I received my Oculus Rift DK2 yesterday...only about a month later than scheduled.
Look at my finger on the left!
I bought the first Oculus Rift earlier this year. It was the first the time I've ever used VR and I was blown away by it. I had a chance of using a VR headset about 15 years ago at some science museum I visited but I declined to try it for two reasons. One was that the dad who used it looked like a first-prize idiot ducking and diving. The other reason was that I didn't really fancy standing on the pool of vomit left by his son immediately after.
The Oculus Rift DK2 isn't quite a world away from the DK1 but it's certainly from here to the moon in terms of a step in advancement. With the infrared LEDS in the actual headset being monitored by the addition of a motion capturing camera you can now actually 'lean' over things; in the Tuscany demo I actually felt as though I was going to fall off the balcony. Then I started to question why was there a fire burning on lovely Summer's day, why wheren't there any beds or a bathroom and, worst of all, how come there was no escape from the place? Answer? It was a torture prison set in beautiful surroundings. I digress...
So, overall thoughts about the Oculus Rift DK2? The clarity is unbelievable compared to the DK1 - the DK2 is 1080p. You can still see the pixels quite clearly but it's nowhere near as 'bad' as the DK1; an experience which is best described as almost like looking at a colourised version of the amber LED display of a 90s pinball table. It's a weird but brilliant feeling being able to lean over things to see over edges and suchlike. I'm a bit saddened that DK1 software is incompatible with it though; it can be easily fixed by the developers if they use the latest SDK but not a lot of it hasn't been touched yet it seems*.
When you get dead close to the spideman's face you'll jump back, I assure you.
(Spirited Away - Boiler Room Scene: https://redofpaw.wordpress.com/vr-projects/)
Is it a sign that they've given up or am I just too impatient? I don't know but it puts my skeptical brain into a weird sort of overdrive of worry. Anyway, one of the most unbelievably cool demos for the Oculus Rift DK2 I've seen is based on one my favourite films; Spirited Away. This, my friends is quite remarkable in VR: http://redofpaw.wordpress.com/vr-projects/
As a Kickstarter backer of Elite: Dangerous I have the beta release of said game and I was so pleased to find out that they are supporting the Oculus Rift. I can't wait to give it a go and I'm going to give it a go right now. I shall report back here with my thoughts soon.
Overall I'd give the Oculus Rift DK2 9.5 out of 10.
*EDIT, 14th March, 2015 - A lot of the DK1 stuff has been updated to to support the DK2.
