The Oculus Remote is a small device included with every Oculus Rift purchase. Intended to simplify actions and input, the Oculus Remote is and oft-forgotten input device, but as intended it can be a great starting point for those yet to experience the full width-and-breadth of what virtual reality (VR) is capable of.
Oculus Remote Launch & Price
As stated above, the Oculus Remote is included with all Oculus Rift purchases as standard. If you buy an Oculus Rift, you will receive an Oculus Remote as part of the package.
How to Use the Oculus Remote
The Oculus Remote features three-degrees-of-freedom (3 DoF) tracking, similar to the Google Daydream controller. Users can simply aim and click to access options in a menu or application. Furthermore, gesture control is available within compatible apps or videogames.
It should be noted that while many of the Oculus Rift launch titles are compatible with the Oculus Remote, it’s long been deemed an unnecessary addition to the package. As such, few developers even mentioned whether or not they support the device.
Apps and Games Compatible with the Oculus Remote
The variety of applications and videogames compatible with the Oculus Remote is extensive. The device is listed as a control option for those titles which support it (see the below icon) in Oculus Home, and a quick browse through the store will see that the number is very limited.
Farlands, and Animal Crossing inspired exploration and daily routine videogame is perhaps the best title to introduce the basic functions of the Oculus Remote, while Ascension VR, Hitman GO: VR Edition and BlazeRush are arguably targeted towards more experienced gamers.
In terms of wider application, scenic pieces such as The Grand Canyon VR Experience, Inception and Discovery VR support the Oculus Remote, while informational apps including Star Chart and Ocean Rift. Educational app Unimersiv also supports the Oculus Remote for basic functions.
Social applications vTime and AltSpace VR as well as Virtual Desktop and Deskverse, tools to bring your desktop into VR, also include compatibility with the Oculus Remote as standard.
Long term application of the Oculus Remote
It’s hard to argue there’s much worth in continued support of the Oculus Remote with Oculus Touch now available. It’s surely only a matter of time until the Oculus Remote is removed from the Oculus Rift bundle, and as such developers not supporting the input solution in new projects would not receive much criticism for their decision to omit the device. However, for newcomers not familiar with complicated input systems the Oculus Remote is certainly a good place to get started.