company and go with a Vive or other VR option. I for one, will not continue to use this product. It’s a plain and simple spyware campaign that Facebook continues to expand and is now trying to force upon all users of the Oculus line. As a long time Oculus user, I find this repulsive and will not support this type of corporate behavior. Rating reduced to one star because zero stars are not possible...
* Edited 2019-Jun-02 - marked by ** - **
I've used Oculus headsets since the first beta before Facebook owned it. This headset promises to be the first step in making VR accessible to the PC masses. It uses a single connection, no external sensors, and is plug and play (in theory).
The graphics are a slight step up from the last iteration, noticeable, but not massive. The controllers are likewise a slight step up from the previous generation and very easy to adapt to.
The new see through cameras and guardian system works very well. If you are new to Oculus, this is a visual barrier to let you know when you are going to run into things in the 'real world'. With the headset on, you see a camera view of the real world. You trace out your play area with a 'laser' and this defines your play space, surrounded by virtual walls. The setup is easy and intuitive.
Responsiveness is great and much better than single or dual sensor tracking of old. There is no break in the motion when a sensor loses sight of the headset because this headset tracks from the inside out using cameras placed all around the headset.
Also gone is the glare from the lenses. Bright scenes had no glare around the edges (halo) like the last set. Colors were good and vibrant. **In dark scenes the LCD panel shows its weakness with washed out blacks (more like grey than black). In dark scenes it is very hard to distinguish items due to a lack of contrast. When playing Arizona Sunshine as a test, I knew the area and still couldn't see things in the dark with a flashlight. Unlike the last panel, this severe lack of contrast and black level is a strong drawback from OLED panels for space sims (Elite Dangerous, etc.) or shooters i where there will be a lot of dark areas.**
** The lenses don't steam up as fast as the old units although I do notice that my face is much more 'sealed' to the front of the unit. This is good and bad (for me). It is good in that it seals out light almost entirely. However, I used to cheat and look through the gaps by my nose to see the keyboard, etc., in the past. Now I have to physically lift the unit to find the keyboard, etc. It should be noted that I use my Oculus more for seated gaming (Elite, Project Cars, Assetto Corsa, etc.) than standing games. When playing standing games with the touch controllers the better seal would be preferred. If you want to peek into the 'real world' you can double tap the Oculus button on the touch controller to enable the cameras. This works well, and is thoughtful, for situations when you are spinning around shooting zombies and become entangled in your headset cord. **
** The built in sound is very weak with no bass. A canon shot sounds like a 'tink' rather than a 'boom' in War Thunder for example. The headset uses directional sound from the strap to direct sound down towards your ears. Unlike the last version, headphones will not fit over the straps on this version. While it does include a built in microphone, I prefer using a noise canceling headset for gaming that also provides a richer sound (for seated play). This design simply does not allow for that. The sponge on the strap sides (used for comfort) create a 3/4-1" (20-25 mm) offset, on each side, that hold the headphone arms (and ear pads) away from your head. This applies to over the ear, or on ear headphones. If you use ear buds it won't be a problem.**
Speaking of the strap, it works surprisingly well with a single wheel to tighten the unit to your head. It pulls the headset to your face and there is a release to move the actual lens part (the big box) away from your face. If you wear glasses, this is far better than the last set. It is a little harder to get the up-down into focus because the 'box' does not pivot in any way. All in all, it's a mix of good and bad over the old unit. Definitely easier to put on, although it goes back to full tight every time it's removed, but harder to get into the sweet spot for focus. Once in focus, it stays put very well
** Note - I raised the rating by 2 stars after getting a replacement and further testing. **
So why one star? Because it doesn't work. Upon first plugging it in, you will have to update the BIOS on everything (headset and controllers). Then you go through the VR setup. First problem was a black screen when instructed to continue the setup in VR. I unplugged it from one display port and plugged it into another and it started working. I finished setup and jumped into a game. After less than 5 minutes in the game, the screen goes black again. It was still on because I could see the backlight, but no picture and no sound from Oculus home. I can hear system sounds coming from the headset though. A reboot later and it's still not working. Unplug, and re-plug into a new ports and it's still dead as a door knob. So much for quality control. The Oculus app shows all green check boxes next to the device, as though all is good when it is definitely not.
** I received a replacement from Amazon for another go at this model. The replacement also crashed during setup, but afterwards has worked so far. It appears the first one may have had a defective board that once heated, failed. I am rating this as 3 stars because the increased resolution and reduction in the 'screen door' effect does not overcome the issue with the lack of rich blacks and contrast. The old panel was better in that regard. Also the change to the strap, while comfortable, completely negates using superior headsets. Sound is every bit as important to immersion as the visual elements. In this regard, the sound in this headset is a big leap backwards. Convenient yes, but practical no.
Performance wise, I have had a chance to run it through some benchmarks. This headset operates at 80 frames per second (ideally) as opposed to 90 FPS on the last Rift. On the surface this appears to be worse, but in practice it is not noticeable and did not lead to discomfort at all. I also noticed that this headset was able to keep up at a full 80 FPS in games that previously would drop to ASW (45 FPS). ASW is the Oculus method of dynamically creating filling frames when the frame rate drops below ideal. This helps with discomfort and creates a smoother playback image even through the frame rate is less than the desired 90. This headset did not drop below 80 in most of my tests using the same settings as the previous unit that would have stayed in ASW with the same settings. Clearly the unit is better at aiding graphics cards in rendering frames quicker.**
I am running a current game rig with an Intel 8700k and an NVidia 1080ti. Pretty standard fair and one that worked reliably with the old headset. For $400 and after waiting years for an update, I had hoped that the headsets are intended to last longer than 10 minutes. I feel like I'm beta testing the original again. It's clear to me they have a number of kinks to work out. This one is going back immediately.
** After spending some time reviewing the latest drivers, etc., it still seems like an early release, but one that is worthy of $399.
The alternative I would consider is the new Vive Index. However, the Vive is MUCH more expensive at $1,000. Furthermore, it still requires satellites setup around the room and can suffer from interruptions as a result (it usually works well in practice). This makes it less portable and more of a pain to switch between seated play and standing play in many situations. Also the touted 144 FPS refresh rate is highly unlikely in anything but simple whack-a-mole type games (Beat Saber, etc.). You will need significant hardware (2080, etc.) to push that frame rate. The controllers on the Vive also seem better (how it is held, finder tracking, etc.), but it isn't yet fully implemented and there are a lot of questions around play with legacy device support.
For these reasons, the Oculus seems like the better consumer deal.
If you will be playing mostly things like Arizona Sunshine, Beat Saber, etc., this is really a very easy headset to use, and is much easier to setup and put away too. **
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