Facebook-owned Oculus has announced a new VR headset and when it'll launch.
The Oculus Rift was one of the first modern VR gaming headsets to come to market, and now, Oculus has given the world a glimpse at how the second-generation Oculus Rift looks and works. Called the Oculus Rift S, the new headset was unveiled at GDC 2019 in San Francisco.
Oculus said it developed the Oculus Rift S with the help of Lenovo, which aided in improving upon the original design, while also allowing for Oculus to manufacture the headset faster. The new improvements affect optics, performance, and comfort. For instance, the new headset has a 2560 x 1440 resolution with OLED displays, instead of LCD panels as seen on the Oculus Go. But the refresh rate dropped from 90Hz to 80Hz.
It uses the same built-in tracking system as the recently announced Oculus Quest headset. That means users will no longer need to set up external cameras where they’re planning to use the headset in order to enable the system to capture body movements. Instead, sensors within the device and controllers will accurately capture and represent body movements in the VR environment.
It uses the Halo strap, too, which allows users to easily fit the headset comfortably to their heads and adjust it as needed. And it will come with an all-new feature, called Passthrough+, which allows users to quickly see their environment outside the headset. Users can even mark out the area they want to game in using the controllers to help stay safe and not fall through a coffee table while gaming.
The headset will ship with Touch controllers, but the on-ear headphones have been replaced by near-ear speakers (or you can plug in your own). If any of this interests you, the Oculus Rift S will go on sale this spring, with some rumours suggesting the devices could launch at Facebook’s F8 developer conference on 30 April 30. Both the Oculus Rift S and the new Quest will cost $399 each.