Oculus Rift S - Unboxing, Testing and Ranting
50The Oculus Rift S is a solid headset that is still hampered by the Oculus ecosystem. Everything around the Rift does a disservice to one of the best inside out tracking headsets I've gotten the chance to try out.
That being said the Rift S is not without its flaws. The 1280x1440 per eye LCD panel is a step up from the original Rift, it's no where near as crisp as the Vive Pro I'm used to. The screen door effect is reduced but attempting to read text, such as stream chat via oVRdrop, is significantly more difficult. The panel also comes with a lower refresh rate however the impact is fairly minimal.
The FOV on the headset does feel slightly less than OG Rift. I mentioned this after trying it out at PAX East however it's no where near as bad once the headset as been appropriately setup and on your head correctly.
As far as audio goes, I hear, that the quality has been reduced but I can't comment as I have always used an alternate pair of headphones. The Rift S still allows for larger headphones like my Logitech G933s to fit on my head unobstructed. https://amzn.to/2YLXpwC for size comparison. It's a tighter fit than other headsets though and at one point during the night when adjusting the Rift S it flipped the power switch to my headset. That hasn't happened with any other HMD.
On the plus side, I didn't have to remove anything from the headset like I did the DAS, Vive Pro or the OG Rift. If you're like me and have never used the built in audio, then that's a feature, not a con.
Speaking of plusses, the tracking is a huge pro. The Rift S is the best inside out tracking HMD that I have gotten my hands on. There is a huge range of tracking that is surprisingly very accurate. While over the shoulders seemed fine, there are some obvious dead zones like behind your head or behind your lower back where the controller seems to hit an invisible wall. This may cause issues in games like Onward where you have a datapad strapped to the small of your back. There was still rotation and button interaction, the translation of the controller stopped. Also when both controllers out in front of you side by side, as if you were dual wielding pistols, occasionally you could feel a bit of controller drift happening. Very minor but still worth mentioning.
The headset itself had no tracking issues whatsoever.
The passthrough effect was amazing. It did feel as though I was looking at the world from under a thin film of water though clear enough I could read text of a nearby mouse package. It was a very interesting experience.
The main reason I don't use my OG Rift is the camera setup and having to setup the guardian each session. The Rift S does away with all of that camera setup jank. This is the primary reason I decided to pick one up. The ease of the software installation and going from unboxed to in headset and ready to play was an amazing improvement over the OG Rift. It even trumps my preferred HMD, the Vive Pro, in this regard.
The guardian system still leaves a lot to be desired however. I really didn't like the setup or the lack of options available when setting up your play space. Oculus really needs to look to its competition for inspiration when it comes to the ecosystem that surrounds the headset.
The Rift S was fairly comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. I spent a single 3.5 hour play session in headset and had no discomfort which is surprising to me as I don't typically like the halo design for HMDs. The PSVR puts a lot of pressure on my forehead and I never feel like the lenses are close enough. The Rift S had neither of these issues. I did experience a bit of the Oculus red ring afterwards and some definite 'Hair by Oculus' but the Rift S can definitely be used for marathon sessions without issues.
The only complain I have about the physical design of the HMD is the lack of a quick release button for putting the headset on. You need to manually twist a knob to enlarge the headset strap to place it over your head before once again tightening it. The PSVR does a much better job at this. It's a simple issue but becomes very tedious as time goes on.
There are some questionable design decisions and it may not be worth upgrading from your OG Rift, however the Rift S is a great mid level VR headset that wont break the bank.
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