Oculus Rift vs. Valve HTC Vive (consumer models)

[Tbone]

A table for comparison

	Oculus Rift	Valve Vive
Release Window	Q1 2016	Holiday 2015
Screen	Dual 1200x1080	Dual 1200x1080
Refresh Rate	90Hz	90Hz
Tracking	Constellation System	Lighthouse System
Tracking Area	Seated/Standing Living Room	Adjustable to large volume spaces
Input	Xbox controller/Oculus Touch (H1 2016 release)	SteamVR Motion Controllers
Audio	Built in headphones/mic with positional audio	Audio jack
Connection	Wired	Wired
Platform	Oculus Home	SteamVR
Software	>24 Exclusive Titles	Unannounced
Price	"Affordable"	"High end"

*Note: Valve/HTC has not released their consumer specs yet, so some things are subject to change.

[Maglorius]

I still think the tables are leaning towards the Vive with the current information.

I am a little concerned about the built in headphones and mic that the rift will have, the previous version I seen didn't seem all that great, I could be wrong.

At this point, the Oculus needs to come out strong with some massive blows to knock the Vive off its pedestal but its all speculation until we all get the see the final specs of both devices.

[Tbone]

When asked if the headphones are removable, Palmer responded:

"You will be able, but you probably won't want to. Our audio stack is fully integrated and optimized for VR, from software to DAC to amp to headphone drivers.

Sounds like the audio is going to be legit, even if it doesn't look like much. I agree Valve still has quite the advantage. If Oculus comes out with an input solution equal to Valve's but has a significantly less price tag, that may would swing things back the other way. I'm not sure what input solution they could have when their tracking system is still optical, though. The Lighthouse system solves occlusion, while this would be a big issue for 360 degrees of movement with external optical tracking.

[Tbone]

Updated this with more recent information. It's a pretty tight race. Oculus' motion controllers aren't coming out until midway through 2016, which is a long time to wait. HTC has hinted that their headset is going to be priced as a niche product, meaning it'll be sold at a premium. Oculus' offering should be more affordable, but it will also be incomplete at launch (without the Touch controllers).

Both tracking systems will theoretically be scalable to room tracking, but Valve's will require 2 base stations for 360 tracking while Oculus' could be used with only one (due to trackers being placed on the back of their headset).

[Maglorius]

It is definitely a tight race, they are both swinging pretty hard.

I didn't realize that Oculus was going for the duel screen, interesting.

[Tbone]

It is definitely a tight race, they are both swinging pretty hard.

I didn't realize that Oculus was going for the duel screen, interesting.

Yeah, it makes IPD adjustment really easy because you can change the distance between the two screens mechanically.

Most are assuming the Rift will release with one camera and the Touch will come bundled with a second for full room 360 degree tracking just like the Vive. It makes both offerings nearly identical, except Valve's will come out first. Because of this, though, I feel like Oculus' will be more polished. I also believe Oculus' will ultimately be cheaper.

Basically you can get a slightly less polished, more expensive VR system early or a slightly more polished, less expensive VR system 3 and 6 months down the road.

One big thing for me is that Oculus is all VR. If they fail, they're done. If Valve's VR system is overshadowed, they could simply drop support and focus on one of their other projects. Oculus isn't going to go down without a fight. So even though Valve and HTC have been around much longer, Oculus may be the safer bet.