Oculus Rift DK2 VR Headset Review

Final Thoughts

Prices

The DK2 can only be ordered directly from Oculus VR. While it is intended for developers, there is nothing stopping your average enthusiast from paying up and getting one of their own. The DK2 is currently priced at $350 US + shipping and taxes which will vary depending on which part of the world you live in. I live in the UK and the total price for me was $462/£288.

Overview

There are a lot of features and possibilities available to any Oculus Rift owner, so many that I can’t even fit them all in a single review. Had I covered every experience and test I’ve put this headset through over the last couple of weeks, you would need to take the afternoon off work just to read about them all. It really is a versatile bit of kit and while it is technically unfinished, or at least not ready for the average consumer, the outlook is extremely promising.

The technology behind the DK2 is incredible. While there may be a few rough edges in terms of the visual quality of the display and maybe even a few ergonomic issues with the headset design, it’s still a real game changer. The prospect of the CV1 consumer headset in about a years time is exciting. The CV1 will feature a 2K resolution display, improved tracking and a whole range of other tweaks and improvements to its underlying SDK and drivers.

There are countless VR experiences already available to freely download and enjoy, these are great fun and most are unlike any other game or demo you’ve ever played. Sightline: The Chair, Windlands, Titans of Space and the stomach churning fairground ride that is Cyber Space are all great demonstrations of VR technology. Gaming is a mixed affair, as I said before I found racing and flying games an absolute blast. Unfortunately, FPS titles fall a little short of my expectations and navigation with keyboard/mouse or a controller can be disorienting to the point of severe motion sickness; although that does improve over time with extended “practice” at VR. Multimedia consumption is really cool, especially with software like VR Cinema that puts you in a virtual theater. The resolution needs to be a little higher before I’d sit through a full movie with this, but the concept is well executed regardless.

If you just want to get the DK2 to play games, I would say it’s best to wait until the CV1 headset is available. There are a few too many quirks about the DK2 that can distract from the gameplay. It’s a little uncomfortable for prolonged use and it’s currently quite heavy. The resolution isn’t ideal, and I’m desperate to see the pixel count pushed much higher than it currently is. Configuration and setup of individual games is still a trial and error experience, something that will no doubt continue until there is an SDK that isn’t in beta form.

If you’re a developer, or an enthusiast that simply wants to see what the hardware can do, show it off to friends and simply learn about the technology, then I’d suggest you get your order in asap; especially so for developers as there is a thirst in the community for new VR experiences.

As I said before, there’s many other aspects to this technology and I’ll be taking a closer look at those over the coming weeks, so stay tuned for a more in-depth look at the experiences the Oculus Rift has to offer.

Pros

• Positional tracking
• Low-persistence display
• Improved resolution (vs DK1)
• Easy to install
• Improved ergonomics (vs DK1)
• Good cable length
• Lots of free demos and games already available

Cons

• Can cause motion sickness for some users at first
• Screen resolution needs to be higher
• Can be a little uncomfortable at times, especially if you’re also wearing a headset

“The Oculus Rift is easily the most innovative gaming experience I’ve ever had. The technology works far better than I ever expected and my inner child grins ever time I’m playing a game in VR. It’s not terrible expensive and there are lots of unique and exciting experiences already ready for consumption, but those wanting this as a full time gaming headset may want to wait until the consumer model is ready – it will be worth the wait.”