While the technology is being praised, the device is expensive and still limited in what it can do
Monday was a big day in the virtual reality space: the long-awaited Oculus Rift, which shipped out late last week, finally started arriving, almost two years to the day since the company was bought by Facebook.
While I haven't yet had the chance to try one out, a number of others have, and they were finally allowed to release their reviews of the device. Here's what the critics had to say about the device that could change VR forever, and whether or not it's worth it for you to buy right now:
- "It’s very hard to convey with words, pictures, or videos just how different this experience is from looking at a standard 2D monitor. You’ll find yourself instinctively flinching away from objects as they fly at your face or doing a double-take when you see something surprising in the corner of your eye. The virtual reality illusion can give a real sense of vertigo when looking over a cliff or an overwhelming sense of awe looking across a vast vista." Going from a monitor to the Rift’s VR is like going from looking at nothing but moving paintings in a dark cave to looking at the real world in sunlight for the first time." - Kyle Orland, Ars Technica
- "You simply must try the Oculus Rift. It’s breathtaking. I just wouldn’t buy one right now -- and there’s no reason you should feel the need to, either (especially with its archrival, the HTC Vive, also just days away). The longer you wait to buy, the better it will get. This is just day one for Oculus -- and for the future of virtual reality." - Scott Stein and Sean Hollister, CNet
- "Over the course of a week using the Rift, I found that experience beguiling and thrilling at times, uncomfortable and awkward at others. Overall, entering the Rift is expensive, unnatural, and utterly addicting. Virtual reality is often talked about as a revolution, a paradigm shift, a really, really big deal. Using Oculus Rift proves this kind of talk isn’t hype." - Lisa Eadicicco, Time
- "This is an astonishingly well-made device. It delivers rock-solid, comfortable VR, and it does so easily. You’ll be able to put this thing on anyone and show them the magic. You’ll have friends coming over just to go through the Dreamdeck. (Seriously, you will.) But you’ll have to make your peace with the idea that your $600—or realistically, $1,500 or more, if you need a PC to go with it—is an investment. It’s an investment in the things you’ll be able to do in the Rift, the places you’ll be able to go." - Peter Rubin, Wired
- "Over the past week, I tested the Rift and many pieces of content for the system to see how true Mr. Zuckerberg’s words might ring. I can report that while the Rift is a well-built hardware system brimming with potential, the first wave of apps and games available for it narrows the device’s likely users to hard-core gamers. It is also rougher to set up and get accustomed to than products like smartphones and tablets." - Brian Chen, the New York Times
- "The high cost of buying and running high-end VR headsets makes them inaccessible to many people, and the Rift in particular is relentlessly focused on gaming. Within these limitations, though, the Rift makes a good case for seated VR, and it lays a solid foundation for what’s to come. The headset you can buy today is not Oculus’ most ambitious vision for virtual reality — but it’s a vision that Oculus has successfully delivered on." Adi Robertson, The Verge
- "After spending a week with the Oculus Rift, I have no doubt that its approach to virtual reality is indeed the real deal. It's well built and easy to set up, and there are already a few games and apps that'll make VR believers out of the most ardent naysayer. The only problem: It's $600 and requires a powerful gaming PC. Just as with every new technological milestone, it has the potential to change the world. But at this early stage, only a few can afford it." - Devindra Hardawar, Engadget
- "Oculus Rift is the 2016 product you hope your neighbor buys. You’ll definitely want to try it, but there’s little reason to own one unless you’re a serious gamer. I’m not talking about Candy Crush addicts, or even most of us with a PlayStation at home. Oculus Rift only works with high-end gaming PCs—the recommended Asus model I tested costs $1,449 and requires not one but two power plugs. No Macs will do." Geoffrey Fowler, The Wall Street Journal
- "The Oculus Rift is a crazy device that is more than the sum of its parts. As the first consumer high-powered virtual reality headset, it deserves props for just existing, but incredibly it manages to kick ass as well. Whether you should buy now, just try it out or wait until Oculus Touch arrives depends mostly on your patience and cashflow." - Lucas Matney, TechCrunch
- "What Oculus has accomplished is remarkable. There’s plenty that even the completely uninitiated user can enjoy. More importantly, the Rift is truly immersive in most cases. The image quality is mostly excellent, and the head-tracking is nearly flawless. Indeed, perhaps what’s most significant is that there are moments when I can say unreservedly and without caveats that I am enjoying the Rift right in the moment—not as a device indicative of some desirable future, but as a device to own right now. I still can’t afford the future of virtual reality, but for the first time, I actually want to." - Mario Aguilar, Gizmodo
Reading through all of those reviews, the consensus on the device seems to be that the Oculus Rift is what it promised to be in terms of the technology, and the device itself is also well made. On the other hand, it's still expensive, and, since it's the first version, it's kind of limited in what it can do. So if you have limited funds, or don't care about gaming, maybe it would be best to wait until you'll get more out of it.
(Image source: oculus.com)
Steven Loeb
