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The Oculus Rift DK2: In-Depth Review (and Comparison To DK1)

Posted by timothy on from the here-put-this-on-your-face dept.

Benz145 (1869518) writes "The hotly anticipated Oculus Rift DK2 has begun arriving at doorsteps. The DK2s enhancements include optical positional tracking and a higher resolution panel, up from 1280×800 to 1920×1080 (1080p) and moved to a pentile-matrix OLED panel for display duties. This means higher levels of resolvable detail and a much reduced screen door effect. The panel features low persistence of vision, a technology pioneered by Valve that aims to cut motion artefacts by only displaying the latest, most correct display information relative to the user's movements – as users of the DK1 will attest, its LCD panel was heavily prone to smearing, things are now much improved with the DK2."

54 comments

  1. When does the consumer version actual arrive? by NotDrWho · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Enough talk. Let's shit or get off the pot here.

    --
    SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    1. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      No official dates but they have mentioned it would be a bit worrisome if they didn't release by end of next year.

    2. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by i+kan+reed · · Score: 5, Insightful

      When they get sufficient consumer feedback from this beta version to identify what still needs to change to appeal to the average consumer, go through several internal iterations and they implement those changes in prototypes, and ramp up mass-production, determine sales methods, and actually ship the things?

      What? It's not as simple as taking a shit? Oh my.

    3. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      You stole the words from my mouth. Goddamn they are taking long to come with the final product. :)

    4. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      It doesn't have to be either/or, but order matters. They are probably just being cautious in order to avoid the situation wherein they get off the pot and then shit.

    5. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm actually rooting for these guys, not because I'm a huge fanboy, but because the alternative is Sony. And none of us wants to see that one beat them to market.

    6. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by i+kan+reed · · Score: 5, Informative

      I'm not sure you understand what "vaporware" actually means. The fact that there are prototypes that you can pick up in your hands, try out, an purchase as an interested developer already sets it pretty far apart.

      And DK2 has been out, what, a couple months? Virtually every production line of consumer electronics goes through, at minimum, a year between versions. Bigger companies with longer histories and larger staffs tend to sometimes have multiple similar lines going at once, but still run up against that limit within any given one.

    7. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by NotDrWho · · Score: 1

      They are probably just being cautious in order to avoid the situation wherein they get off the pot and then shit.

      Lol! best.metaphor.ever.

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    8. Re: When does the consumer version actual arrive? by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      I'm assuming you're a Sony shill? :)

    9. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think they wanted specs on their panels which weren't even available yet, specifically refresh rate iirc.

    10. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by rgbscan · · Score: 2

      I don't know, it's ultimately Sony vs Facebook here. It's really more of a lesser of two evils type of thing....

    11. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by NeverVotedBush · · Score: 5, Interesting

      DK2 is only now showing up in dev offices and homes. There were 100 or so early copies but the production run DK2s only started shipping last Thursday. Only a handful have received them yet. This week is when all the DK2s from the March 19 first day to order will hit their destinations in the USA. Mine arrives tomorrow.

      To the guy calling it vaporware, it isn't. A lot of people are treating DK2 as the consumer version and buying it now - which it was going to basically be before they got the cash infusion from Facebook (just became final last week). The CV1 has been pushed out a little since they can now really improve it and there is not the same pressure as there was before to make a profit and push out something not quite ready.

      Oculus has assembled a very powerful team and they now have the resources to do this right. CV1 will most likely be very impressive. Hell, DK2 is very impressive.

      The progress on this has been amazing. The display is something you either have to have very deep pockets to go custom or you piggyback on the phone industry which is what Oculus has had to do up to now. They now have the resources to build a custom display, optimized for VR goggles, and the team to make it all work. They made it over the hump. It's hardly vaporware and it is very, very cool.

    12. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by Khashishi · · Score: 1

      They've got a lot of publicity, but if they wait that long, someone else is going to beat them to market and eat up the market share.

    13. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In my opinion I think it would be best if they had a few major software titles that used it to the fullest. Could you imagine guitar hero hardware coming out before the game? The kinect sold plenty of units but the software that used it into something worth playing never came out so now its dead. I dont think just adapting games that are already is going to do it. I think it needs games that specifically are built for the Rift.

    14. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not sure how these compete at all, if oyu own a PS4 you will buy Sony's HMD, if you own a PC you will buy Oculus HMD, how do they compete exactly?

    15. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'd used both kits; the most recent one at GDC. From my hands on experience, I witnessed progress, not vaporware. I'd say it's better, and perhaps good-enough for many industrial or specialized applications, but not ready for the mass consumers.

      From all your wisdom, in how the world works, what's your track record for overseeing and launching a physical product?

    16. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All companies deal with this. If they couldn't handle the hardships, they shouldn't have stepped up to the plate.

      Mark these words: Oculus Rift will never go anywhere. Even if they manage to pull their thumbs from their asses and release a unit that actually works well, it will have very little support.

    17. Re:When does the consumer version actual arrive? by fabioalcor · · Score: 1

      It's not ready. Let the cake bake.
      I'd rather wait a lot for a great product than have shit sooner.

  2. pentile-matrix OLED panel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    Glad I canceled my preorder. Pentile no thanks.

    1. Re:pentile-matrix OLED panel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

      Yeah. With Pen Tile that 1920×1080 resolution is only for green.For red and blue the resolution is half that. Some people even call it a scam.

      Over all that have to split the display between both eyes. It doesn't sound too good now.

    2. Re:pentile-matrix OLED panel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So 960x1080 for green and 480x540 for red and blue per eye?

      That is crap! The DK1 has 640×800 per eye for every color.

    3. Re:pentile-matrix OLED panel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, it is a real problem to have a device that you can sell on ebay for three times the price when you don't like it.

    4. Re:pentile-matrix OLED panel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      That is not nearly so heinous as you seem to think. Digital cameras tend to have twice the resolution in green as in either red or blue because eyes have a much lower resolution in blue than in green.

    5. Re:pentile-matrix OLED panel by GuB-42 · · Score: 2

      Mobile phones and VR are not the same.
      The major complaint with Pentile is the jagged text outlines (which improved a lot BTW), something that doesn't matter much in VR. VR is all about motion, and how Pentile affects this, I don't know.
      Anyways, AMOLED, pentile or not, is regarded as much better for VR than LCD.

    6. Re:pentile-matrix OLED panel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, the DK2 has 38400 subpixels more in total than the DK1. A whooping 19200 more per eye. I giess that should count as an improvement.

    7. Re:pentile-matrix OLED panel by Scottingham · · Score: 1

      Considering our eyes can tell many many more shades of green than any other color I'd say this isn't as bad as you'd think. But I haven't seen it so I'm just guessing.

    8. Re:pentile-matrix OLED panel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You weren't the intended audience, so it sounds best that you didn't order it.

    9. Re:pentile-matrix OLED panel by Alejux · · Score: 1

      Well said.

    10. Re:pentile-matrix OLED panel by NeverVotedBush · · Score: 1

      Others are glad you did too.

    11. Re:pentile-matrix OLED panel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Absolutely right. He's posting on slashdot as an anonymous coward. We're not exactly the most social of the group. Buying a Facebook device would be stupid.

  3. The Facebook Helmet? by SplatMan_DK · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Not trying to troll or anything ... but this news leaves me with mixed feelings.

    Should I simply forget that Occulus has been assimilated by the privacy-nightmare-that-is-facebook? You know ... "You will be assimilated" ... and "Privacy is irrelevant" ... and all that stuff?

    Or do I simply cheer about the technological achievement and hope for a competitor to set up camp soon?

    I don't want a Zuckerberg product in my household unless the Slashdot community approves of it!

    --
    My security clearance is so high I have to kill myself if I remember I have it...
    1. Re:The Facebook Helmet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wherever you look, Facebook will follow.

    2. Re:The Facebook Helmet? by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You mean like you have to for WhatsApp or Instagram?

      Oh wait, you don't. What's shocking is that despite their main product being a privacy sink to whoever's willing to buy, Facebook themselves seem to be really good stewards of other tech companies.

      --
      Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
    3. Re:The Facebook Helmet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It will even follow you if your tilt your head. But that's old-hat. The new neat thing is that they follow your head if you move it laterally or up/down. They track you with an exterior camera/sensor so minor movements from the waist up propagate to the display giggling. Which should help with the whole disassociation thing.

    4. Re:The Facebook Helmet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You, sir, are karma whore, but MY kind of karma whore.

      Mod up

    5. Re:The Facebook Helmet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you mean "jiggling" (as in breasts), not "giggling" (as in laughing)... But then, who knows!

    6. Re:The Facebook Helmet? by OhSoLaMeow · · Score: 1

      Who cares as long as I can loop the tape.

      --
      They can take my LifeAlert pendant when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.
  4. Still lacking something by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It needs hooks under the visor to hold a barf bag. Even if they cut down the lag and bump the resolution, they'll never completely solve problems with the inner ear and balance. And the more they encourage people to look around or run / jump etc. the worse its likely to be.

    1. Re:Still lacking something by NeverVotedBush · · Score: 2

      The low persistence and low latency both have apparently done wonders for presence and reduction/elimination of motion sickness. Pretty much everyone who has tried Crystal Cove, DK2-proto, or DK2 itself all say no problems with motion sickness. One person at least so far that I have seen said he did feel it just a bit but much reduced from DK1 and that he has a bad problem with motion sickness anyway.

  5. Been playing with one for a month or so.. by 3.5+stripes · · Score: 2

    If you'd like I can describe the hardware issue it has if you don't believe me.

    To start, the image quality is much better, and the camera makes the immersion much more impressive, as does the frame dropping (persistence of vision).

    It's still hard to find software that does much with it, hopefully that changes with more people getting theirs..

    We also have the sony one, though it makes the occulus look tiny by comparison, it does glow blue..

    --


    He tried to kill me with a forklift!
    1. Re:Been playing with one for a month or so.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Could you make a more detailed comparison between them? How is the quality of image compared to the Sony? I had the chance to test the Sony at a local retailer but the price was too high for me.

    2. Re:Been playing with one for a month or so.. by 3.5+stripes · · Score: 1

      I'm slightly more partial to the occulus, basically because it fits on my face much better, and gives a much more complete feeling of immersion. The image quality on both is really nice (possibly slightly more real on the occulus), but I haven't really had a chance to do anything besides see tech demos, and setting up the Morpheus was a right PITA.

      Unfortunately, my job isn't a VR headset tester, so I haven't been able to spend hours on end with them, and when they're out and in use, people seem to want to give it a go, further limiting the time :)

      --


      He tried to kill me with a forklift!
    3. Re:Been playing with one for a month or so.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Haven't tried Elite: Dangerous with it? Supposedly it is AMAZING.

    4. Re:Been playing with one for a month or so.. by Narishma · · Score: 1

      Sony doesn't have theirs on sale yet, and it's still at least a year away. What you used is probably their old HMD, which isn't a VR headset.

      --
      Mada mada dane.
    5. Re:Been playing with one for a month or so.. by 3.5+stripes · · Score: 1

      Project Morpheus isn't a VR headset? That must be why it tracks head motion, and allows you to look around in stereoscopic "3D".. search for project morpheus on google images, and it's exactly what's two desks to my left.

      It still has the DK1 style blurring issues, the DK2 is much better in that respect. The integration of the move controllers is nice, but it's a software thing, nothing to do with the headset.

      --


      He tried to kill me with a forklift!
    6. Re:Been playing with one for a month or so.. by 3.5+stripes · · Score: 1

      Not yet, but I will now :)

      --


      He tried to kill me with a forklift!
    7. Re:Been playing with one for a month or so.. by Narishma · · Score: 1

      You're confused. The person I was replying to wasn't talking about Morpheus since it's obviously not on sale.

      --
      Mada mada dane.
  6. You can sign up for the DK2 right now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can order the DK2 right now. If there wasn't an order backlog, you could get one in a couple of weeks. It seems good enough to use for TF2. Of course, in future versions, there will be lower prices, higher specs, and more game support, but such is the fate of advancing technology.

  7. lie down with VR instead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I think this would be much better if you could lie down on a bed and use it for many reasons. One being safety. You see a lot of people fall over and crash into things. Doesn't seem very safe for you or any breakable items in your room. The other reason is just tiring out your neck muscles. I know its not too heavy compared to the old days VR headsets but having to constantly look around seems a bit tiring. I can't imagine playing a FPS with it on.

    I'm not sure how sensitive the settings could be so you could move and track further in the VR word with less movement in the real world. Maybe it would have to get down to sensing muscle movements directly like what they use for robotic arms. I don't know.

    What do you think?

    1. Re:lie down with VR instead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Looking around isn't much worse then what you're likely to face day-to-day in real life. Conversely, looking around while laying down sounds like a real PITN. Your neck doesn't often move in isolation, something it would be nearly forced to do if you're laying down. Plus, there's the issue of game/world disconnect, where the game is telling you that down is toward your feet, while real life is telling you down is toward your back.