Hey guys this is Austin and today we’re headed to the future.
If somehow you’ve never heard of the Oculus Rift I’ve done a few videos on the original
version and a couple prototypes but the Developer Kit 2 is actually on sale right now if you
want to give VR a shot. Pop open the box and you’ll find everything you need to get started
including the new positional tracking camera which reads the IR lights built into the headset.
From the outside it’s similar to the original Rift but Oculus has changed quite a bit in
just a year. Up front you can now pop off the cover to get at the USB and HDMI ports
if you need to replace the cables and instead of having a big breakout box like before everything
connects to this little dongle. There’s also a USB port built-in to the headset which
allows for future accessories to be plugged in. The biggest upgrade though is inside.
There’s now a 1080p OLED display that runs at up to 75 frames per second which is a huge
improvement over the original Developer Kit. Interestingly when iFixit tore down the DK2
they found the screen is pulled right from the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Put the Rift on
though and it’s a seriously impressive piece of tech. If you’ve never tried VR there
are a few demos that really do a great job of showing off what the Oculus is all about.
The Unreal Engine Coaster takes you on a ride around a nicely detailed room and is one of
my favorite demos as it’s nice and comfortable while still giving you a definite feeling
of riding an actual roller coaster. Between the accelerometer built-into the headset and
the new positional tracker it does a much better job of tracking your head, allowing
you to do things like lean in and out. Another great game is Couch Knights. Most of the best
Oculus demos take advantage of you sitting down by putting an actual body into the game
which does a lot for immersion. Being able to look around to follow the action as if
you’re sitting in an actual room is easily one of the coolest VR experiences I’ve tried
so far. Games like Unpossible are a lot faster and can be a bit disorienting but even here
the DK2 is much more usable than the original. The extra resolution helps although you can
still clearly see pixels but the faster refresh rate and quicker pixel switching time means
that the entire experience is a lot more realistic with almost no smearing or blurring. Not everything
is as intense though. Ocean Rift is a straightforward diving demo that lets you explore the ocean
which really shows off the huge scale that VR can give and the jump scares when you get
eaten by a shark too. There’s a surprising amount of content that’s already available
for the Rift including full games with VR support as well as lots of mods to make other
games work with the Rift. Most of these work just fine but rarely will you just be able
to launch a demo. This is aimed at developers and enthusiasts who don’t mind being on
the bleeding edge and finding workarounds for when things don’t work. There is early
support for Linux and Mac however you basically have to use a Windows box right now. I used
a PC with a Core i7 and GTX 780 which ran everything smoothly, slightly overkill but
you’ll need hardware that can essentially run a pair of 1080p screens at a locked 75
frames per second to get the full experience. While the hardware itself should theoretically
work on anything with an HDMI port don’t expect to be using the Oculus Rift on a console
anytime soon. There is Sony Project Morpheus for the PS4 which I got to spend some time
with at E3 which is similar in a lot of ways although the screen is quite a bit better
on the DK2 at the moment. The difference is that you can order the latest Oculus Rift
right now where the Morpheus is at least a year away. The DK2 is a great way to get into
virtual reality but it’s not for everyone. If you don’t mind spending a little time
getting things to work and understand that there isn’t a massive library of VR content
just yet then for $350 the Oculus Rift Developer Kit 2 is totally worth it. However unless
you’re a major nerd it’s probably best to wait for next year for the consumer version
to be released alongside major titles like EVE Valkrie. Either way I think VR is here
to stay. So what do you guys think, definitely be sure to let me know in the comments below.
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so much for watching and I will catch you in the next one!