The Oculus Rift has been available to consumers for over a year now, and in that time three different control options have been made available. Newcomers to virtual reality (VR) may find the options available somewhat confusing, so VRFocus has dug in to detail each and every option, their value in VR and what they mean for those yet to make their first head-mounted display (HMD) purchase.
The Oculus Rift made its consumer debut on 28th March 2016, priced at $599 USD. A large selection of launch titles offered support for the two bundled control systems: the Oculus Remote and an Xbox One controller. Since then, the Oculus Touch motion-control system has also launched as a separate purchase, plus a new bundle has been released not lowering the price, but instead including the Oculus Touch controllers in that $599 price-tag.
That’s the short version, but there’s much more information to be had. What applications work best with which device? Is it all about videogames? What about healthcare? Education? Enterprise? What control system will work best for your industrial application? And if you’re just getting started in VR development, which system should you be targeting?
To the early adopters of VR these questions may seem elementary, but it should also be obvious to the existing community that VR hasn’t yet reached even 1% of its potential audience. For newcomers, the barriers for entry need to be lowered significantly, and that’s where VRFocus assist with the below breakdown of every input solution currently available for the Oculus Rift.
For those about to purchase an Oculus Rift for the first time, you can find a guide to setting-up the Oculus Rift here.