Oculus Rift S Review | 89 Data compared

The PCWorld review characterizes the Oculus Rift S as a practical, approachable, and highly competent "stopgap" device rather than a true generational leap, focusing on convenience over raw power. Pros include the hassle-free "Insight" inside-out tracking, a comfortable "halo" headband design, and improved visual clarity via a 1280x1440 per-eye resolution. YouTube · Conversely, the headset features notable cons, including a downgrade to an LCD panel with weaker blacks, a lower 80Hz refresh rate, and a more restrictive, often narrower-feeling 110-degree field of view. The review also criticizes the replacement of over-ear headphones with inferior, ambient in-strap speakers and notes that the tracking system requires a well-lit environment. PCWorld

The PCMag review highlights the Oculus Rift S as an accessible, PC-tethered VR headset featuring the Insight inside-out tracking system, which eliminates external sensors and boasts a sharp 1,280-by-1,440 per-eye resolution. Key advantages include improved optics with reduced screen-door effect, comfortable ergonomics, and superior tracking, alongside a 5-camera, 6DOF system that simplifies setup. YouTube ·Adam Savage’ Conversely, the review notes significant limitations, including a thick tethering cable, lower-contrast LCD panels compared to OLED, and a lack of physical IPD adjustment. The headset also features weak integrated audio and requires a DisplayPort, which may create compatibility issues for some laptops, making the standalone Oculus Quest a compelling alternative. YouTube ·Adam Savage’

The Oculus Rift S streamlines PC VR by introducing an "Insight" inside-out tracking system featuring five built-in cameras, which entirely eliminates the need for external wall-mounted sensors and extra USB cords. Major pros highlighted in the review include a remarkably fast, convenient out-of-the-box setup process, full cross-compatibility with the extensive Oculus PC content library, and a highly competitive entry price of $399. Visually, the headset upgrades to a single 2560×1440 LCD panel that delivers significantly sharper resolution and drastically reduces both the screen-door effect and distracting "god ray" artifacts compared to its predecessor. However, the hardware introduces notable cons that may alienate enthusiast or competitive users. The integrated audio design, while comfortable, lacks the depth and premium acoustic isolation found in competing hardware like the Valve Index. Furthermore, the controller battery covers slide off too easily during intense gameplay, and the inside-out cameras can suffer from occlusion issues when tracking blind, behind-the-back gestures required in certain competitive multiplayer games. Finally, the fixed physical lens distance of 63.5 mm relies entirely on digital software adjustments for IPD, making the display less...

Review Overview The Oculus Rift S replaces the original Oculus Rift as an updated flagship virtual reality headset, offering a more user-friendly, comfortable, and accessible system at an affordable price. Developed in collaboration with Lenovo, it features a "Halo" headstrap design with a rear tightening wheel that improves ergonomics and successfully blocks out external light. The most significant hardware upgrade is the built-in "Insight" tracking system, which utilizes five inside-out headset sensors to track both body and controller movement, completely eliminating the need for external IR sensors or tracking base stations. This simplifies PC setup dramatically, requiring only a single USB 3.0 slot and a DisplayPort 1.2 connection, while the new Passthrough+ system lets users virtually paint and calibrate their physical boundaries without removing the headset. Performance, Pros, and Cons The headset delivers crisp performance with an upgraded total resolution of 2560 x 1440, though it compromises with a lower 80Hz refresh rate (down from 90Hz) managed by Asynchronous Spacewarp technology to reduce system hardware demands. Major pros include its highly accurate inside-out tracking, cross-play compatibility with Oculus Quest users,...

Oculus Rift S Review Summary The Oculus Rift S serves as a convenient, room-scale "remaster" of the original Rift, introducing five-camera inside-out tracking that completely eliminates the need for external sensors. It upgrades the visual clarity by switching to a single LCD display with a 1,280 × 1,440 resolution, which significantly reduces the screen door effect and nearly eliminates pixel mura. Furthermore, its robust tracking volume successfully handles demanding games like Beat Saber on the hardest difficulty and complex archery movements. However, these convenience upgrades introduce several regressions in audio, design, and ergonomics. The Rift S downgrades the refresh rate from 90Hz to 80Hz, replaces the original high-quality on-ear headphones with weak, hidden headband speakers, and lacks a physical IPD adjustment mechanism. Additionally, the halo-style headband and rigid face gasket design force users to compromise between ideal comfort and optical clarity, often leaving the eyes outside the lenses' visual sweet spot.

The ProVideoCoalition review identifies the Oculus Rift S as an accessible, affordable entry point for PC VR, highlighting its "Insight" inside-out tracking and comfortable, Lenovo-designed halo head strap as key pros. Visual performance is enhanced by a higher resolution LCD display that significantly reduces the screen-door effect compared to the original, accompanied by improved software stability. Conversely, the review notes significant downgrades, including a shift to LCD which results in shallower black levels, along with a lower 80 Hz refresh rate and the removal of dedicated headphones, which negatively impacts audio fidelity. The absence of a physical IPD adjustment slider is also listed as a limitation for users with unconventional eye spans.

The Oculus Rift S is a top-tier tethered VR headset that offers an immersive virtual reality experience with excellent value. It delivers highly detailed, sharp visuals using a resolution of 1280 x 1440 pixels per eye, making text exceptionally easy to read. Thanks to its inside-out tracking system powered by five integrated cameras, it completely eliminates the need for cumbersome external sensors. Setup is painless, requiring only a software installation, a PC compatibility check, and a quick "Guardian" boundary configuration. For long gaming sessions, the headset ranks highly for comfort due to its well-padded adjustable head strap, an ergonomic tension knob, and a visor sliding button that cleanly accommodates glasses frames. Pros and Cons Exceptional Image Quality: Displays highly vivid and sharp virtual environments. Hassle-Free Setup: Inside-out tracking removes the need for external room sensors. Ergonomic Design: Ample padding and a glasses-friendly visor slider provide great comfort. Natural Controllers: Touch controllers track accurately and feel natural across different hand sizes. Finicky Tether: The main cable can cause initial screen blackouts and requires strain relief ties. Controller Blind Spots: Tracking can...

The Wareable review describes the Oculus Rift S as a solid, user-friendly upgrade featuring five-camera inside-out tracking that removes the need for external base stations. Key improvements include improved comfort via a Halo band design and sharper visuals, boasting a 1280 x 1440 resolution per eye. Wareable Conversely, the headset features a lower 80Hz refresh rate compared to its predecessor and swaps OLED panels for LCD, resulting in less deep blacks. Other compromises highlighted in the review include the removal of manual interpupillary distance (IPD) sliders and built-in headphones, leading the reviewer to suggest the Quest as a potentially better option. YouTube ·Engadget

The Wired review awards the Oculus Rift S an 8/10 rating, celebrating it as a mature, console-priced milestone ($399) that finally delivers on the long-term promises of PC-based virtual reality. A standout feature is its immense ease of setup and portability, driven by built-in inside-out tracking cameras. This design completely eliminates the hassle of mounting external lighthouse sensors. Visual fidelity receives a massive upgrade via a single 2,560 x 1,440 display. This panel delivers an ultralight design, sharper environments, and a significantly reduced "screen door" effect. The integration of Passthrough+ cameras allows users to view their actual surroundings to easily paint room-scale boundaries. Combined with seamless compatibility across the Oculus store, Steam, and Viveport, the reviewer notes that the platform has matured enough to recommend to everyday users without standard VR caveats. However, the review details notable hardware compromises, explicitly listing that the headset "gets sweaty quicker than other headsets" and lacks an un-tethered option. It remains a strictly tethered PC experience utilizing a long cable that is inflexible and prone to kinking easily. On a technical front, the display's...

The Oculus Rift S functions as a tethered VR headset that requires just a single USB port and one DisplayPort to connect to a PC. It implements an updated "Insight" tracking system utilising five built-in cameras—two on the front, one on each side, and one facing upward—which completely removes the need for external room sensors. The design features an adjustable, bicycle-helmet-style fastening wheel for a secure fit, alongside redesigned Touch hand controllers that invert the tracking rings to remain visible to the headset's sensors. In practice, the system delivers highly accurate and smooth tracking performance across intensive digital creation apps like Quill and Medium. The primary advantages of the Rift S include its excellent tracking accuracy, a significantly reduced "barn door" screen effect, and access to a massive library of creative and entertainment software. It also lightens the system's hardware burden by requiring fewer computer ports than its predecessor. However, the headset introduces notable drawbacks, such as a slower display refresh rate that drops from 90Hz down to 80Hz, raising slight motion sickness concerns. Additionally, the display resolution upgrades to...

Trusted Reviews identifies the Oculus Rift S as an accessible, PC-powered VR headset featuring a comfortable Lenovo-inspired halo strap and "Oculus Insight" inside-out tracking, which eliminates the need for external sensors. The device offers a visual upgrade with a 2560 x 1440 LCD screen that minimizes the screen-door effect. However, the review notes compromises, including a reduced 80Hz refresh rate and a disappointing, thin-sounding, integrated audio system. While tracking is convenient, the publication concludes that the untethered experience of the Oculus Quest is ultimately more compelling.

The Oculus Rift S delivers a significantly upgraded virtual experience by replacing its predecessor's frustrating external sensor setup with an integrated "inside-out" tracking system driven by five built-in cameras. It features an improved 2560 x 1440 fast-switch LCD display that drastically reduces the pixelated "Screen Door Effect" (SDE), making virtual text much sharper and easier to read. On the design side, the headset offers a highly refined and comfortable "Halo" headband co-designed with Lenovo, which distributes its 561g weight evenly to minimize facial pressure during extended gaming sessions. Furthermore, setup takes only a few minutes using Passthrough+ technology, and the device maintains full backwards compatibility with all original Oculus Rift content. However, the hardware introduces notable drawbacks that feel like a regression from the original model. Instead of dual displays, the Rift S utilizes a single screen with a fixed physical Interpupillary Distance (IPD) of 63.5mm. While software adjustments are available, users outside the ideal 61.5mm to 65.5mm range may experience an uncomfortable, unaligned visual experience. Audio also takes a hit, downgrading from the original's premium integrated headphones to basic,...

In his April 2020 review for ⁠Mixed Reality TV (MRTV), Sebastian Ang strongly recommends the Oculus Rift S as an excellent, all-inclusive entry point for PC VR gaming under $500. The review highlights several major pros, including its outstanding value for money, exceptional wearing comfort, and highly responsive, great controllers. Ang praises the device's flawless inside-out tracking system and notes that its overall picture quality is a step up from both the original Rift CV1 and the Quest in Link mode. Furthermore, its ability to seamlessly play both native Rift and SteamVR content makes it highly versatile for avid gamers. Despite the high praise, the reviewer outlines specific drawbacks that users should consider before purchasing. The most significant con is the complete lack of manual hardware IPD (interpupillary distance) adjustment, which makes the headset a poor fit for anyone with a very small or very large eye distance. For these individuals, Ang suggests options like the Samsung Odyssey Plus or the Valve Index instead. Additional hardware complaints include a smaller-than-average field of view (FOV), unchangeable facial pads, and colors that...

Oculus Rift S Review Summary The Oculus Rift S serves as an approachable, PC-based virtual reality entry point that prioritises accessibility over groundbreaking generation-leaps. Its standout enhancement is the built-in "Insight" tracking system, which uses five outward-facing cameras to eliminate the need for cumbersome external tracking stations and simplifies room-scale setup down to minutes. Additional pros include improved visual sharpness via a resolution boost to 2560 x 1440, full backwards compatibility with original Rift titles, and a lower launch price point than its predecessor. It features a redesigned halo-style headband with a rear tightening dial for comfort, alongside highly intuitive touch controllers that feature a relocated top tracking ring. However, these accessibility trade-offs introduce significant drawbacks that hinder overall immersion. On the hardware front, cons include a reduced screen refresh rate (dropped from 90Hz to 80Hz) and the replacement of physical interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustments with a less precise software fix, which can trigger severe motion sickness and nausea for some users. Sound quality also takes a hit, swapping original over-ear headphones for directional headband speakers that lack bass and...

The Oculus Rift S is a mid-range, PC-powered virtual reality headset that replaces the original Oculus Rift by offering an easier setup and upgraded visual experience. Its biggest advantage is the new inside-out tracking system, which uses five built-in cameras to track movements without requiring any annoying external room sensors or extra wires. Users will also benefit from a resolution boost to 1280x1440 per eye that effectively eliminates the "screen-door" visual effect during gameplay. Additionally, the headset includes handy touch controllers, built-in spatial audio speakers that let you hear your real-world surroundings, and a comfortable, lightweight design that distributes weight well for long play sessions. However, the headset does have some notable downsides, particularly regarding its overall fidelity when compared to premium alternatives. To keep the device accessible to standard PCs, the display's refresh rate was actually downgraded to 80Hz from the older model's 90Hz. Because it targets the exact same minimum PC hardware requirements as its three-year-old predecessor, it cannot fully leverage the power of modern high-end graphics cards. This leaves it with lower visual clarity than more expensive...

The Engadget review evaluates the Oculus Rift S as a functional but unrefined stop-gap solution rather than a true next-generation sequel to the original Rift. Priced at $399, the device moves away from external tracking hardware by introducing an Insight tracking system with five built-in sensors, eliminating the hassle of tabletop sensors and dramatically reducing cable clutter down to a single DisplayPort and USB 3.0 connection. It features a comfortable Lenovo-designed halo headstrap and delivers sharper visuals with an increased resolution of 2,560 by 1,440. However, the reviewer notes that the experience feels constrained by its permanent PC tether, making it less appealing when compared to the complete wireless freedom offered by its sibling, the Oculus Quest. The headset has significant technical and structural trade-offs that make it hard to fully recommend over the original model or newer competitors. On the downside, the display downgrades from vibrant OLED panels to fast-switching LCD screens, resulting in less inky black levels. The hardware also suffers from a lowered refresh rate (80Hz down from 90Hz), the complete removal of a physical lens-adjustment slider...

The Oculus Rift S ($399) is a PC-powered VR headset manufactured in partnership with Lenovo, featuring a design licensed from Sony's PlayStation VR. Key upgrades include an improved 5-meter DisplayPort tether cable and an LCD display with an RGB sub-pixel array. This screen increases the total resolution to 2560 x 1440, successfully reducing the screen-door effect. Furthermore, it replaces the older external Constellation tracking system with the Insight inside-out tracking system, utilizing five built-in cameras for robust, sensor-free room and controller tracking. However, the headset introduces several clear drawbacks. It drops the original's AMOLED screen, resulting in poorer black levels, and lowers the refresh rate from 90 Hz to 80 Hz. On the physical side, the lack of mechanical interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustment narrows its user fit, while the non-removable, sweat-absorbing foam cushions make cleaning and aftermarket replacement impossible. Finally, the built-in halo strap speakers lack privacy as they sit far from the ears, allowing others in the room to easily hear your audio. Ultimately, while it is a viable option for first-time VR buyers due to its simple setup,...

The VROne Oculus Rift S review highlights the tethered PC VR headset as an exceptional device that delivers uncompressed, high-fidelity gaming experiences directly from a user's computer. The reviewer, Pedro, highlights multiple pros, including its very comfortable "Halo" type head-strap design, an easy adjustment system, and physical lens tuning options for both IPD and the Z-axis. Visually, the headset delivers very good, crisp picture quality through its 2560 x 1440px combined LCD display, which significantly reduces the screen door effect compared to older OLED equivalents. Furthermore, the review praises the headset's built-in Insight tracking system, which uses 5 integrated sensors to remove the need for external base stations, and commends its accurate Guardian boundary safety system alongside extensive cross-play game content. Conversely, the review presents several cons regarding the system's design and physical limitations. A major drawback is its mandatory tethered connection, meaning a heavy wire must remain plugged into a gaming PC, restricting free movement unlike standalone alternatives. The integrated strap speakers offer subpar audio quality, and wearing the headset alongside third-party headphones can be highly awkward and uncomfortable,...