Oculus has pulled back the curtain on the Oculus Rift S, a brand new PC VR headset that “combines the convenience of built-in Oculus Insight tracking tech with the full power of your PC.”
The headset is essentially an upgraded version of the standard PC-powered Oculus Rift that offers built-in tracking (wave farewell to those webcams) along with improved optics and display tech to deliver sharper pictures with higher pixel density.
As mentioned earlier, the Rift S makes use of Oculus Insight tracking technology to remove the need for those bothersome external sensors, meaning it can deliver out-of-the-box room scale with minimum fuss.
“The Rift S headset features five sensors to maximize tracking volume in support of the existing Rift library. Oculus Touch controllers, redesigned for inside-out tracking, bring familiar hand presence and input so you can grab, point, and gesture through the best of VR,” said Oculus, explaining how the tech works.
“We’re also enabling a true stereo-correct passthrough feature, Passthrough+. It utilizes core Oculus runtime advancements, including ASW, to produce a comfortable experience with minimal depth disparity or performance impact. It’s especially helpful any time you need to step or see outside of your play space.”
Beyond that, the Rift S should be a more comfortable device, with co-designer Lenovo claiming the new headset has better weight distribution and light blocking, along with a single-cable system that makes for a clutter-free experience.
It also sports the same integrated audio system as the untethered Oculus Quest and entry-level Oculus Go, and includes a headphone jack so users can hook up their favorite pair of cans.
The Rift S is due to launch this spring, and will retail for $399. You can find out more about the device and sign up for updates over on the Oculus website.
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