Rift S to Valve Index

Soldato
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Hey guys, so I got my Index today.

My headset history (of ones I've kept) are: CV1, Rift S, Quest

These are really first impressions versus the Rift S. The only reason I'm doing this is I wish someone posted this for me when I was deliberating over getting one.

I've loved them all my headsets to variable degrees. I was in the return window for my Rift S to be refunded for £399 so I thought long and hard about going to the Index eco system. Also, yes, the Oculus Link update did alleviate my apprehension about going to Valve as I still have a clear native foot in the Oculus door for AW, Stormland, et al.

Firstly the Rift S experience (which was for a couple of months. Boxing FOV with a really poor vertical resolution which is hard to get used to. My IPD is about 60 and it it felt blurry to look at without my glasses. With my glasses on, it was much better. The colours were okay. Not very vibrant or vivid and black levels were.. LCD. The screens are SO pristine. Glare is kept to a minimum. Audio was terrible and disgusting but remedied with KSC75s. The refresh rate of 80hz is fine... fine. The controllers felt like a very very slight step back from CV1 controllers due to the weight distribution feeling slightly less coomfy but overall best in class VR controller ergonomics of last gen can never really do any wrong. And of course, the software support for native Oculus titles and Oculus SDK games is ace. The tracking after the super tracking update was good enough to play any game.

Since the Link update, I found the FOV of the Rift S too claustrophobic despite the glasses relief put all the way to my face. The halo design left the actual lens bit sticking out.. a bit.. unstable. Like its not glued to your face like CV1/Vive/Index so it has a big of wiggle room. Maybe if you have a fatter head it might alleviatge this issue a bit.

Anyway, I've now messed around with the Index. Controllers are amazing. Finger tracking works for me and its crazy immersive. The setup took about the same time as the Rift S because time spent plugging in base stations was spent troubleshooting USB ports (we've all been there!). The actually controllers are actually very ergonomic and close to the touch ones. The finger tracking however is just slight years ahead for immersion in my opinion and although not flawless, is a step in the right direction. The audio is sublime. I had very big concerns it would suck or it wouldn't be good enough or would let too much sound in. It creates a clear ambiance of sound.

The biggest compliment I can give is they remind me of my KEF speakers or my AKG 712s. Every other headphone I own or speaker I've used, after a certain volume output.. the sound becomes over bearing but with high end speakers, you just want it to get louder and louder. Its the same with these. Although I do wish they were maybe 10-20% louder for poorly mastered games.

The glare on the Index is disgusting, I haven't seen it very often because but when its there.. its there.
The FOV is JUST RIGHT. Yes, I don't feel its mind blowing and next gen. I feel like this is the FOV which we deserve at this point of desktop VR. The vertical FOV feels perfect, the horizontal FOV is improved a lot. Is it better than the Rift S/CV1/Quest? Yes. Yes. Yes. Is it worth it? For me, Yes Yes YEs. This is akin to going from a 16:9 monitor to a 21:9 or 32:9 monitor but also with an increase in vertical. Its the little improvements in VR which make huge differences as we're at a prehistoric stage.

The lower persistence panels are no joke. At 90hz, this feels like the most smooth VR experience I've ever had. At 120hz, it feels better. But the point isn't the difference between 90 and 120. Its the fact that even at 90, these panels feel significantly smoother than the competition.

The colours are better. They are more vivid and life like. The SDE is even further diminished although that was also never an issue on the Rift.

I haven't used my glasses with this headset because after I found the perfect IPD, I didn't feel I had to.
The sweetspot is harder to find on the Rift S but the added comfort, ergonomics, build quality and higher level of adjustment and angle of the screen makes it still not a chore at all. The fit is also more malleable and versatile than the cheaper halo design.

I'm not going to go into build quality because it just blows the Rift S out of the water (magnetic faceplates, dials for everything, beautiful design, fov slider, better fit options, more comfortable controllers (sorry mamut grips but you don't cut it compared to these).

I'm an Oculus fan. Let me be honest. I try to stay impartial in VR but my headset history speaks for itself. I own nearly every single Oculus exclusive, I love their software and I defend their walled garden approach but the Index is just a way too superior headset, and its exacerbated by the short comings of the Rift S's hit to refresh rate, audio quality, physical IPD, build quality, fov, outdated controller input methods and lack of creativity.

If you have a Rift S and are in a return window or between headsets, consider an Index because its simply better. Its the next generation of VR from the older headsets because it minimises and removes barriers of immersion. Its lower persistence panels and higher refresh rate options increases immersion. Its off ear speaker design makes you feel more immersed as the sounds have waaaaaay more soundstage and the sensation of nothing on your ears is strangely awesome. The FOV is better and vertically, pretty much perfect. The colors are better but sadly not OLED. The glare is a big downer and where the Rift S excels. Its tracking is amazing and pinpoint but is reliant on sensors which are inconvienant. Its physical IPD adjustment means you get the sharpest image possible.

I know a lot of people will come into this thread saying "index is double/triple the price so obviously its better". But that doesn't tell the entire story. Most people that invest in a PCVR headset have already splashed out on a high end PC so for the extra £500, I can't help but feel that the all access pass to the base station eco system in the future will be better and the Index provide an absolutely worth while experience. This isn't about a higher spec sheet experience. The Index feels different, it feels high end and it makes me want to keep putting on the headset. I also wager that the Index controllers will not become obsolote for a very long time whilst Oculus surely now need to think about in the next few years updating the Touch controllers IF they care about being at the high end of VR.


TLDR
Index Pros vs Rift S
- Tracking, vertical and horizxontal FOV, resolution, SDE, IPD slider, sharpness, build quality, glasses support, controller input method, audio, overall experience of feeling like you're in vr, comfort, future proofed controllers + base stations,
Index Cons vs Rift S
- Glare, no inside out tracking so less versatile, QA issues

BTW QA issues, Its semi understandable why this headset as so many RMA issues. its just an incredible piece of tech which is setting the improving and introducing new tech for audio, visuals, build quality, fov, input methods for controllers... the list goes on.

To simplify this all, the Index wants me to keep playing VR.
 
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Thanks mate you just made me not order the Rift S :)

In 2 minds to be honest... I kinda feel like waiting for the next refresh as it were. Base stations are a no no in my house... Wife will die with those things in the corner.. And the Rift S just seems like a 'nearly there'

Now if the Cosmos was better...... I'll continue to sit on my fence.

Great write up. :D
 
Soldato
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Thanks mate you just made me not order the Rift S :)

In 2 minds to be honest... I kinda feel like waiting for the next refresh as it were. Base stations are a no no in my house... Wife will die with those things in the corner.. And the Rift S just seems like a 'nearly there'

Now if the Cosmos was better...... I'll continue to sit on my fence.

Great write up. :D

If you don't want base stations then get the Rift S. It's a fantastic headset. Have you used VR before?
 
Soldato
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The rift s isn’t a nearly there. It’s clearly very fa away.

outside of a clarity increase, a reduction in sde and a removal of the sensors, I struggle to find many positives of it over a cv1 or Vive


If you are new to vr tho, any vr headset will blow you away
 
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OK was just about to order a Rift s... What about the valve pro with V1 controllers and V1 base stations s opposed to the newer v2? This is on special offer at 899

Could stretch to this.... Didn't really want to dot the base stations around but if the headset is superior I could stretch to this.
 
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And yes the only VR I have used was a Google daydream and a previous phone.. Was impressed none the less with that... Not True VR I know... But still was decent for the 60 I paid!
 
Soldato
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OK was just about to order a Rift s... What about the valve pro with V1 controllers and V1 base stations s opposed to the newer v2? This is on special offer at 899

Could stretch to this.... Didn't really want to dot the base stations around but if the headset is superior I could stretch to this.

The only headset I would buy over the Rift S at this stage is the Index.

There is no doubting that the Index is the best headset out there. But I know people who have returned the Index and went back to the Rift S because they didn't think the difference in quality was worth the difference in price. All I am saying is that Rift S isn't as bad as Aaron makes it out to be.

But then again if you were happy with the performance of the Google Daydream then any decent VR headset will completely blow you away.
 
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Thanks mate. Wouldn't say I was happy with the GDR but it was impressive as a first look.

My main concern is the gpu I have... Only a 1070ti....
Just watching vids now on YT.... My head is fried :eek:
 
Soldato
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The only headset I would buy over the Rift S at this stage is the Index.

There is no doubting that the Index is the best headset out there. But I know people who have returned the Index and went back to the Rift S because they didn't think the difference in quality was worth the difference in price. All I am saying is that Rift S isn't as bad as Aaron makes it out to be.

But then again if you were happy with the performance of the Google Daydream then any decent VR headset will completely blow you away.



i mean outside of outside of a clarity increase, a reduction in sde and a removal of the sensor... what does the rift do better than the generation 1 vr headsets?

the halo strap is very very debatable (i find there is a lot of visor-shake on right to left movements which wasn't there on CV1).
 
Soldato
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It's a shame that Oculus simply couldn't produce a 'Rift Pro' with the same form factor of the Rift CV1, higher resolution, inside out tracking, and the audio reliability issue fixed. I'd have gone for that over the index if it were cheaper.
Rift S seems too much of a sidegrade with some big compromises. (Though it's very good value for money).
 
Soldato
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I’d jump at an Index if it had inside-out tracking. The lighthouse requirement is a blocker for me. I understand that they wanted to provide an upgrade path for people who had existing equipment, but it seems a bit like stagnation to me. The widely adopted headset of the future is not going to require a room full of satellite sensors and cables.

The Index is a good looking headset, I really like the slightly Combine styling.

i mean outside of outside of a clarity increase, a reduction in sde and a removal of the sensor... what does the rift do better than the generation 1 vr headsets?
3 or 4 improvements is still pretty good, after all...
Its the little improvements in VR which make huge differences as we're at a prehistoric stage.
;)
 
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Soldato
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I’d jump at an Index if it had inside-out tracking. The lighthouse requirement is a blocker for me. I understand that they wanted to provide an upgrade path for people who had existing equipment, but it seems a bit like stagnation to me. The widely adopted headset of the future is not going to require a room full of satellite sensors and cables.

The Index is a good looking headset, I really like the slightly Combine styling.


3 or 4 improvements is still pretty good, after all...

;)


Not when it comes at the cost of refresh rate, a physical IPD for proper best in class sharpness relative to your eyes, worse tracking, worse colors and black levels and poorer audio.

Lots of little improvements are great but not when you take away from other features. Then it just becomes a headset full of compromises that has taken a couple of steps forward and then a couple back.


I think the light house requirement is simply because valve have invested in the technology, it provides the best in class VR tracking, its very very very accurate, it allows support for pretty much any game and previous users already had them so they probably want to provide a level of support for older users.

I also wanted inside out tracking but oh well :( TBH they are NO where near as intrusive as the USB 3.0 wires I had all over my room with the CV1. plug them in, mount them, hide the wire. just looks like another security camera and quite stylish and small tbh.

but yeah.. i do like inside out tracking done right. i think we're maybe a couple of cameras and a tracking algorithm upgrade off of perfection. the rift s strikes a very very nice compromise.
 
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