Oculus Rift CV1 Impressions and HTC Vive comparison (and Oculus DK2)

Today at 3pm my Oculus arrived as promised. After work I went ahead and dove in. First off, the box is about half the size of the box for the Vive, which is about the size of a box for a full tower computer case.

So the question then becomes...

Not a lot, as it turns out. Compared to the Vive's huge box and daunting number of accessories, the Oculus is very simple. Ignoring the Xbox One controller, the Xbox One Controller Wireless Receiver, the batteries (no charge and play included), and a few other sundries, the core VR experience is down to two simple items. The Oculus CV1 headset itself (Head Mounted Display or HMD), the desktop sensor, and the remote.

Setup

Now I've had the DK2 for over a year and it works with the Oculus store, so I already had an idea of what to expect with the software and in this case it was actually already installed, but the setup for the Oculus is a breeze (especially compared to the Vive). Basically, all you really need is the HMD and the sensor. Everything else is optional.

The entire design is significantly streamlined from even the DK2 model. The DK2 had a monitor mounted sensor (like a webcam or a TrackIR) that plugged into the same cable assembly as the HMD, and then a power adapter plugged into that. Then the HMD plugged into the PC via USB 2.0 and HDMI (although the DK2 had no audio so DVI to HDMI worked just as well if you were short on ports). The sensor also plugged in via USB 2.0. Surprisingly, the Oculus has no power connection anymore. Everything is powered off of USB (which might be the reason for the USB 3.0 requirement while the DK2 ran off of USB 2.0), which makes for a clean and easy package with few wires.

The new version is simpler. The sensor bar connects to the PC via one USB 3.0, and the Oculus connects to the PC via one USB 3.0 and one HDMI. Since this model carries audio, it's recommended that you use an actual HDMI port or a Displayport (or maybe one of those fairly rare DVI ports that actually carries audio).

The setup program is braindead simple. Download, install (on C: drive only for right now, unfortunately), and then run through a very simple configuration utility that basically just has you stand up wearing the headset and pressing a button. I actually skipped this step the first time with my DK2 because it's specific to the CV1 sensor and everything worked fine without it.

IPD (interpupilary distance) is the distance between your pupils. Since VR tends to work on some pretty tight tolerances, adjusting the HMD to individual's pup distance. In the DK2, this was done through software and stored as a profile for each user (you'd go through a setup where you line up some lines and the drivers would autocorrect for you in apps and games). In the consumer versions, the lenses are physically shifted in the headset by a knob that you can manipulate manually (this is try of both the Vive and the Oculus).

Hardware:

The Oculus HMD itself is really nice. The on paper specs of the two devices are nearly identical, but the Oculus is noticeably lighter while wearing it. That's partially because it is physically lighter (then holding the headset, it's one of those electronics that seems so light that you wonder if there's actually anything inside it at all). The Oculus weighs 470 grams versus the 550 of the Vive. That doesn't seem like much (and it's not) but when it's on your face it can be a big difference. Another reason the Oculus feels lighter is probably because of the strap design. Vive uses elastic straps that are a bit similar to the DK2, but the Oculus uses a rubber/plastic harness that carries a decent amount of the weight on your head versus your face (similar to the plastic harness inside of a hardhat). The straps are also spring loaded so the Rift makes for a snug but comfortable fit. Both the IPD and the headset straps were adjustable to a size that was able to fit my gigantic cranium (it's like Sputnik. Spherical but very pointy in parts).

The audio is decent, but like the Vive you have the option of using your own audio instead.

Store:

The Oculus Store is pretty well polished. The overall library isn't as large as Steam's VR selection by a long shot, but overall I'd say that the quality control is better in the Oculus store between the two. The store is also a bit easier to navigate as it's controller based as opposed to motion control based. The Oculus store also has a few pretty good exclusives like Eve Valkyrie and Chronos. The Steam VR selection technically can be played on Oculus but games that require motion control or room space won't work right now because the current version of the Oculus has neither. Not much has changed from the other blog post.

Experience:

Again, works as advertised. The CV1 is a great piece of hardware and the spatial/head tracking works great. The biggest difference between the Vive and the Oculus in terms of tracking is just that the Oculus doesn't track in as large an area as the Vive, obviously. Again, basically the comments in the other blog post (except those specifically pertaining to room space or motion controls) apply here.

Comparison:

Setup:

Oculus is easy, Vive is potentially not that bad but it's a more complicated setup that some have encountered issues. Getting the lightboxes mounted and to sync, making sufficient space, firmware updates, etc.

The only thing that irks me about the Oculus store is that it's constantly reminding me that my computer is "not good enough" for VR. The annoying thing about that is it's not true, but my CPU is a 3770K which is an older generation CPU. Even though it's plenty fast enough even without the overclock to 4.2ghz, and I have two GTX 980s, the Oculus Home interface constantly tells me my machine is not good enough because it reads the specs. The Valve VR tool, however, runs a real perf test and ignores the hardware specs of your machine. I'm not sure if Steam has a similar nag message if your computer isn't good enough.

The headsets and sensors themselves:

The VR experience itself between the Oculus and the Vive are very comparable. The "screen door" effect is barely noticeable on either compared to the earlier, lower resolution dev kits. FOV is also better, but pretty close between the two. Both offer manual IPD adjustment. I'd say the earphones on the Oculus are a bit better than the provided earbuds with the Vive but both have decent audio that you can swap out.

Between the two, they are fairly comparable. There are a few feature differences but the overall VR stuff is basically the same. Vive has a camera, Oculus has a mic, but the big fundamental difference is in how they do tracking. The Vive uses IR lightboxes that bathe the room in IR from two different points, while the Oculus uses a sensor that reads the position of the headset. There are pros and cons to each approach. Obviously two IR lightboxes allows for a larger space, but since the actual sensors are on the HMD itself it's a bit easier for the Vive to lose tracking. This can be especially true with motion controls since if you raise your hands to your face you might block the HMD's sensor's view of the lightboxes. On the other hand, unless you cover up the desk/monitor mounted sensors on the Oculus it's much harder to make it lose tracking. Another issue is that the IR boxes can adversely affect your ability to use IR remotes in the same room. This might not be a big deal depending on your setup, but some people might not like the idea of no longer being able to turn on their TV with a remote anymore.

The Oculus is more comfortable to me than the Vive, but neither is so heavy or uncomfortable that I can't do marathon sessions with either. The Oculus's strap system is a better fit plus the headset is a bit lighter. Also, the sprint loaded solid straps keep the HMD on your face much better in different head positions. One issue I had with the Vive was that because the HMD is heavier and the straps are soft, the HMD slips on my face when looking down (which you may do in room space games).

The Store:

The Oculus Store is a cleaner interface. Fewer overall titles, but a few cool exclusives but overall better quality control. Steam has a ton of games, but some of them are buggy/crashy, demos and different versions show up as separate listings which inflates the numbers, and some of them are really, really simple VR experiences that actually pre-date the release of the consumer VR headsets. Every game I have tried to launch from the Oculus store worked and went to the headset on the first try, but I can't say the same about the Steam VR apps (though there are so many more of them.

Conclusion:

Both products are great. The consumer version of the Oculus is way better than the DK2, but between the Vive and Oculus consumer versions they are very, very close in terms of overall quality. I'd give the slight edge to the Oculus for being lighter, more comfortable, and what seems like a slightly more refined product, but of course that comes at the cost of Room Space VR and motion controls (for now). A "Devil's Advocate" argument against that would be that Room Space VR doesn't do anything for existing games, but I would argue that VR will succeed based on games that are made exclusively for it and Room Space games are all designed specifically for VR.

You won't go wrong with either, and if you can afford the extra money the Vive gets you a whole extra level of experience with the room tracking, but which makes sense for you will probably depend on your setup, preferences, and budget. If you really can't stand stuff on your face, go Oculus because it's physically more comfortable. If you don't have the space for Room Space, that's another reason why the Oculus might make more sense. Sitting and standing VR experiences are also still really cool and very much VR.

However, if you have the money, the space, and the desire to do VR moving around a large area, then definitely go with the Vive. It does everything that the Oculus does pretty much even if the HMD isn't quite as nice itself. It's still a solid VR experience, only now you can do room space games which are -really- cool. Also, if you only have USB 2.0 instead of USB 3.0 then the Vive is the only option, but if you don't have USB 3.0 then you probably don't have a decent enough computer to run VR at all.

-Byshop

Interesting read, it appears that the Vive is indeed the best VR experience as of now. Once they go down on price I will try and grab one, I have a room we don't use for much(living room as we spend most of the time on the game room).

How are the games?

Thanks for the write up. It pretty much reinforces my own conclusion. The Rift is the better headset for my needs. A couple of things though... How is the comfort level when wearing glasses between the 2? Also, how significant is the light bleed in the nose area of the Rift?

Room tracking...so the rift doesn't have that? And will the rift support those 2 little controllers other VR sets have? or is it just the xbox controller?

In the DK2 there was a lot (I could read my watch if I tilted my head up), but in the CV1 it's a lot less. I actually had to take the headset off to see if the lights were off in my office or not because when it's seated properly I can't tell at all.

Yeah, again both are -awesome- products and are true VR experiences, but if you don't have space for room VR (or don't have room for room VR), don't have USB 3.0, or prefer to play sitting/sim games like racers, flight/space sims, or games that are primarily controlled via a controller such as Ethan Carter or Eve Gunjack, then the cheaper Oculus option works and you get a slightly better quality headset to boot. Not to mention, Oculus has a few cool exclusives like Valkyrie.

That said, I'm really glad I have both. The Oculus sits at my cockpit for sim/FPS games, and the Vive is set up in a 2.5M x 3M space where I can play room space games. Obviously that's not a great option for a lot of people because it's cost/space prohibitive, but I have to admit that each product has its own appeal even if 60-70% of the libraries overlap.

No, not at this time. The Oculus Touch controllers are coming later this year, and Oculus has hinted at a larger tracking area but nothing is official on that. The intended control for Oculus games is the standard 360/Xbox One controller layout.

-Byshop

@Byshop: You forgot to comment on the comfort while wearing glasses. :)

My glasses are a bit stylish and have wide frames, so they don't fit under either headset. I'm debating heading to lensecrafters and getting some cheapos that I can use.

-Byshop

@Byshop: Thanks for the info. Your space is slightly bigger than mine. Would a 9'x8' (2.7x2.4 ) space cramp the experience at all?

Also, if I were your mother you would be straightening up that desk young man!

This has me a little worried. The Oculus screen looks FAR better than the Vive one though. This is tough. I have both preordered but need to dump one. Room scale vs comfort and image quality....

Lol, it's not really my desk exactly. Well, it's my desk but it's not where I work or play. This is where I work:

And this area I keep pretty clean. :)

As for the screen difference, I was reluctant to mention this in the blog for a few reasons. For one, I don't have 20/20 vision. With correction, my vision is great but since I'm nearsighted I don't necessarily wear lenses when I'm using VR because I can still see pretty clearly. To me, the Oculus did seem a bit less pixelated, but I wanted to do some real side by side comparisons before I commented on that because I wasn't completely sure. However, I would say that even if the Oculus has the edge here that it's not by some huge margin like the difference between the Vive/CV1 and the Oculus DK2. Moving from the DK2 to either the Vive or the CV1 was a night/day difference because of the increased resolution, the larger lenses, etc. Once you start playing, I don't think you'd notice the pixelization in either, but of course it's not as clear as a proper 1440p monitor.

As for your space, I think you're fine. There are a few games that seem to really focus on a non-teleporting single "room" space that you walk around inside of (kind of like a set on a stage). Sightline: The Chair and Unseen Diplomacy are like this, and as a result may not play properly without enough space (2.5m x 2.5m and 4m x 3m respectively). Otherwise, you're fine. Most room space games let you "teleport" where you are standing, so the size of the room just ends up determining how much physical area you have to move around in before you have to teleport again.

-Byshop