E3 Consumer Rift and Touch Details

[Tbone]

I've been reading a lot of reviews and impressions of both CV1 and the Touch controllers. I'm going to try to summarize the best I can what information I've gleamed. This is to try and give you a clear idea of the headset you might be buying very soon.

THE OCULUS RIFT

Design of the headset

I want to talk about comfort and ease-of-use first, because it's one of the most overlooked important features that a consumer VR HMD must have. One of the issues with the DK1 and DK2 was strapping the thing to your face, getting fatigued, having the lenses fog up, and just overall discomfort when playing for extended amounts of time.

The consumer version has solved these comfort issues. It's super light, but more importantly, it's designed with rigid straps that make putting it on similar to putting on a baseball cap. The weight rests on the crown of your head and puts no pressure on your actual face. The result, apparently, is that it feels like wearing a light baseball cap. After a few minutes, it just disappears - you forget you're even wearing it.

It's also covered in a fabric that makes it breathable. This means the lenses shouldn't fog up. Your face can breathe. You don't end up with weird pressure marks on your face and it doesn't pull at your skin. Basically, you should be able to wear it for hours with no discomfort. Pretty amazing.

The Rift also comes with different face plates. You can switch them out. This allows for different sized faces and those with glasses!

The headset is still wired. It has one cord that comes out the back (I believe). I assume it will be a pretty long wire.

Quality of screen and optics

The consumer Rift uses two OLED screens in portrait mode for a combined resolution of 2160x1200. This is combined with some custom fresnel lenses that essentially eliminates the "screen door effect" that plagued the earlier generations of the headset. Text is crisp and the sweet spot is HUGE! The screens run at 90Hz with low persistence, and according to reports, is the best headset in terms of the world feeling like a rock solid place that exists out in space. This is accredited to the perfect low persistence.

Will it replace your monitor or TV screen at this resolution? I'm not sure. Despite no screen door effect, there's still only a limited number of pixels to render media. That said, "perceived resolution" has a large part to play in that, as head tracking has a magic effect of making the perceived resolution of a screen in VR higher than it actually is. Microsoft has partnered with Oculus to stream Xbox games into the Rift, so it must be pretty good!

Also, the colors are bright and clear. Blacks are very black. No odd smearing. Lots of compliments on the crispness and colors of the screen.

Tracking

Oculus announced the name "Constellation tracking" for the consumer Rift. This is a fancy term for using an optical camera to track a pattern of LED lights on the headset. The LED lights are hidden by the fabric, and are on both the front and back of the headset, creating 360 degree positional tracking. The area of tracking for the new optical cameras is apparently very wide - much bigger than the DK2. I imagine if you push your chair back a foot or two from your desk or stand, you can lean or walk a few paces in either direction with no problem. Oculus hasn't released the exact specs of this tracking, but everyone has reported no issues with the boundaries being too small.

The tracking is also extremely low latency and very precise. Despite attempts to shake the head very quickly, the tracking never lags behind. It's at the point now where it's just taken for granted.

Audio

The Rift comes with built in headphones and microphone. The microphone is hidden somewhere under the cloth of the headset, so it's completely masked. The earphones are over-the-ear, but apparently are very high quality and do a good job of overcoming ambient noise that may also be in your room. There was a social demo that people tried where they interacted with an Oculus employee who was in a different room. The microphone sounded great.

One of the best parts of the audio is the amazing positional audio. Since every Rift user will have a microphone and earphones, and everyone will also have positional audio, the groundwork has been laid for some really excellent social VR when it comes to audio. You don't have to worry about someone not having a mic or having a really weird setup. Everyone will have awesome audio be default.

That said, the earphones are easily removable if you want to replace them with a different headset. I have a wireless headset, but I have a feeling it will be much more comfortable and convenient to use Oculus' audio than to have to put on ANOTHER piece of hardware with the Rift.

Software

One of the best improvements for the Rift for DK2 users will probably be the ease of use with the software. Oculus has partnered with Microsoft (as well as GPU manufacturers) to get the Rift working PERFECT with Windows 10. Oculus is working deep within the OS, CPU, and GPU to have a direct line to what they need. Plug n play should be super easy. Instead of being detected as a new monitor, the Rift will have special recognition as a VR headset. It's a pretty big deal that EVERYTHING will be designed around VR in this aspect. You have no idea until you've dealt with so many settings try to troubleshoot to get the DK2 working.

Oculus Home is the default platform to launch games and keep track of friends. It's starting out pretty simple - an Xbox-style screen in front of you in an apartment-looking environment. It seems Oculus will keep adding elements to Home, however. One cool feature they'll already have is that games can create their own custom environment in Home. So let's say you browse to a flight sim game. When you browse to it, you may teleport into a cockpit from the game. It's a cool way of showing a preview of what the game will be like in VR before you even buy it. I hope that they incorporate this into social elements as well. Imagine going to your friend's profile and getting teleported to their "apartment" with their custom avatar. Initiate a chat and the avatar comes to life with the head, mouth, and hand movements of your friend. That'd be super cool!

Oculus and Microsoft are actually doing this with the Xbox streaming I was talking about earlier. You can stream your Xbox games to a virtual cinema/screen. If you are playing with others, their avatar can be in the same room as you, so you can chat while you play and glance at them like you are in the same living room! I believe the same will be possible with PC games. Palmer used an example of Let's Players who could have a theater full of viewers there in the room with them cheering them on. I'm not sure all of these features will be enabled at launch, but it sounds like it's definitely coming sooner rather than later.

Bundled Hardware

You get the headset, camera, and Xbox One controller. They want everyone to have a gamepad. The Oculus Touch controllers will come later in the year.

Games

These you'll have to kinda check out for yourself. Most of the launch titles are designed to work with a gamepad, which is why the Xbox One controller comes with the Rift. It'll be interesting to see what becomes popular and what doesn't. EVE:Valkyrie seems like a no brainer game to get. There are other games like Edge of Nowhere, however, that seem basic as a third-person platformer, but were getting a lot of praise from the showroom floor.I'll definitely be keeping my ear to the ground for online, multiplayer titles!

Release Date, Price, Recommended Specs

Unfortunately we're STILL waiting on specifics here. The release window is Q1 2016, so March would be the conservative estimate. Pre-orders, however, will start later this year. The PRICE will not be announced until then, so we're still holding our breath there as well. The recommended specs is almost exactly what I got last year (lucky me!). Basically you want an R9 290 or a GTX 970. Here are the exact specs:

NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
8GB+ RAM
Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output
2x USB 3.0 ports
Windows 7 SP1 or newer

I have an AMD 290 with i5-4590, so I'm squeaking by! They don't say it, but definitely upgrade to Windows 10 - the performance gains and support packed into that OS are going to be essential as well. By Q1 2016 I imagine Windows 10 will be pretty stable (if you're worried about being an early adopter).


OCULUS TOUCH CONTROLLERS

Oculus finally unveiled their input solution. While they are launching with an Xbox gamepad, these controllers will enable more interaction and a greater immersion through "hand presence". It's important to note that they are still in the prototype phase. This version is called the Half Moon prototype.

Design

There are two controllers, one left and one right. Each has two buttons, an analog stick, an index finger trigger, and a middle finger trigger. They somewhat resemble Wii nunchucks, but with a circle of sensors around the hand. Carbon Design had a lot to do with them, so even though they are prototypes, the look and feel are great. They are super lightweight and most reporters said they completely forgot they even had controllers after a few minutes of using them.

Tracking

The Touch controllers use the same optical tracking as the Rift itself. The circle around the controller contains the Constellation LEDs. Because it's tracking as precisely as the Rift and using the same system, it's 1 to 1. Very low latency, very precise, no crazy calibration needed. Oculus was demoing them with TWO optical cameras, both facing towards the user from the front. This was to create a wider playing space and help minimize occlusion. They did not have cameras behind the users, unlike Valve's Lighthouse system, which places stations on opposite ends of the room. It's unclear whether a second camera will be NEEDED and come bundled or just RECOMMENDED.

Oculus is also tracking your FINGERS. It's unclear to what extent they are being tracked. Most reports seemed to suggest it was binary tracking. If you have your thumb placed on the top of the stick, your thumb is tracked as down. If you take your thumb off the stick, your thumb is tracked as up. Same goes for the index finger and its trigger. The middle finger trigger controls the entire rest of the hand, deciding whether there's a fist or open palm.

Usability

The main advantage the Touch controllers have over anything that has come before is "hand presence". Your hand fits around the controller naturally, and the avatar Oculus was using for the controllers were hands. They give you the ability to point, give a thumbs up, and open and close your whole hand. This is great for social VR! The middle finger trigger has also been referred to as the "grab" trigger. A combination of these triggers and natural finger movements makes you feel like it really is your hands in VR. Most reported that in less than five minutes the controls were completely intuitive and the controllers "melted away" as they manipulated the virtual "Toy Box" with their VR hands. (Toy Box was the demo Oculus was using to feature the Touch controllers).

Of course the controllers also have the analog stick and buttons, so they can be used as guns, swords, tracked controllers, etc. The idea here is that Touch will become the most UNIVERSAL VR controller - flexible enough to get just about any job done. This is the big advantage it has over the Playstation Move and Lighthouse controllers.

Haptics

Very little was written about haptics, but apparently some light haptics are already in the controller. Someone reported that Oculus had prototypes in house with much stronger haptics, so we can assume that will be a big part of the final product.

Future Features

Oculus is a little mum on what the final product will be able to do, but it was strongly hinted that the finger tracking would be more precise than just the on/off switch that it currently is. For the Toybox demo, apparently on/off was the best way to do it. It's unclear HOW Oculus is tracking the fingers or how it will evolve. As mentioned, haptics will also be a part of the controllers. 360 tracking will be interesting. How many cameras will Oculus allow you to set up to do similar tracking to Valve? Right now Oculus seems to think not many people will have full room setups and not many developers will design for it.

Release Date, Price, etc.

Palmer was kind enough to tell us that the Oculus Touch controllers will be available in H1 2016. That's a DIFFERENT release window than the Rift itself, which means the Touch controllers will NOT come with the Rift and will be a separate purchase. As with the Rift, we also don't have a price - we only know it will be an additional expense on top of whatever you've set aside for the Rift itself. One interesting fact is that both the Rift AND the Touch will be open to pre-orders AT THE SAME TIME. Perhaps there will be an incentive to pre-order them both. Just know you will not receive them at the same time.

Since the Touch controllers are pretty new, it will take a while for games and experiences to take advantage of them. You'll definitely want them when they come out, but even after you receive them, there will probably be a wait for your favorite VR experiences to start incorporating them. Time will tell!

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Questions? Comments? Post below! I'm sure I left some things out!

[doublej42]

Great summary. As a man with an apparently large nose that ends up with red marks after a few hours of elite dangerous the comfort is a huge factor. I just hope they can really deliver on the software. I know some software ED, Euro Truck still only work well in extended. I've got fingers crossed that They have working direct mode by the time CV1 comes out.

As for min specs. I have a 970 but I don't' have any usb 3 and my cpu is 5-6 years old. I'm a little worried that with 90 being the new 75 that it will be hard to get that.

I love the new strap. I must have eyes set to low in my face and my ears are constantly crushed by the current strap.

P.S. Try elite dangerous if you can on the rift, it is awesome.

[Lithium]

Tbone and I both have Elite Dangerous but we have pretty bad jutter when looking around. Without turning settings way down it's hard to get the framerate. Also we have been hoping they would patch it to the latest SDK. I was having additional problems with the positional tracking not working.

[doublej42]

Are you running in extended ? It's updated to 0.5. Sort of works with 0.6. Direct mode is known to not work as it can't get above 35 fps.  In extended I run at ultra with super sampling on a 970 and i5-750

[Tbone]

Great summary. As a man with an apparently large nose that ends up with red marks after a few hours of elite dangerous the comfort is a huge factor.

That reminds me, they also have custom face plates to accommodate different sizes faces and those with glasses!

The problem for me with E:D was the space stations. Any time I got near or in a space station, I'd lose 75 fps and begin to judder. Since 90% of the game is in space stations, that was kind of a problem! I haven't tried it in a while, so it's probably worth doing. I imagine once all the Windows 10, Nvidia, AMD goodies are activated for the consumer launch, it should run pretty smoothly, but we'll see!

[Lithium]

Are you running in extended ? It's updated to 0.5. Sort of works with 0.6. Direct mode is known to not work as it can't get above 35 fps.  In extended I run at ultra with super sampling on a 970 and i5-750

Yeah, it's been a few months since I last gave it a try and I was using extended mode at the time. Direct mode didn't work at all. I'll give it another try soon. If they fixed the positioning problem for me it will at least be tolerable I think.

[ComeMiCaca]

Hey guys, I've been offline for quite awhile. I've been busy developing my own VR applications for Google Cardboard and the Rift. I'm back now!

The info I'm waiting for is the FOV. It seems they're side-stepping that number and giving vague answers. The reason could be that the final consumer model will have an even better screen than it has right now. Check out this article if you haven't already:

http://uploadvr.com/oculus-rift-4k-display/

[Tbone]

They're actually not listing FOV for a few reasons. The big one is they don't want to start s numbers game. They say 110. Some shitty VR startup could say 150. VR is so much more than FOV, but to the uninformed the assumption is that it's better. The other reason is that there are different ways to measure FOV - diagonal, horizontal... And it changes depending on if you're wearing glasses, which faceplate you use, etc.

I don't think Oculus would be showing the consumer version if it still had a lot of changes to go through. I'm pretty sure that things like FOV and resolution are locked down. The interview I saw made it sound like they were just going to be doing small tweaks to the optics - just some refining.

[doublej42]

Also FOV has a lot to do with head shape and how close to the eyes you can get. I have a very narrow FOV but I don't mind it as I wear shades all day and they block some of my real life FOV.

[Lithium]

Are you running in extended ? It's updated to 0.5. Sort of works with 0.6. Direct mode is known to not work as it can't get above 35 fps.  In extended I run at ultra with super sampling on a 970 and i5-750

Yeah, it's been a few months since I last gave it a try and I was using extended mode at the time. Direct mode didn't work at all. I'll give it another try soon. If they fixed the positioning problem for me it will at least be tolerable I think.

So just an update, Tbone and I jumped into the game last night. I was able to get Direct Mode working but since it mirrors to my main monitor I was stuck at 65Hz. So, I switched over to extended and that worked even better at 75Hz plus positional tracking was working great. I had MUCH less jutter than before. Overall, I think it is very much playable for us now, minus learning all the commands and shortcuts!