We put 2016’s three big virtual reality headset experiences against each in a head-to-head tech off.
If you hadn’t caught the news – or that terrible Time Magazine cover – 2016 is the year where the dream of virtual reality and the technology to deliver virtual reality can finally co-exist. No more clunky, uncomfortable headsets, compromised visuals and half-baked experiences – virtual reality is now sophisticated, spectacular and, more importantly, sensational fun. A smorgasbord of tasty VR treats are on the horizon with approximately 20 companies jumping on the bandwagon with their own take on the technology, but three stand out. The HTC Vive, the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR (previously called Project Morpheus).
Virtual Reality
At the time of writing, details are still being solidified as announcements slowly drip-feed into the public space, but we’re starting to get a very clear picture of how the individual headsets intend to market themselves, and what feature sets they will offer. Below you will find everything we know thus far compiled in a comparison table.
| HTC Vive | Playstation VR | Oculus Rift | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner(s) | HTC and Valve | Sony Computer Entertainment | |
| Release Date | TBC | October 2016 | 5/1/2016 |
| Price (including GST) | $US879 | $US399 | $US649 |
| Display Resolution | 2160 x 1200 (1080 x 1200 per eye) | 1920 x 1080 (960 x 1080 per eye) | 2160 x 1200 (1080 x 1200 per eye) |
| Screen Technology | OLED | OLED | OLED |
| Refresh Rate (Hz) | 90 | 120 | 90 |
| Maximum Frame-Rate | 90 frames-per-second | 120 frames-per-second | TBC |
| Field of View | 110-degrees or more | 100-degrees | 110-degrees or more |
| Integrated Audio | No | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth Mobile Integration | Yes | No | No |
| Forward Facing Camera | Yes | No | No |
| Head Tracking | Lighthouse – 2 base stations emitting pulsed laser – gyrosensor and accelerometer | 360-degree head tracking | Constellation – 360-Degree head tracking system using infrared |
| Body Tracking | Yes, via laser position sensors over a 15-foot by 15-foot area | No | No |
| Format | PC | PS4 | PC |
| System Dashboard | SteamVR | PlayStation Network | Oculus Home |
| Controller | 2 x SteamVR controllers (one for each hand) | PlayStation Move or DualShock | Xbox One Controller or 2 x Oculus Touch Controllers |
| Required Equipment | TBC | PlayStation 4 or PlayStation Vita | Intel i5-4590 Processor or better; 8GB or more RAM; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD R9 290 or better, HMDI 1.3 video output, 3x USB3.0 ports plus 1x USB 2.0 port, Windows 7 SP1 64 bit or better |
| Bundled With | Steam, Room Scale Sensors, 2 x SteamVR Controllers – Games when pre-ordered: Job Simulator, Fantastic Contraption and Tilt Brush | TBC | Oculus Remote, Xbox controller – Games when pre-ordered: EVE: Valkyrie and Lucky’s Tale |
| Launch Titles | 120+ | 90+ | 30 |
| Weight | TBC | TBC | < 380g |
| Audio Technology | NA | New PlayStation 3D Audio Engine | Visisonics RealSpace 3D Audio |
| Virtual Reality Store | TBC | TBC | Yes |
| Games Highlights | Has the backing of Valve (Half-Life, Portal, Left 4 Dead, Counter-Strike) and will be integrated into Steam distribution network. Supported by popular, multiformat middleware solution Unreal Engine 4. | Sony’s first and second-party studios are making a dedicated product for the device. There is also strong indie support on the PS4. PlayStation VR can operate in tandem with the PS4, which means multiplayer can occur where up to four people use a TV screen and a fifth uses VR. | Strongly supported by indie developers; 20 Oculus funded second-party games in development; can stream Xbox One games to a virtual screen, but not in native VR |
| Advised PC Specs | GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290 equivalent or better | NA | GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 or AMD Radeon 290 equivalent or greater |
| CPU: Intel i5-4590, AMD FX 8350 equivalent or better | CPU: Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater | ||
| RAM: 4GB | RAM: 8GB | ||
| Video Output: HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2 or newer | Video Output: Compatible HDMI 1.3 | ||
| Ports: 1x USB 2.0 | Ports: 2x USB 3.0 | ||
| OS: Windows 7 SP1 or later | OS: Windows 7 SP1 or later |