Oculus Rift CV1

First Impressions

I've been excited by VR since the 1990s, but my real VR journey began when I got the Rift in 2016. I was unbelievably excited about what would be possible with immersive gaming.

The first experiences were interesting, but ultimately disappointing. Using an Xbox controller didn't give me much of a sense of immersion, and I put the headset down after a few weeks.

Controllers

I bought the Touch controllers on day one when they came out later that year. That was when VR started to make sense to me. Superhot, Bullet Train, and Wilson's Heart gave me moments that genuinely blew my mind. The experiences were still early, but being able to use my hands changed everything.

Comfort

The original Rift became my benchmark for comfort. After years of use it felt like it had melded with my head. The Index came close, but it was heavier and never felt quite as natural to wear.

Tracking

In my Beat Saber comparisons, the Rift running through Steam had the tightest controls, fluid tracking, and good controller vibration. The display was vibrant, and the whole experience felt very solid.

Performance

The Rift spoiled me on how VR should feel at 90Hz. Going to the original Quest's 72Hz made the difference noticeable, especially in Beat Saber. When I later got 90Hz working on the Quest 2 through my PC, I felt much more in control again.

Overall

The Rift was really good for its time. The Touch controllers were what turned it from an interesting experiment into something I wanted to keep using. Later headsets improved the resolution and tracking, but the comfort and the feeling of those early experiences stayed with me.