Playstation VR vs Oculus Rift: Which Is Worth Buying?

After years of anticipation, the Oculus Rift and Sony's PlayStation VR are nearly here. For many, choosing between these two VR headsets is simple enough. If you're a PS4 owner, the PlayStation VR is the obvious choice. If you're a PC gamer, meanwhile, the Oculus Rift is for you. That said, many people will be in both camps and wondering which one they should invest in. For you who may be not a fan of Sony or Oculus and in trouble with picking the more appropriate VR headsets, the following detailed Playstation VR vs Oculus Rift spec comparison based on specs and features can give you a hand.

Playstation VR vs Oculus Rift: Which Is Worth Buying?

PLAYSTATION VR VS OCULUS RIFT – DESIGN

Neither of these VR devices is pretty, and let's not beat around the bush here – you will look like a berk using both.

Now that we've got that out of the way, in the grand scheme of VR headsets, both at least feel like finished products. The final version of the Oculus Rift is light and comfortable, with a reinforced strap and a smooth plastic body.

It still isn't the prettiest thing in the world, but who really cares? Not us.

The PlayStation VR, by contrast, is arguably the best-looking and friendliest of all the main VR headsets. It's got a swooping moulded black and white plastic body with funky glowing lights (which do have a practical purpose) and a design that spreads the load onto the front of your head.

It's not subtle, but at least it looks vaguely futuristic rather than like an instrument of torture. Moreover, the PlayStation VR is more likely to suit glasses wearers due to the way it places most of the weight on your forehead rather than relying on the 'ski mask' design of the Rift.

On the downside, the Rift is lighter at 470g and has built-in headphones, whereas the PlayStation VR is 610g and you still need to wear headphones or earphones.

PLAYSTATION VR VS OCULUS RIFT – SPECS

Unlike the smartphone-friendly quasi-VR experiences we've had to date, both the PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift employ fixed displays. No smartphone adaptors here.

The PlayStation VR has a 5.7-inch Full HD OLED with an equivalent resolution of 960 x 1,080 for each eye and a 100-degree field of view. That doesn't match up well to the Oculus Rift, which features a 1,080 x 1,200 display for each eye.

It seems the PlayStation VR has the edge on refresh rate, with 120Hz topping the Oculus Rift's stated 90Hz, but you probably shouldn't read too much into this just yet.

One extra piece of information to note on the hardware provision front: The PlayStation VR comes with an extra box for handling the interface between the headset and your PS4 console. This can also be hooked up to your TV with an HDMI cable, so other people can see what you're seeing rather than just laughing at your awkward gestures.

PLAYSTATION VR VS OCULUS RIFT – COMPATIBILITY

Here's where the PlayStation VR really has an advantage. It works with the humble PS4, which is the most popular home console of its generation, and a relatively affordable one at that.

The only other thing you need in addition is a PlayStation Camera, which sets you back around ￡40 separately, but which will probably be bundled in with the PlayStation VR. This is the reason for those external lights – the Camera uses them for tracking your head movement.

The Oculus Rift, by contrast, requires a monster PC to run. Who has a monster PC in this day and age? Hardcore PC gamers, graphic designers... nope, that's all we've got.

What's more, buying a new monster PC isn't cheap, even if you build your own. Here's the kind of PC rig you'll need in order to run the Oculus Rift:

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD R9 290 equivalent or greater

Processor: Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater

Memory: 8GB RAM

Output: Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output

Input: 3x USB 3.0 ports plus 1x USB 2.0 port

Operating System: Windows 7 SP1 64 bit or newer

That's some serious power and our experience so far is you should exceed these specs to get a totally smooth experience. A minimum of an Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 Ti is what we'd go for.

PLAYSTATION VR VS OCULUS RIFT – CONTROLLERS

The PlayStation VR utilises a pair of Sony's Move controllers, one in each hand, which are tracked by that PlayStation Camera. You thought they'd forgotten about them since the launch of the PS4, didn't you?

Naturally, some more traditional games will also make use of the PS4 DualShock 4 controller, which every PlayStation VR user will already have.

The Oculus Rift has its own pair of VR controllers, and these have the benefit of having been specifically created with VR in mind. Like the headset, they look more than a little odd. But also like the headset, that matters not a jot when you get to using them.

Our early experiences with the Oculus Controller(s) has been universally positive, with a degree of immersion and nuance that no other VR rival can match. In particular, we love how the controls fall naturally under your fingers, so it really feels like you're reaching out and grabbing objects in the more immersive demos we tried.

One major downside: they're optional extras and aren't currently available. Oculus only says they'll be available later this year. For meantime, then, you have to use the bundled Xbox One controller, which is less exciting.

PLAYSTATION VR VS OCULUS RIFT – GAME

It's the software that will really determine whether the second age of VR is more of a success than the first.

PlayStation VR, of course, has the full might of Sony's first-party studios and a bunch of amenable third-party PlayStation developers to call upon.

These PlayStation VR games include London Heist from London Studios, a gritty action game set in the UK capital's grimy underworld. Kitchen is a compelling horror game, while BattleZone is a full 3D VR take on the classic arcade game.

Playroom VR and Driveclub are two more interesting PlayStation VR games, the latter of which seems to be a jerry-rigged version of the PS4 original.

Of course, the Oculus Rift team has managed to assemble a formidable network of supporting developers itself. Naturally, it has virtually the entire PC development community behind it (even Valve, which has its own VR headset in the HTC Vive), but it also has support from traditional console developers. Take Edge of Nowhere, an Oculus exclusive third-person adventure from Insomniac Games (Ratchet & Clank, Sunset Overdrive).

Then there's Eve Valkyrie, an immersive space combat game, and Conker-like platformer Lucky's Tale, among others.

PLAYSTATION VR VS OCULUS RIFT – PRICE & RELEASE DATE

Oculus Rift is already available and will set you back ￡499.

Meanwhile, PlayStation VR will launch in October with a price of ￡349, or $399. That makes it much cheaper than the Oculus, and even cheaper than the HTC Vive. You will need to buy a Playstation 4 Camera too, unless you already have one, which costs about ￡40.

PLAYSTATION VR VS OCULUS RIFT : 3D Movie EXPERIENCE

Oculus Rift Developer has stereoscopic 3D capability assuming you use programs (e.g. SBS 3D Video Player) for DK1/DK2, to watch 3D movies on Oculus Rift, iFastime Video Converter Ultimate is a must-have app.

With it, you can convert 2D/3D videos in a diverse of formats (AVI, MOV, WMV, MPEG, MTS, MOD, TOD, MKV etc.) to VR Headsets compatible 3D formats for playback. Batch video conversion is supported. What's more, it can deliver FAST conversion speed - up to 6 times faster than any other program with NVIDIA CUDA and AMD APP acceleration technology support.

As for PS VR, it was built to handle stereoscopic 3D output for games and/or blu-rays, so anything with that inbuilt functionality you've previously missed out on will easily make the transition.

Q1:3D movies on playstation VR?

I was wondering if we could watch 3d (blu ray) movies through playstation VR. any information? (Source: forums.naughtydog.com)

Q2: Anything about Playstation VR with 3D movies on PS4?

Hi, I am only interested in getting playstation VR for 3D movies. I am working in a foreign country and could not afford to have gigantic 3D TV screens at where I live. It feels like playstation VR is the best option for watching movies. Does anybody knows if I can just run 3D blu ray movies on my PS4 and be able to watch it on the playstation VR? (Source: reddit.com)

To play 2D/3D Blu-ray on Playstation VR, iFastime Video Converter Ultimate is also a top-notch Blu-ray ripping software capable of speedily ripping any Blu-rays in 2D/3D to any type of 3D you want (Anaglyph, Top-Bottom, Side-by-Side) for VR headsets including Playstation VR, Gear VR, VR One, Google Cardboard, etc. or 3D Players with removal of copy-protections for watching amazing 3D movies. Besides, it also allows you to extract melodious soundtracks or special audios from Blu-ray movies for audio experience with delivering high audio quality.

In conclusion, whether you decide to grab latest Oculus Rift or waiting for Playstation VR, iFastime Video Converter Ultimate is quite necessary to help you deal with format incompatible problems for playback 2D/3D Blu-ray and 2D/3D videos on Playstation VR/Oculus Rift.

PLAYSTATION VR VS OCULUS RIFT – SUMMARY

It's still too early to tell which is the better VR bet, but that may be impossible to say even after both have hit the market. They're taking very different approaches to VR. If you're a console gamer – and particularly a PS4 gamer – then the PlayStation VR seems like the obvious choice. You're already half-way equipped for the ride, after all.

On the other hand, if you get your gaming kicks on PC, and you have the high-end rig to prove it, then the Oculus Rift looks set to be the better bet. Technically, the Oculus Rift looks both more advanced and further along in development. If you're talking about the most promising VR experience at this point, then, we'd have to give the nod to the Oculus Rift.

Playstation VR vs Oculus Rift: Side-by-side Comparison

	Oculus Rift	PlayStation VR
Pricing	$599 (requires PC)	$399 (requires PlayStation 4 consoles, Move controller, and Playstation Eye camera)
Display	OLED	OLED
Panel size	TBA	5.7 inches
Resolution	2160 × 1200	1920×RGB×1080 (960×RGB×1080 per eye)
Refresh rate	90hz/eye display	120Hz, 90Hz
Field of view	Approximately 110 degrees	Approximately 100 degrees
Sensors	Accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, external Constellation tracking sensor array	Accelerometer, gyroscope, PlayStation Eye tracking system
Connections	Requires HDMI 1.3 output, three USB 3.0 ports, and one USB 2.0 port	HDMI + USB
Audio	Built-in headphones and mic, 3D audio
Input	Oculus Touch, Xbox One controller (included)	PlayStation Move, Dual Shock 4 controller
Release date	Pre orders available, shipments begin March 28, 2016.	October 2016
DT review	Hands-on	Coming soon

Additional Tip: Top 5 Reasons Why We're Excited for PlayStation VR

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