The Oculus Rift is a creative and fascinating device that can be described as a virtual reality headset (VR headset) and it is placed on the head to allow you to enjoy your time while playing video games or watching 3D simulations. This headset that is presented by Oculus VR developed to allow us to enjoy an exciting virtual reality experience. It is worth mentioning that the Oculus Rift is not the first virtual reality headset to appear as the history of this kind of headsets dates back to 1994 when the Forte VFX1 appeared at CES followed by the Glasstron which was released in 1997 by Sony. The first virtual reality headset “Forte VFX1” was released with 3-axis head-tracking, stereoscopic displays and stereo headphones, however these VR headsets were not successful for their primitive technology. In order to cope with the new changes which are always presented by technology, Oculus VR comes to present the Oculus Rift after releasing several prototypes. Let’s discover how the Oculus Rift can take you to another world and provide you with an exciting virtual reality experience.
♦ What is the Oculus Rift & when will it be released?
As previously mentioned, the Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset that is presented to provide us with an exciting virtual reality experience while playing video games and watching 3D simulations. The developer and manufacturer of this amazing device is Oculus VR. The Oculus Rift is going to be released on 28 March, 2016.
♦ Demonstrating several models before releasing the Rift
Before creating and releasing the Oculus Rift, there were several pre-production models, about five models, which appeared to the public such as DK1 that appeared in 2012 and DK2 that was demonstrated in 2014. Although DK1 and DK2 were just pre-production models that were demonstrated for developing the Oculus Rift, they were purchased by many of those who are enthusiastic about discovering more about this new technology and getting an early preview of the Oculus Rift.
♦ Why is The Rift better than other VR headsets?
Those virtual reality headsets that were released before the Oculus Rift were not commercially successful and this is because of their primitive technology. On the contrary, the Oculus Rift comes to be completely different as it features OLED display with more than 100° field of view, 1080p (1080×1200) resolution per eye, integrated and removable headphones with a 3D audio effect, 90 Hz refresh rate, Oculus Remote to easily interact and explore while being inside VR, an Xbox One wireless controller, 3-axis rotational tracking and 3-axis positional tracking “Constellation tracking system” through a USB stationary IR LED sensor, infrared and LED lights to create a 3D space.
♦ Can be used for different purposes
The Oculus Rift is primarily designed to be used as a gaming device, however it can be used for other non-gaming purposes such as media, social, industrial and professional purposes.
- The main purpose behind developing and manufacturing the Oculus Rift is to be used for playing video games and providing users with a unique and exciting virtual reality experience. Some of the games that already exist can be developed to become virtual reality games, however those games which are particularly designed for the Rift are believed to be the best virtual reality games.
- The Oculus Rift can be used for viewing movies and videos to give you the perception that the content is displayed on a cinema sized screen.
- It is considered to be highly useful to architecture firms and automotive manufacturers for design, visualization and advertising purposes.
- You can also find a number of social applications which are particularly developed for the Rift in addition to working on a new virtual world that is also especially designed for the Oculus Rift.
♦ What about the price?
The Oculus Rift is expected to be sold for about $599. So, what do you think of this price? Does it suit you?
Are you ready to be taken to another world with the Oculus Rift?
