Pros & Cons
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- Higher-resolution, lower-latency display.
- Optical head tracking improves accuracy.
- Sleeker design.
- Easier to connect to PCs.
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- Relies on developer community to make content.
- Demos that work on the first Oculus Rift need to be recompiled.
Oculus VR has been trying to bring virtual reality to the masses for a few years, but that crucial part where the technology reaches the masses still hasn't happened. The Oculus Rift Development Kit we looked at last year impressed us with its affordability and functionality, but it wasn't ready or intended for consumers. The $350 Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 (DK2) tweaks the original's design and drastically upgrades its display and motion tracking with higher resolution, lower latency, and a separate camera that follows the headset, all for just $50 more than the previous version. It's an impressive upgrade that shows a lot of potential, but we're still at least one generation away from seeing an Oculus Rift that we'd recommend you buy.
Design
The DK2 looks sleeker and more streamlined than the original Oculus Rift, with a slightly curved profile that lacks the blocky protrusions of the previous headset that screamed "This is a phablet inside a Tupperware." It's about an inch wider and deeper than the first Rift, at 7.2 by 3.8 by 5 inches (HWD), and weighs a slightly chunkier 14.7 ounces. The DK2 lacks the separate, wired control box of the original Rift, however, so both displays actually weigh the same 1 pound, 2 ounces with all cables and controls included.
View All Two wires run up from the forehead panel of the DK2 and meet in a single, cloth-covered, tangle-free cable looped through the elastic straps that secure the display to your head. The cable is a solid six feet long and changes at a small in-line box near the end back into a pair of foot-long USB and HDMI cables, which both power the headset and connect it to the computer. The box also has a 3.5mm port for syncing with the included camera, as well as a power adapter port. The power adapter isn't needed for the headset itself, which gets enough electricity from the USB connection. Instead, it powers a USB port hidden (along with another 3.5mm port) behind a rubber door on the headset. It lets the DK2 power accessories, instead of using even more of the connected computer's USB ports.
