When I first strapped on my Oculus Rift goggles, I was inadvertently buried 6 feet underground. I had just spent an hour setting up this $599 first-of-its-kind virtual reality rig, which arrives in living rooms this week. Something had gone awry with the sensor that tells the Rift where I am.

Standing on my tiptoes, I could peer out of my virtual hole to briefly glimpse the incredible 3-D landscape that welcomes new Rift owners.

That...