Vetting the Oculus Quest
As the Virtual Reality industry matures, additional hardware options will continue to enter the market in an effort to find their niche within a wide spectrum of consumers. The hardware you choose to deploy your VR content on is crucial, as it determines graphical limitations, interactive features, and distribution potential. With advances in each of those departments always on the horizon, it’s integral for Elara to keep track of the wide variety of technologies that enter the playing field. As Oculus introduces its newest headset to the Virtual Reality market, it’s time for our team to give their take on the technology, and how it can best be utilized by our clients.
Oculus Rift: A tethered headset that connects to external computing. This high-end device offers consumers a headset that can run realistic and highly interactive VR experiences.
Oculus Go: Standalone design appeals to general consumers and first-time buyers, who may have shied away from the Rift’s heavy price investment. Released four years after, the Oculus Go aimed to provide an all-in-one package by distributing light-end hardware at an affordable price. Check out our Oculus Go Enterprise post.
Oculus Quest: A device that effectively blends together the features of its two predecessors into a new, middle-of-the-line headset. Bridging the gap between these two headsets, Oculus has effectively created a family of technologies to appeal to a variety of developers and consumers alike.
From the high-end capabilities of the Rift to the convenience and efficiency of the Go, the Oculus Quest bridges the gap between these two devices. Now that the Oculus Quest has entered the playing field, it’s important to understand what makes this headset distinct amongst its contemporary technologies.
The Oculus Quest is a beautiful blend between Rift and Go, offering features that were once unique to each device. Its initial advertisement as a tether-less, standalone purchase had already garnered the attention of consumers before its release. Now, with the unveiling of its internal sensors and room scale tracking, the Quest has fully showcased its versatility for moving about in virtual space. This is a huge step for tether-less VR, as it gives users similar controls they could only find in the Rift.
This all-in-one package also features a redesigned controller for each hand. A single grip at a controller easily gives the user enough information to know whether the controller was designed to sit in the right or left hand, resulting in less awkward hand offs and fumbling-about with inexperienced users. Its inside-out tracking and 6-degrees-of-freedom design fits full movement into a single package, negating all hidden fees that are often associated with the Oculus Rift. The Oculus Quest is an all-in-one purchase, meaning no fancy computers, and no hidden fees attached. Quick startup times housed within a single package keep distribution costs for the Quest down, making the convenience ideal for a wide range of consumers.
Designing an experience for a VR headset requires deep and careful consideration. From optimization to distribution, the scope of your design is dictated heavily by the hardware running your digital content. The Oculus Quest firmly stands as the middleware between both high and low ends of polished Virtual Reality headsets. As such, both Rift and Go content can be ported onto the Quest, though each will require their own development times. When scoping out the migration of existing content, optimization is an important factor to take into consideration. While the Rift’s high-powered functionality gives it the most amount of creative freedom, the Quest’s convenience makes it a top contender for enterprise content.
With so many options available, it can be difficult to determine which headset your experience should publish. Creative Agencies like Elara help to ensure that the digital content we produce appears on the best platforms for that media. We are constantly evaluating the latest and greatest technology in an effort to ensure stunning and effective digital content. From 3D animations to interactive media, Elara specializes in understanding and developing the right solution to meet your needs. If you are interested in hearing how we can bring your ideas to life, contact us today!
Learn more in our Full Immersion VR and Oculus Quest Tutorial posts.