Oculus Rift

Released March 2016

The original consumer Oculus Rift is an OLED PC VR headset with external sensor tracking and removable on-ear headphones, launched with an Xbox One controller before Touch arrived later in 2016.

Works: Needs a PC or console
Per eye: 1080 × 1200
Refresh: 90 Hz
Weight: 470 g

What reviewers say

WIRED and TechCrunch praise immersion and audio, but find the launch experience limited without Touch. WIRED finds long sessions comfortable; TechCrunch reports nose light leakage.

From wired.com and techcrunch.com

Specifications

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Display

Resolution per eye: 1080 × 1200
Panel: OLED
Refresh rate: 90 Hz
Display details: Two OLED displays; 1080 × 1200 per eye at 90 Hz. Physical display specifications from Meta's Rift developer overview.
Lenses: Hybrid Fresnel lenses (Tom's Hardware); no manufacturer horizontal field-of-view figure used
Lens spacing (IPD): Physical lens and display spacing adjustment, 58–72 mm (Tom's Hardware); Meta confirms adjustable lens distance

Tracking and input

Eye tracking: No
Hand tracking: No
Controllers in the box: Yes
Colour passthrough: No
Sensors: Constellation external camera tracking of infrared LEDs on the headset; six degrees of freedom. Launch package has one sensor, with additional sensors needed for broader room-scale coverage (Tom's Hardware). No eye tracking or controller-free hand tracking.
Controllers: Original March 2016 package includes Xbox One controller and Oculus Remote; Touch motion controllers launched separately on 6 December 2016. Later retail bundles may differ.
Passthrough: No built-in passthrough camera (Tom's Hardware)

Performance

Works: Needs a PC or console
Connections: Compatible PC required; HDMI 1.3 and USB connections, with external tracking sensors also connected over USB. Meta specifies a 4 m headset cable and a minimum of two USB 3.0 connections; additional tracking sensors can use USB 2.0.

Design

Battery: None (powered by a PC or console)
Weight (headset): 470 g
Audio: Integrated microphone and removable on-ear headphones; no headset audio passthrough socket for replacement headphones (Tom's Hardware)
Strap: Three-point adjustable strap with spring-loaded side arms; 470 g excluding the detachable cable, weighed by Tom's Hardware and reported as matching Oculus's specification. WIRED measured 495 g without stating whether its cable was excluded.
In the box: Launch package has headset with headphones and microphone, one sensor, Xbox One controller and Oculus Remote; PC and Touch controllers separate

Pros and cons

Pros

Dual OLED displays at 90 Hz
Physical lens-spacing adjustment
Integrated removable headphones and microphone

Cons

Needs a compatible gaming PC and external tracking sensor
Touch motion controllers were separate at launch
No passthrough camera

Closest rivals

Model	Works	Per eye	Refresh	Weight	Released
HTCVIVE	Needs a PC or console	1080 × 1200	90 Hz	555 g	Apr 2016
SonyPlayStation VR	Needs a PC or console	960 × 1080	120 Hz	610 g	Oct 2016
HTCVIVE Pro	Needs a PC or console	1440 × 1600	90 Hz	769 g	Apr 2018

Newer model: Oculus Rift S.

Sources

Photo: Meta/Oculus official five-years-of-VR publication (2021), native PDF image Im4.png; original product transparency retained.

Oculus Rift launch packaging with headset, sensor, Xbox One controller and Oculus Remote: Meta/Oculus official press photograph; complete supplied composition, background and maker marks retained.
Man wearing the Oculus Rift headset with its built-in headphones: Meta/Oculus official press photograph; complete supplied composition, background and maker marks retained.
Oculus Rift headset with sensor, supplied Xbox One controller and Oculus Remote: Meta/Oculus official press photograph; complete supplied composition, background and maker marks retained.

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