The graphics on the Rift S will be prettier, but everything else will be better with the Quest. It is by far the best designed VR headset I have used. Super easy to pick up and use, incredible tracking quality, and beautiful oled screens. The only reason not to get a Quest is if there is a specific PCVR game you want to play (like Skyrim VR) or if you must have the most high end graphics (get Index).
I’ve played my Quest more than any other video game consoles the past few months, and absolutely love it. It fits into my busy schedule really well (I take it to work and play during lunch break). It’s kind of like the Switch, in that its greater than the sum of its parts. Also, like the Switch, I’d be willing to bet that it’s a hot item this holiday season.
Looks like a decent headset, similar to Rift S but higher res. They said something about ‘transcending the pc’ and showed slides of a smartphone next to the hmd too, but have been real cagey about what that means.
There’s a recent hands-on here:
Looks like the controllers use active lighting, take two AA batteries each, and only last a couple hours.
It’s also really expensive. Pricing has been revealed here and it’s twice as much as the Oculus.
The Cosmos has physical IPD adjustment, so that automatically makes me more likely to buy it than the Rift S. I’m generally expecting the Rift S to still be a better device for most people though, in terms of optics, user experience and controllers. We’ll see.
I also feel like those controller battery life numbers can’t possibly be correct. There has to be some miscommunication there.
I saw that, but it’s from a chat with some support guy at HTC and I’m hoping there’s been a misunderstanding. I have no idea how they could make a controller that drains two AA batteries in two hours, that would be a terrible design decision.
I guess it’ll be low (maybe not 2 hours low, we’ll see) because they’re constantly emitting light so they can be tracked. Oculus controllers last ages but don’t work so well in extreme bright or dark situations. Cosmos shouldn’t have that issue at least - until you need to turn the lights on to swap the batteries. ;)
I have no idea why anyone would use it in the dark, but I’d much rather have the battery life personally. I have recharable AAs, but this requires four of them and then you have to change them every two hours? No thanks!
I’m guessing you’ll need to have the Nvidia USB-C VirtualLink port on your gfx card for it to work.
Will be interesting to see how image quality compares to Rift when not limited by the mobile hardware.
Here’s a blog post
This is a bit weird though, seems to intimate that the bundled cable will not work:
which can be used with most high-quality USB 3 cables. Later this year, we’ll release a premium optical fiber cable to provide a best-in-class experience with maximum throughput and comfortable ergonomics.
Here’s the one I’m most excited about in their list:
Passthrough+: A Whole New View in VR
Coming next week to Quest, Passthrough+ is a breakthrough feature originally launched on Rift S that gives people a stereo-correct, real-time view of their surroundings while in VR. Now possible on Quest thanks to advancements in high-performance image processing and 3D computation, Passthrough+ makes experiences on Quest more comfortable when stepping out of your play space. And with Passthrough “on demand” shipping later this year, you’ll be able to check your surroundings without removing the headset any time you want.
Oculus link for Quest
Hand tracking for Quest early next year
Facebook Horizon, with integrated creation tools, including scripting
Passthrough+
Oculus Go apps in Quest
Vulkan multiview + fixed foveated rendering in UE/Unity
Analitics dashboard for devs
‘Mixed reality’ video tools, with native support in Oculus
Easier development in Quest thanks to Oculus link
Facebook social features: (oh noes! etc) facebook chat from VR, events, post to face from VR
Destinations + Rich Presence (virtual locations integrated with friend lists, possibility to join to them)
All media consolidated to Oculus TV
Media Studio too for creators to manage/publish/do analytics your content
Oculus Business (for enterprise-grade management), ISV Partner program
R&D: Half Dome v.3 reached, now it uses electronic liquid displays to vary focus
Games:
Beat Saber new free mode in December, new dlc next week
Vader Ep 2 out
Stormlands + Asgard’s Wrath release date in a few weeks
Medal of Honor full-length game by Respawn
New Boneworks game for Quest next year
The hand tracking coming next year sounds like a killer thing for sims (assuming it comes to Rift S as well). Take your hand off HOTAS and it tracks your fingers for switch-flipping - no need for that IR pointer addon!
