Official: Oculus Rift pre-orders on Wed, Jan 6th @ 11am EST (8am PST)

[mnewsham]

So the compat checker says my i7-2700k @ 3.9 is too slow but an i5-4590 is ok ?? Am I correct to be dubious of this -- didn't run any tests just checked the id of the cpu for what I can tell.

They are pretty damn similar in performance with the i5 having a slight edge due to it's increased IPC by being from a newer generation.

The i7 has hyper threading but I don't think that will particularly benefit you in this situation.


In all likelihood the i7 you have will be fine as in pure performance it is within 5-10% of the i5 in most metrics, but there is obviously no guarantee, especially since it is 2 generations older than they recommend.


anandbench comparison of (similar) cpus.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/287?vs=1261

 

[mnewsham]

I'm not sure if I follow his reasoning. Usually, off-the-shelf parts are only cheaper if you're not producing enough units to warrant the price of a custom order. Custom orders typically also have minimum requirements as it's not worthwhile for a company to retool their line just to produce a few thousand units. Well, that is if you want the price to be reasonable. 😛 Anyway, the point is that the CV1 should have far more units produced as it's the first unit that is designed to be sold to all consumers and most likely at retail.

DK2 was using a 75hz 1080p samsung reject panel. CV1 uses 2 1080x1200 OLED 75-90Hz displays.


It's a similar story with the lens optics and the fabric shell of the headset itself, all are MUCH better quality compared to the dev kits.


Sure mass production can bring price down, but the panel tech alone is going to be a HUGE chunk of the cost and that isn't something that comes down in price significantly without millions of units (and oculus knows they aren't going to be shipping that many). This isn't even bringing in the cost of the head tracking sensors and all that stuff.

 

[mnewsham]

lifted a 1440p screen from any of various mobile devices on the market today for this and not bothered with custom

Lol wut?

You can't honestly think this could be done, or else it WOULD be done.

No current 1440p OLED panel exists at that size and at that refresh rate, samsung is probably the only one who might be able to do it, and it would cost a LOT more.

I have a samsung Note5 with a 5.7" 1440p AMOLED panel, it's only 60hz though, not 75-90 like the oculus.

It's not like they can magically take the same panel from the note5 and make it run at a higher refresh rate and call it a day....

 

[Aikouka]

DK2 was using a 75hz 1080p samsung reject panel. CV1 uses 2 1080x1200 OLED 75-90Hz displays.

I mentioned that in an edit above. 😛

It's a similar story with the lens optics and the fabric shell of the headset itself, all are MUCH better quality compared to the dev kits.

That reminds me... did they ever say how well it would work for people with glasses? I saw an article where they say the CV1 will be better, but not much to say why or how. I could just pop in some contacts, but I'm not a huge fan of wearing them.

 

[Sabrewings]

To be fair, doesn't the CV1 have a higher refresh rate than the DK2? From what I can find, the CV1 is 90Hz and the DK2 is 75Hz. If I had to guess, the higher refresh rate isn't that common in smaller panels.

You're right. Refresh rate is a fair consideration. I'm still not sold that they're not marking up the hell out of this. We'll know more when we see where HTC/Valve decide to price their offering (which boasts very similar display specs).

I have a samsung Note5 with a 5.7" 1440p AMOLED panel, it's only 60hz though, not 75-90 like the oculus.

I was thinking along the lines of the S6 with its 5.1" 1440p AMOLED panel. Though, I'd guess its refresh rate is also 60Hz. It would be a cost, for sure, but I'm still not buying this price hike. It's outrageous from their original predictions and I think they're gouging at the behest of Facebook investors. They paid WAY too much for Oculus and have a lot of free kits to give away due to its kickstarter beginnings.

 

[mnewsham]

I was thinking along the lines of the S6 with its 5.1" 1440p AMOLED panel. Though, I'd guess its refresh rate is also 60Hz. It would be a cost, for sure, but I'm still not buying this price hike. It's outrageous from their original predictions and I think they're gouging at the behest of Facebook investors. They paid WAY too much for Oculus and have a lot of free kits to give away due to its kickstarter beginnings.

I don't think they are gouging for the money, it wouldnt make sense and the investors would be stupid to think they would even come close to making their investment back by gouging the price on a niche product that was already going to require a $1000+ computer thus making it's sales potentially already EXTREMELY limited at launch.

They might be making a slight profit on it, but I highly doubt it's anything significant. Could even be at or near cost.

 

[Subyman]

I just explained that it has nothing to do with price but the fact that they're ripping people off by forcing them to buy stuff they likely already have. Money is not the issue as I have a ton of disposable cash.

Just because I won't buy one doesn't mean I'm not in their target demographic, I clearly am inside their demographic because I already own a DK2 and I'm interested in VR and can afford it. I'm just not stupid enough to buy a product that forces loads of extra rubbish on you that you don't want and is only a minor increase of their last product.

Well, then carry on with your stand against pack-in controllers.

 

[Craig234]

I'm not a big fan of Facebook/Zuckerberg, so that's a factor to look at others. Hm.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I'm not a big fan of Facebook/Zuckerberg, so that's a factor to look at others. Hm.

As long as it isn't asking me to log into FB, twitter, twitch..wtf ever or SHARE YOUR SCORE ON YOUR FEED or feeding me ads...or basically showing me ANYTHING to do with FB I'll be fine. If it does any of the sort considering the price, I will take a video of my hatred smashing it to bits explaining I'm switching to a different vendor and send it to Zuckerberg.

 

[Kaido]

At least 20 exclusive titles coming To Oculus Rift:

http://uploadvr.com/at-least-20-exclusive-titles-coming-to-oculus-rift/

“A lot [of the exclusives] we haven’t announced yet. That will happen shortly. In 2016 you’ll see a number of exclusive titles come to the Rift from my team … Dozens will be available at launch, with well over 100 by the time the year is out. And these will be significant high-quality titles, not short roller coaster sims … I’m talking about games that people are packaging up and selling as completed processes. Completed packages,” Rubin said.

 

[Kaido]

That reminds me... did they ever say how well it would work for people with glasses? I saw an article where they say the CV1 will be better, but not much to say why or how. I could just pop in some contacts, but I'm not a huge fan of wearing them.

My glasses are too big to fit in Google Cardboard, which is annoying. I'm curious if they could integrate some sort of software focusing technology so you wouldn't even have to wear glasses while wearing the Oculus.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

My glasses are too big to fit in Google Cardboard, which is annoying. I'm curious if they could integrate some sort of software focusing technology so you wouldn't even have to wear glasses while wearing the Oculus.

You shouldn't need to wear glasses in the rift. The lenses should adjust properly, and it should be close enough to not need to much correction.

 

[BSim500]

You shouldn't need to wear glasses in the rift. The lenses should adjust properly, and it should be close enough to not need to much correction.

Not quite that simple though. Eg, on top of variable IPD (Inter-Pupillary Distance), a typical spectacles prescription will include different L/R values for : Sphere (lens "strength" for short/long sighted), Cylinder (the "strength" of astigmatism, ie, irregular shaped cornea), Axis (the "direction" of astigmatism) and Prism (muscle imbalance / double vision). Likewise, it's common for each eye to have slightly different strength lenses (eg, L = -3.0 / R = -3.5 variation is normal). There's generally a good reason why people pay good money for prescription glasses instead of an off the shelf generic pair, and simple "paired" dioptre adjustments inside VR headsets don't really compensate for everything. In fact a lot of people with astigmatism don't even realize they've got it, they just assume it's all down to short-sightedness.

 

[Sabrewings]

You shouldn't need to wear glasses in the rift. The lenses should adjust properly, and it should be close enough to not need to much correction.

What if you're far sighted?

At least 20 exclusive titles coming To Oculus Rift:

http://uploadvr.com/at-least-20-exclusive-titles-coming-to-oculus-rift/

Exclusives tied to hardware, yeah that's in the vein of PC gaming.

 

[Kaido]

Not quite that simple though. Eg, on top of variable IPD (Inter-Pupillary Distance), a typical spectacles prescription will include different L/R values for : Sphere (lens "strength" for short/long sighted), Cylinder (the "strength" of astigmatism, ie, irregular shaped cornea), Axis (the "direction" of astigmatism) and Prism (muscle imbalance / double vision). Likewise, it's common for each eye to have slightly different strength lenses (eg, L = -3.0 / R = -3.5 variation is normal). There's generally a good reason why people pay good money for prescription glasses instead of an off the shelf generic pair, and simple "paired" dioptre adjustments inside VR headsets don't really compensate for everything. In fact a lot of people with astigmatism don't even realize they've got it, they just assume it's all down to short-sightedness.

Yeah, my eyes are getting crappier as I get older. Looks like I'll have to have prism glasses for my next set.

Aside from adjustable optics, I wonder how eye training would be in an Oculus. I've had to start vision therapy because my software isn't matching my hardware properly anymore...would be awesome to be able to control the focus of the 3D objects in a game to train your eyes to focus properly

 

[moonbogg]

So I guess a lot of people are freaking out about the $600.00. I'll be honest about the price. I don't think its a lot. This is supposed to be a quality VR experience. What the hell did people expect to pay for something like this? They expect it for free? They want them to do all that work developing the thing and then just DERP it away for free? PC racing wheels can cost almost as much. A simple gaming monitor can cost even more, and this is much more than just a monitor. People pay as much for headphones and a sound card.
Yeah so I don't get what people are bitching about. They wanted a high quality unit. They can't be so stupid that they think they don't have to pay for it. Things will change later if more units are made and things get cheaper, but this is the cost if you want an uncomfortable thing strapped to your face all day that puts you in magic digital universe.
If I was into this tech and really wanted it, guess what I would want to pay for something like this? I'd want to save my pennies and pay about $1,200.00 for a really high quality unit. I'd buy it knowing it was kickass and amazing and that it would last a long time and provide an experience that was easily worth the money. I don't want some cheap piece of compromised crap when it comes to tech like this. Its not like a CPU or GPU where you can just buy a cheaper one and be OK. You have to get something like this done right and done with high quality or the experience will be cheap garbage.

 

[TechBoyJK]

So I guess a lot of people are freaking out about the $600.00. I'll be honest about the price. I don't think its a lot. This is supposed to be a quality VR experience. What the hell did people expect to pay for something like this? They expect it for free? They want them to do all that work developing the thing and then just DERP it away for free? PC racing wheels can cost almost as much. A simple gaming monitor can cost even more, and this is much more than just a monitor. People pay as much for headphones and a sound card.
Yeah so I don't get what people are bitching about. They wanted a high quality unit. They can't be so stupid that they think they don't have to pay for it. Things will change later if more units are made and things get cheaper, but this is the cost if you want an uncomfortable thing strapped to your face all day that puts you in magic digital universe.

I was hoping for $350 and would have pre-ordered at that rate.

 

[moonbogg]

I was hoping for $350 and would have pre-ordered at that rate.

I suggest google cardboard. Or just wait a couple years. By then, if the tech survives, it will not only be refined but you can get a unit of similar or greater quality for probably $200.00 at that point. By then, the $600 price point would get you something far better, and maybe even higher end units for more would be available.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I suggest google cardboard.

This is what I think every time I hear that name....

 

[SexyK]

So I guess a lot of people are freaking out about the $600.00. I'll be honest about the price. I don't think its a lot. This is supposed to be a quality VR experience. What the hell did people expect to pay for something like this? They expect it for free? They want them to do all that work developing the thing and then just DERP it away for free? PC racing wheels can cost almost as much. A simple gaming monitor can cost even more, and this is much more than just a monitor. People pay as much for headphones and a sound card.
Yeah so I don't get what people are bitching about. They wanted a high quality unit. They can't be so stupid that they think they don't have to pay for it. Things will change later if more units are made and things get cheaper, but this is the cost if you want an uncomfortable thing strapped to your face all day that puts you in magic digital universe.
If I was into this tech and really wanted it, guess what I would want to pay for something like this? I'd want to save my pennies and pay about $1,200.00 for a really high quality unit. I'd buy it knowing it was kickass and amazing and that it would last a long time and provide an experience that was easily worth the money. I don't want some cheap piece of compromised crap when it comes to tech like this. Its not like a CPU or GPU where you can just buy a cheaper one and be OK. You have to get something like this done right and done with high quality or the experience will be cheap garbage.

Agree with this 100%. In general I would rather pay $600 for the best experience possible than $350 or $400 for something mediocre with cheap construction. This assumes that the Rift is delivering that "best experience possible," though.

Gotta say the compatibility checker is a little wacky , just like a lot of aspects of this "launch." Apparently my 3930k at 4.4GHz isn't fast enough for the Rift. It also baulked at some of my USB ports. I would feel a lot better about the $600 if they had released full specs out of the gate, provided a compatibility tool that did more than read hardware IDs in a rote manner, etc. These small things would just make the launch seem more polished and give me confidence that the product will meet my expectations of a premium device. Seems like some of the polish is missing at this point, which does give me some pause.

 

[jlee]

So I guess a lot of people are freaking out about the $600.00. I'll be honest about the price. I don't think its a lot. This is supposed to be a quality VR experience. What the hell did people expect to pay for something like this? They expect it for free? They want them to do all that work developing the thing and then just DERP it away for free? PC racing wheels can cost almost as much. A simple gaming monitor can cost even more, and this is much more than just a monitor. People pay as much for headphones and a sound card.
Yeah so I don't get what people are bitching about. They wanted a high quality unit. They can't be so stupid that they think they don't have to pay for it. Things will change later if more units are made and things get cheaper, but this is the cost if you want an uncomfortable thing strapped to your face all day that puts you in magic digital universe.
If I was into this tech and really wanted it, guess what I would want to pay for something like this? I'd want to save my pennies and pay about $1,200.00 for a really high quality unit. I'd buy it knowing it was kickass and amazing and that it would last a long time and provide an experience that was easily worth the money. I don't want some cheap piece of compromised crap when it comes to tech like this. Its not like a CPU or GPU where you can just buy a cheaper one and be OK. You have to get something like this done right and done with high quality or the experience will be cheap garbage.

A Fanatec wheel alone (no pedals or shifter) will run you 600. I'm not surprised by the pricing at all, especially given that it's a new market segment. Early adopters always pay more.

 

[Sabrewings]

So I guess a lot of people are freaking out about the $600.00. I'll be honest about the price. I don't think its a lot. This is supposed to be a quality VR experience. What the hell did people expect to pay for something like this? They expect it for free? They want them to do all that work developing the thing and then just DERP it away for free? PC racing wheels can cost almost as much. A simple gaming monitor can cost even more, and this is much more than just a monitor. People pay as much for headphones and a sound card.
Yeah so I don't get what people are bitching about. They wanted a high quality unit. They can't be so stupid that they think they don't have to pay for it. Things will change later if more units are made and things get cheaper, but this is the cost if you want an uncomfortable thing strapped to your face all day that puts you in magic digital universe.
If I was into this tech and really wanted it, guess what I would want to pay for something like this? I'd want to save my pennies and pay about $1,200.00 for a really high quality unit. I'd buy it knowing it was kickass and amazing and that it would last a long time and provide an experience that was easily worth the money. I don't want some cheap piece of compromised crap when it comes to tech like this. Its not like a CPU or GPU where you can just buy a cheaper one and be OK. You have to get something like this done right and done with high quality or the experience will be cheap garbage.

If you look at the AMA with Palmer, you can see where he admits he failed at managing people's pricing expectations. The idea he had put out there was that it would cost around a DK2 or maybe a bit more. This had most people expecting $350-$400. According to him, this changed as hardware costs went up* and he failed to notify the community appropriately.

So, if you were a fan eagerly awaiting this product, you were expecting $350-$400. When the preorders opened, it was like "Oh, BTW, it's actually $600 and you have to pay for shipping." This caused a lot of upset in the community that could've been avoided if they hadn't tried to be so tight lipped about the damned price. You can head over to the Oculus Reddit to see evidence of this all over the place.

*I don't necessarily believe him on that either. But assuming that's true, it's terrible community management which is important for products like this that have a long dev following.

IMO, it's not worth the price at the moment. That could very well change when the Vive's pricing is released. I expect Vive to be the better product with more features and included controllers, so I won't be buying now only to have the inferior product. We'll see once all the cards are on the table. My original plan was to buy both if they had their own merits, but all this exclusivity nonsense and the price hike has probably lost me as a customer for Oculus.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Agree with this 100%. In general I would rather pay $600 for the best experience possible than $350 or $400 for something mediocre with cheap construction. This assumes that the Rift is delivering that "best experience possible," though.

Gotta say the compatibility checker is a little wacky , just like a lot of aspects of this "launch." Apparently my 3930k at 4.4GHz isn't fast enough for the Rift. It also baulked at some of my USB ports. I would feel a lot better about the $600 if they had released full specs out of the gate, provided a compatibility tool that did more than read hardware IDs in a rote manner, etc. These small things would just make the launch seem more polished and give me confidence that the product will meet my expectations of a premium device. Seems like some of the polish is missing at this point, which does give me some pause.

The CPU compatibility I think is only checking for CPU model and nothing else (like clock speed). I find that to be a bit...misleading to say the least.

The USB incompatibility (I have it too) is a bit more concerning. Unfortunately it doesn't go into detail WHY it is incompatible. I went out and found new drivers for mine because I had never updated them and reran the test and it still came up incompatible. It would be nice to know if this is a chipset issue or a driver issue...etc.

And this is where I feel they have really failed. There are lots of shortcomings regarding consumer education here. Why is there no data out there on an item that is so pricey? Just like them not revealing the price until the moment of the preorder. After the initial hype wore off, I feel like there are some questionable decisions being made by them. For this much money on new tech, there should be some specs and tons of info describing ANY known issues to help you decide if you want to buy it or not.

I am still debating if I will keep my pre-order. The price honestly doesn't bother me, but for that price I expect it to work. If I get it (2 months from now) and only at that time find out I can't use it --- because they are so reluctant to put out any REAL info --- then it is worthless. I understand that they can't test every scenario, but if your config checker is telling me one thing I expect some sort of explanation.

 

[Kaido]

I did a quick link dump of VR stuff on my wiki:

http://catch42.pbworks.com/w/page/104034609/VR

I'm surprised at how many controllers are coming out...the 3D Rudder, Leap Motion for VR, STEM, etc. are all looking really cool.

 

[Sabrewings]

The CPU compatibility I think is only checking for CPU model and nothing else (like clock speed). I find that to be a bit...misleading to say the least.

The USB incompatibility (I have it too) is a bit more concerning. Unfortunately it doesn't go into detail WHY it is incompatible. I went out and found new drivers for mine because I had never updated them and reran the test and it still came up incompatible. It would be nice to know if this is a chipset issue or a driver issue...etc.

And this is where I feel they have really failed. There are lots of shortcomings regarding consumer education here. Why is there no data out there on an item that is so pricey? Just like them not revealing the price until the moment of the preorder. After the initial hype wore off, I feel like there are some questionable decisions being made by them. For this much money on new tech, there should be some specs and tons of info describing ANY known issues to help you decide if you want to buy it or not.

I am still debating if I will keep my pre-order. The price honestly doesn't bother me, but for that price I expect it to work. If I get it (2 months from now) and only at that time find out I can't use it --- because they are so reluctant to put out any REAL info --- then it is worthless. I understand that they can't test every scenario, but if your config checker is telling me one thing I expect some sort of explanation.

Yeah, I'm not sure what the deal is with its USB compatibility. It was just fine with my Z97 chipset's USB ports, but it flagged my USB 3.0 PCIe card with a Via chipset as potentially incompatible (not that I would use it anyway). I think they simply have a list of known things that work and everything else it assumes it won't.