‘It’s a well made product for a first consumer version’



Rating: 4 out of 5



The image is very smooth and almost seems to go beyond a set resolution, it’s just a slightly blurred reality. The headset weighs little and is easy to put on, much due to the integrated headphones and software service.



That said, it doesn’t fit my head. If I tighten it even a little it will hurt after half an hour or so, and without tightening it slides down my nose so things go blurry. I’ve tried adjusting it according to the setup guide but I’m suspecting the hard frame and narrow top band might be giving me issues. The headphones are open backed and don’t close out other audio, I can hear my PC whirring in the background.

I think this is a well made product for a first consumer version, very polished in most areas. I would suggest trying to find a demo in a store before purchase though. It might or might not fit your face/head/glasses. Also consider the price including the upcoming Touch motion controllers, which I personally think is an integral part of a VR (virtual reality) system.



Andreas “BOLL” Aronsson, a VR enthusiast in his 30s from Sweden



‘It’s amazing and has a great future’



Rating: 5 out of 5

I have purchased one and a new PC with the Founders 1080 graphics card. It is amazing and certainly has a great future. The only cons are that you need a rubbish controller, the flimsy Xbox One controller, at present to operate it. I can’t wait for the dedicated controllers to come out later this year. Also it could do with more sensors and some top name ‘Open World’ games developers taking more of an interest, like Bethseda. However early days.

Velvetundercoat, 57-year-old chartered surveyor from London

A woman tries out the Oculus Rift at a John Lewis store in central London. Photograph: Frantzesco Kangaris/PA

‘VR isn’t a thing you do it’s a place you visit’



Rating: 5 out of 5

One minor way to illustrate the difference between ‘flat’ games and VR is language. I might say I’m going upstairs to play the PS4, but I also say “I’m going in the Rift”. VR isn’t a thing you do, it’s a place you visit.



One of the most powerful experiences in VR is the educational title Apollo 11. I’ve sat in a full-size accurate recreation of the full landing. I will forever remember how the window in the cockpit was the same size as aeroplane windows, how cramped the module was, the sheer number of controls on display and how closely each astronaut was sitting beside each other. When you are in VR the experience can often be so strong that you end up taking your time to savour the new surroundings. You feel like you are really in that place and when you leave it it is recorded in your head in just the same way that a memory does.



VR stalls will be popping up everywhere now. I recommend people head to their nearest technology or game store and try this out. Just remember to leave your wallet at home otherwise you’ll immediately walk up to the till and walk home with one.

Simon Docherty, 41-year-old living in Scotland

‘It sometimes feels like wearing a greasy scuba mask’



Rating: 4 out of 5

As it currently exists, the Oculus Rift is an expensive novelty - albeit a fun one. I get most of my enjoyment from putting friends in it and watching them ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ as they experience the sensation of being transported to another world for the first time. Launching without the Touch controllers was a mistake though. Without fail, new users reach out to touch the world around them and are disappointed when they can’t.



It’s also obvious that this is first-generation technology. I can easily imagine finding an original Oculus Rift in ten years and laughing at how crude it is compared to the VR headsets of 2026. It’s new and fabulous and it really works, but at the same time it’s bulky, it keeps you on a short tether, and its limited field of view and god ray optical artifacts make you feel a bit like you’re wearing a greasy scuba mask.



I’m not using it every day like I thought I would, but I got my money’s worth. The sensation of truly being inside a virtual world is utterly wonderful and something you can’t understand until you experience it for yourself.

Max, 29-year-old American living in Canada



A man wearing an Oculus Rift. Photograph: Curtis/Shutterstock

‘I sometimes forget I’m in an office chair in my nerd-cave’



Rating: 4.5 out of 5

For a first consumer version it’s an excellent product. It’s clear where it can be improved (image quality, weight, field of view, etc.) but I have no regrets whatsoever.



Before I bought the Rift I was hoping for a real feeling of presence, being somewhere else in a game or a VR experience. In that regard the Rift delivers and it delivers better than I expected. The last few weeks saw numerous moments where I forgot I was in an office chair in my nerd-cave. My girlfriend has learned to approach with caution because the immersion can be so effective it’s really startling to hear a disconnected voice or feel an invisible person kissing your cheek.



Just yesterday I put my arms in front of my face and I could barely contain a scream when my brain was convinced I was about to plow my P-40 into a Messerschmidt high above the French country side. A few days earlier, I landed on a distant moon after fighting of a wing of pirates. Sweaty palms, high heart rate, happy to have set my damaged spaceship down. I wanted to enter the SRV (Surface Recon Vehicle) and instead of just hitting a button I stood up, totally convinced I would exit through the cockpit door. I am both excited and totally terrified of what the future will bring.

Joost Ruiter, 35-year-old IT consultant from Amsterdam

‘It is the ultimate entertainment device’

Rating: 5 out of 5

Utterly amazing experience. Its controllers let you use your hands and fingers so you can interact with the digital environment in a 360º range and it turns your bedroom completely into other worlds.



It’s totally life changing technology and it fundamentally rewrites everything we knew about interacting with a digital world and with computers. It is the ultimate entertainment device and the best piece of computer hardware money can buy.



Anonymous, 25-year-old from Australia

‘It takes game immersion to another level’



Rating: 4.5 out of 5

It is a superb bit of tech kit. My wife loves it (she is a Lucky’s Tale fan), and my son always asks to use it (he loves Henry the hedgehog) and everyone I have showed it too is wowed by it. It is great to see people sit there open mouthed as they try the Dreamdeck demos.



From a gamer’s point of view, it takes game immersion to another level. The Formula Rookie cars in Project Cars are so much fun, I love how seriously good Damaged Core is and I’m still amazed how huge the ships in Elite Dangerous are when viewed in VR.



I’d also recommend Bigscreen or Virtual Desktop as they allow you to watch all your video streams and films on a huge Imax size screen whilst sitting in various virtual environments such as outer space, beaches, forests etc. Overall, if you have any interest in VR I would totally recommend the Rift.

Anonymous 41-year-old from north Wales