Oculus and HP reveal new VR headsets

GDC mightn’t be quite as much focused on Virtual Reality gaming as in the recent past, however, there is still strong interest in VR. In fact, HP says that forecasts show that the VR segment is expected to grow to a sizeable US$34 billion by 2022 (gaming and enterprise). With those sorts of figures in mind, the new VR headsets from both Oculus and HP are designed to tap into continued user interest in high-tech immersive gaming experiences.

The Oculus Rift S follows on from the original Rift with improvements in some key areas. These include slightly improved screen resolution (1,280 x 1,440 pixels per eye up from 1,080 x 1200), a fifth onboard tracking sensor, upgraded lenses and an increased field of view. A key difference between the Rift and the new S variant is that the new model uses a single display, instead of individual displays for each eye. This makes manually adjusting the distance of the eye between lenses a software-based affair now. Because the new S model uses inside-out tracking the controllers are new as well. The Rift S and controllers are, however, backwards compatible with all existing Rift titles.

While the Rift S is targeted at a wide audience, the new HP Reverb is aiming a little more upmarket and has the specifications to match. While the Rift S offers a 1,280 x 1,440 pixels per eye, the HP Reverb offers a much higher 2,160 x 2,160 pixels per eye resolution with an impressive 114-degree field of view. Designed to be light, it also features integrated headphones with spatial audio and smart assistant-capable dual microphones. Its Bluetooth controllers are pre-paired out of the box and will work with Windows Mixed Reality and Steam VR.

The Oculus Rift S will be available this spring for US$400 while the HP Reverb will be available from late April in a Pro Edition for US$649 and a Consumer Edition for US$599.