Category: Xbox One controller

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Rift + Touch to Cost $500 at End of Oculus Sale, New Bundle Removes Xbox Controller and Remote

Oculus slashed the original price tag in half to $400 on the Rift +Touch bundle last week, but the company’s ‘Summer of Rift’ sale only lasts for six weeks, leaving the question on the table as to exactly how much the VR headset + motion controller bundle would return to once the sale is up. Oculus says: $500

At the start of 2017, the Oculus Rift + Touch controllers cost the same as the HTC Vive—$800. To attract more potential interest, Oculus then dropped the bundle to $600, while HTC concurrently offered an interest-free finance plan for its still $800 room-scale VR system.

Now Oculus has issued its new ‘permanent’ Rift + Touch bundle price, a clear $300 lower than the HTC Vive is currently.

image courtesy Oculus

Former Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe, now head of PC VR at Oculus’ parent company Facebook, says the original Rift + Touch bundle is already sold out. Iribe says the company has accelerated a new all-in-one box—likely intended for the post-sale period—that critically excludes both the previously bundled Xbox One controller and Oculus Remote. Iribe tweeted yesterday that the removal of the controllers is primarily a cost-cutting measure, one that he saves $100 per purchase.

Like 3D platformer and launch title Lucky’s Tale (2016), all of the games shipped pre-Touch were originally designed for the Xbox One controller, the company’s first bundled controller before Touch launched in December of last year.

While there are many games that have included retroactive Touch support, there are still some games on the Oculus Store that currently list ‘gamepad only’ as an input method. With the entrance of a gamepad-free bundle, there will likely be a push for every game on the store to offer Touch support moving forward.

image courtesy Oculus

The send-off of the Oculus Remote is much less dramatic, although not entirely insignificant. The device was designed to make media consumption an easier task, with its tactile volume buttons and touchpad that let you easily navigate non-gaming apps.

The new all-in-one bundles will be available wherever Rift is sold, online or at brick-and-mortar partner stores like Best Buy and Microsoft Store. New all-in-one bundles include:

  • Rift Headset + Cables
  • Touch controllers  + two sensors
  • Six free titles when you activate Touch
    • Lucky’s Tale (2016)
    • Oculus Medium (2017)
    • Toybox (2017)
    • Oculus Quill (2017)
    • Dead and Buried (2017)
    • Robo Recall (2017)

The amount of free content far exceeds the six games that come with the bundle however. We’ve rounded up 17 of the most important free VR games and experiences to download.

The post Rift + Touch to Cost $500 at End of Oculus Sale, New Bundle Removes Xbox Controller and Remote appeared first on Road to VR.

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A Guide to HTC Vive Controllers: Vive Wand, Steam Gamepad, Knuckles and More.

The HTC Vive is the more expensive of the currently available high-end PC virtual reality (VR) options, though some could argue its the most forward-looking, having launched with tracked motion controllers while the Oculus had to introduce them later. HTC Vive is also looking to get some upgraded controllers in the form of the Knuckles controllers, as well as being compatible with Xbox controllers and the Steam controller.

Though not quite as attractive as Oculus Rift’s Summer discount, HTC Vive also offers a sale price, with the headset being reduced to $749.99 (USD), including free shipping, for the Summer Sale. The bundle includes a free version of Star Trek: Bridge Crew, a Viveport subscription in addition to the headset, controllers and two Lighthouse tracking base stations along with the cables.

The HTC Vive was launched on 5th April, 2016 as part of a joint project between HTC and Valve. At the time when pre-orders opened, over 100 games were already known to be coming to the platform. The HTC Vive natively supports ‘room-scale’ VR by using ‘Lighthouse’ tracking base stations in addition to the headset and controllers.

HTC Vive product 1

There are two competing wireless solutions for the HTC Vive, the TPCast and DisplayLink, though neither of those devices is currently available for commercial release yet, there are some indications as to how they will perform with VRFocus looking at them both.

Valve recently announced that there are upgraded Vive controllers on the way in the form of the Knuckles Vive controllers. The HTC Vive also supports Xbox controllers and the Steam controller.

Which controller set-up is best for which application? Should you wait for the Knuckles Controllers? You can find out with the VRFocus guide to various HTC Vive controller set-ups.

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A Guide to the Xbox One Game Pad for HTC Vive

The Xbox controller, both in the form of the Xbox One gamepad and its predecessor from the Xbox 360 have become night-universal additions for anyone wanting to play videogames on a PC. Though a lot of PC purists would insist on keyboard and mouse for controls, in virtual reality (VR) environments something simple and familiar can be extremely helpful.

Xbox One Game Pad Launch and Price

The Xbox One controller was launched alongside its parent console. The version needed for PC videogaming needs a small USB dongle to act as a wireless transmitter. The Xbox One controllers by themselves cost roughly £40 (GBP) with the Windows 10 wireless adaptors costing around £20. Some retailers will sell them as a bundle.

How to use The Xbox One Controller

The Xbox controller has native drivers in Windows 10, so installation simply involves plugging in the dongle and turning on the gamepad in order to connect, then navigating to Settings > Devices > Add Bluetooth Device. Users on Window 7 or Windows 8 will need to download additional drivers, however.

It is always necessary to check the title you are playing to see if it supports gamepad inputs. Not all VR titles do, and many HTC Vive titles prefer to use the tracked motion controllers by default. Some titles will need you to navigate through the menu to activate gamepad controller support.

Note: While the PlayStation 4 Dual Shock controllers can also be used in a similar way using a wireless adapter, Windows lacks any native driver support, so they may not always work as well as Xbox controllers.

Apps and Games Compatible with the Xbox One Game Pad

There are several apps, experiences and videogames for the HTC Vive available through Steam that support the Xbox One controller. It is not the preferred input for many titles, however, since most tend to be designed around tracked motion control. Exceptions include titles such as Elite: Dangerous, Thumper and Eagle Flight.

As usual, it is best to check the Steam entry on compatible input methods before purchase.

Long Term Applications for Xbox One Game Pad

With the steady rise in popularity of motion controllers for VR experiences, the use of Xbox One controllers for VR titles may be on the decline. Especially when the upcoming motion controller update in the form of the Knuckles Vive controller is taken into consideration. However, some applications are not suited towards motion control inputs, so it may be wise to keep an Xbox One game pad around for titles like Elite: Dangerous for the near future, at least.

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A Guide to Oculus Rift Controllers: Oculus Touch, Xbox One Game Pads and More

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.

 

Oculus Rift consumer version

 

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.


Oculus Rift Controller Guide

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A Guide to the Xbox One Game Pad for Oculus Rift

Prior to launch Oculus VR announced that an Xbox One controller would be included as standard with the Oculus Rift. The argument was that the game pad had become a standardised universal input familiar to both gamers and general consumer audiences. Even to this day many new virtual reality (VR) software titles utilise the Xbox One controller as their main input, and for certain videogames and experiences there’s no immediate need to change this.

Xbox One Controller and Wireless TransmitterXbox One Game Pad Launch & Price

With the Xbox One controller included as standard there’s no issue in acquiring the device. However, for those looking for a replacement an edition including the wireless transmitter required is typically available for under £60 GBP.

How to Use the Xbox One Game Pad

The Xbox One controller can be utilised with the Oculus Rift in the exact same way as is standard on PC. With the included wireless transmitter connected via USB, the Xbox One controller operates as any standard PC game pad and will be automatically detected by the Oculus Home software.

Some minor issues with connectivity late last year were overcome by a quick update for the controller’s software, suggesting that Oculus VR is keen to ensure that the Xbox One game pad remains a piece of the Oculus Rift’s input puzzle for some time to come.

Apps and Games Compatible with the Xbox One Game Pad

The list of applications and videogames compatible with the Xbox One controller is extensive. Literally hundreds of titles on the Oculus Store remain designed solely for the Xbox One controller with no intention of updating to the Oculus Touch motion-controllers. As with the Oculus Remote, compatible titles feature an image displaying their support of the Xbox One controller.

 

Long term application of the Xbox One Game Pad

While Oculus Touch is becoming the de facto input solution for many videogame developers, it’s unlikely that it will replace the Xbox One controller wholesale any time soon. There are many applications that simply aren’t suited to motion-control, and thus a familiar input solution will still take precedent.


Oculus Rift Controller Guide