The initial unboxing experience is clearly meant to make the whole system feel like a briefcase sent from the future. There is a small but lengthy safety guide "hidden" under one of the flaps, but actual setup instructions are given to the owner via a URL printed on the top of the case.
Setting up the hardware isn't a complicated process, as the Rift's software does a good job of holding your hand throughout. Launching the executable file — and remember, there's no Mac support in the current version or even the near future — initiates a simple but effective series of instructions along with videos that explains how to set up the hardware.
The headset connects to your gaming PC via HDMI and a USB 3.0 port, and the sentinel-like sensor's glossy head — which faces you for positional head tracking — connects through another USB 3.0 connection. The wireless Xbox One controller connects via a third USB port, and the included remote control seems to connect to the headset itself. This is all very simple … so long as you're not using that HDMI port to power your display in a home theater or living room. If you are, you'll have to acquire an adapter — a simple DVI to HDMI adapter worked on one of our systems, sending both video and audio to a television and freeing up the HDMI port for the Rift.
The installation screens and setup videos check to make sure every bit is connected, and then ask you to put on the headset and agree to a brief disclaimer. Next, the headset puts you directly into a few very impressive, non-interactive virtual reality demos.
Tearing down the Oculus Rift likewise only takes a few minutes. You disconnect the headset's HDMI and USB connection, put it in the case and wrap the cable around its spool, disconnect the sensor from your system and lay it down in the case, snap the remote in place, and close the box. And that's it! While previous development kits have often been finicky regarding games and the software, the retail version of the hardware requires a short software installation and a few plugs to be connected after you place the free-standing sensor on your desk, and then things just work.
You will need an Oculus account and a payment method to purchase games through the store. This will likely be the primary method of acquiring Oculus Rift games for most people, though the system is still open — there's a setting in the options that allows you to toggle the ability to run programs not officially supported by Oculus. You can browse the store from the virtual menus, while purchasing, downloading or updating games from within virtual reality.
While it's likely that Oculus exclusives will only be available through the Oculus Store, you can already sort games on Steam by virtual reality support, including the ability to play on the Oculus Rift, or even by sitting or standing experiences. The hardware is designed to be able to track your movements while in a sitting or standing position. The sensors in the back of the headset mean you'll be able to turn completely around without losing tracking, although in our testing doing so led to a few finicky moments of positional tracking. There is even a microphone included on the headset, although I'll be damned if I can figure out where they hid it.
The ease of installation and temporary nature of the Rift's setup are going to be strengths for people with smaller living spaces or who don't want the hassle of taping, mounting or otherwise attaching hardware to their walls or bookshelves. If you have two minutes, you can turn your desk into a Rift workstation, and it takes just as little time to make the hardware completely disappear.
CONTROLLERS
The Oculus Rift, in many ways, heightens the emotional reaction given by games and experiences, but for now you'll be exploring these virtual worlds using very traditional tools.
The Oculus Rift comes with a standard Xbox One wireless controller, and a remote control. This gives you some idea of how the platform thinks of itself; you'll be playing some very comprehensible games on a visual platform that intends to put you inside the virtual environment.
XboxController
The remote control is designed to fit snugly in your hand, and handles everything from selecting items you're looking at in the virtual Oculus Store and game library to adjusting volume on the fly. There are also some games, such as Defense Grid 2, that can be completely controlled using the remote. It's such a helpful and natural way of interacting with the virtual world that I found myself keeping the remote control strapped to my wrist even when I was using a standard controller.
For now, the Rift launch library has been selected and designed with the idea of using a controller or the remote. Oculus is releasing a motion controller platform called Touch later this year — bundled with an additional sensor to allow for a more room-scale experience — for an undisclosed price, which should allow users to more dir