Facebook Unveils Upgraded Oculus Rift S VR Headset
Oculus VR has unveiled its next-gen Rift S headset, developed in collaboration with Lenovo, slated to cost US$399 and set to launch in the coming months. Local pricing and availability unconfirmed.
The new headset offers improved resolution and an integrated audio system also found on the upcoming Quest and previously released Go headsets.
It replaces the Go’s LCD panels for OLED displays with 1280 x 1440 resolution, with a dropped refresh rate from 90Hz to 80Hz.
As with Oculus Quest, the Rift S will also ship with Touch controllers.
Instead of on-ear headphones of previous iterations, the Rift S features near-ear speakers, but it includes a headphone jack for gamers to plug in their own headphones of choice.
It also includes the Oculus’ Passthrough+ feature which involved five tracking cameras, which allow gamers to observe real-life surroundings without having to remove the headset.
Lenovo partnered with Oculus to redesign the Rift S — and speed up manufacturing — which Oculus claims “has increased comfort, better weight distribution, and improved light blocking, as well as a simple, single-cable system for a clutter-free experience.”
In order to enjoy the Oculus Rift S, gamers will need a compatible PC — which can be checked via Oculus’ downloadable tool.
Specific release details were not announced, however, with Facebook’s F8 developer conference set for April 30, it doesn’t seem too unlikely that the devices could officially launch then.