Customers highly value the immersive VR experience, ease of use, and impressive graphics of the Rift S PC-Powered VR Gaming Headset. Many also praised the headset's tracking capabilities and straightforward setup process. While some users experienced challenges with software compatibility and USB connectivity, the overall feedback highlights a positive user experience. The clear resolution and reduced screen-door effect were also frequently cited as positive aspects.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 2,460 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Setup
Cons mentioned:
Screen door effect
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Mid-Gen PC VR
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
If you are looking to get into VR, now has become one of the largest changes in VR for years. There are now multiple options for VR and it really all comes down to what you are willing to invest and what you are looking for.
I personally have several VR systems and I have had the original Oculus Rift for over 2 years. So, I have been desiring an upgrade. However, the Rift S isn’t a complete upgrade from the original Rift, as some things have been somewhat downgraded in my opinion, but that is not to say this is a bad choice. I personally feel that the increased resolution, the reduced screen door effect, the reduced glare on the lenses and the simplicity of set-up have justified changing to the Rift S. The lack of on-ear headphones, the LCD screen and the inside out tracking have been what I feel are the slight downgrade.
The major reason I moved to the Rift S is because of my current room set-up, I can’t stretch USB cameras to ideal positions. Where the original Rift recommended 3 cameras for room-scale and needed 4 USB ports, the Rift S only needs one USB. Though the tracking is not as good with 3 external cameras, it’s not too bad and with their recent updates it is getting better. The room setup of the Rift S is the easiest of any VR system I have used and with a recent update it even became one step less. I also really enjoy taking my VR to parties and gatherings to share the experience and even compared to a Windows Mixed Reality headset I am up and running quicker.
As for the LCD screen, in normal colorful well lit experiences, I notice the increase in resolution but not the fact it is an LCD over OLED. However, in very dim lit games, ones where darkness is a key element, I can’t help but to notice the back lit panel washing out the experience. The contrast between black and grey areas is near impossible to distinguish in some experiences.
I feel the biggest let down for me has been the audio. One thing I used to rave about the Rift over the Vive was that it came with headphones built in. All you had to do is grab the controllers and put the headset on and you are good to go. The Rift S has audio built in, and I was surprised at the quality, however it is so open that I feel I lose the immersion. One thing I enjoy about VR is that I am in a completely different place, taken away from actual reality. With the open audio concept of the Rift S I can now hear everything else around me, pulling me out of that immersion. The good thing is that it has a 3.5mm jack on the headset, however with the halo head brace, it’s hard to use just any headset and is best suited for in-ear headphones. There are other options that users have come up with and I am using one of them now, but wish there was a better manufacturer option.
Also to note is that you must have a Display Port or a mini-DP, as the Rift S comes with the adapter. I have an ASUS G752 laptop that has a mini-DP and it works perfectly.
Overall, I really enjoy the Rift S and if it was my first VR system I probably wouldn’t have any of these minor gripes. I still prefer the Rift S for the clarity and simplicity and it will be traveling with me every time I want to share VR.
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Battery life, Screen door effect
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
A great VR experience for an amazing price
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
TLDR; Get the Rift S if you already have a gaming PC. You won't be disappointed!
I tried the Quest but after trying the S, I promptly returned the Quest. My son has the first gen Rift, so I was also able to compare the quality between the two. The S is a marked improvement!
No external cameras, better display, and almost zero screen door effect makes for a truly immersive experience. Between the S and the Quest, I'd rather put up with the cable (I ordered a 6 foot extension for only $15) and enjoy PC powered graphics than go cordless with the Quest's PS3 (some say PS2) graphics quality.
If the Quest were $100 less, I'd have a harder time making the decision. Being the same price, I'd say portability lost out to a better VR experience. Since the "R" in "VR" stands for "Reality" and you want the absolute best experience, go with the Rift S. Not having to worry about Battey life and the 2 hours it takes to recharge, is another strike against the Quest in my opinion.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Tracking
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best VR headset to start with
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The inside out tracking is perfect for beginners to VR because it eliminates the need to install sensors in your room. The controllers are lightweight and the tracking is great. Only issues I've had so far with the tracking is it gets spotty if you reach behind you where the cameras can't see the controllers or you put the controllers too close to the headset. Something to note though is sometimes I'll start the Oculus app and it won't detect the headset, prompting me to run a file via win key+R which can be a foreign concept to some. Another issue is when you close the oculus app to use your PC normally, the headset goes into standby mode, but my controllers still drained their batteries, which can be a pain unless you invest in rechargable double AA's like I did. In the end, for $400, this is a perfect startup for VR enthusiasts and I will stand by this headset firmly
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Tracking, Vr
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Entry into VR
|
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I’m going to start off by saying I’ve only had this for a day so far but wow is it awesome. So I’ve played around with the htc vive and oculus before at the college I go to and I really enjoyed the experience but the problem is that I just don’t have the room for the light houses. The best aspects of this headset are that there’s no light houses and that there’s only one cable running off of it and at the end of the cable it just splits into usb and display port. As far as I can tell the tracking is very good I haven’t really noticed any short comings yet. The first game I got was super hot VR I’ve heard really good things about it and I think it really show cases the strength of VR in my opinion my wife and I took turns playing it and had a blast and she’s not really a gamer the only thing she plays is the sims on a old hp laptop. I figured she would like it but I think she likes more than I even thought she would. I would say overall if your thinking about VR and you have the required specs to run it this is the way to go atleast until a great wireless option is available. You don’t need to spend 1000 dollars for a great experience cough “index” I’m sure it’s a great headset but I’d say this is the starting point when I have the space I’ll probably get the index but for now and for the foreseeable future this does the job and then some. The only negatives I would say is that it doesn’t come with any games it would be nice if it came with atleast maybe one cheap game and it would
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Tracking
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Amazing upgrade from my Vive. Better than expected
|
|
Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I have an Index reserved for August 31st. I have sold my Vive and bought a Rift S for playing VR in the meantime, but now I am in love with it, I`ll probably going to pass the Index. I have a narrow IPD (60) but the carity and sweet spot is so much better that the original Vive. The blacks are surprisingly good and even, not to mention the screendoor reduction, and glare control. The lightness and the halo design really beats the Vive with the Deluxe Audio Strap in confort. About the cables, just pass them trough the strap headband, it will feel in the right place behind your head. Try the Mamut Grips on the Touch, to emulate the Knuckles controllers hand holding design. I also recommend buying the Plantronics RIG 500HX headphone, it is very light, great sounding, fits perfectly over the halo strap and it is cheap. Passtrough + makes easy to get and put it over. The tracking is great with the new 1.39 firmware upgrade, I actually had more ocasional jitters and hiccups with my gen 1 Vive Lighhouses. The only real downside comparing to my Vive is the horizontal field of view, it feels narrower and more squared, in the Vive it looks to me a bit larger and rounded.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great Value Compared to Other VR
|
|
Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I purchased the Oculus Rift S to go with the Alienware laptop I also picked up. I have to say I am impressed with the ease of use and quality and image quality and performance.
Pros: easy to setup (no satellites required), good quality and performance for the price, controls and good, headset is comfortable and easy to adjust to fit.
Cons: cable is a necessary evil and occasionally gets in the way. The audio could be better as the built in headset audio is basic at best. Plan to use your own audio headphones that plug into the unit.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Vr
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
love it but it has some issues
|
|
Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The first time I tried it on I was amazed by the 3d and VR, 10 days into it and I started having connect issues. Every time I want to play it I have to unplug the usb cable 2 times and restart oculus before it will start working properly.
I struggled to get it working the first time it started having connect issues, I reinstalled everything 2 times, deleted the headset off of oculus and rebinded it.
I think I finally have it down where I can get it to start working again, as much as I love it I'm really disappointed in how much I have to mess with it to get it to work.
It's not just me that is having problems from what I can tell it's alot of people.
I'm starting to think there is a design flaw in how the data link cable plugs into the oculus and after a while of moving around the plug gets loose and you end up with connect issues.
I still love it don't get me wrong, if someone else buys it make sure you zip tie the cable to the headset so your plug doesn't get worn out. If you do that I think you should be fine and won't have any problems.
I did that after the fact, pretty sure I stopped anymore future connect issues that would leave me with a $400 brick. But I still have to play with the cords to get mine to work.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Vr
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
15 year-old sure loves it!!
|
|
Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
My 15 year old says, “I have a lot of fun,” and he’s the happiest he’s been in the last 10 months. He uses it daily for the last week and is enjoying trying new things. He would like to purchase more games to get more out of it.
This is an upgrade from his Oculus Go.
He sets the limits so he doesn’t walk into things. It’s actually pretty cool.
I wish I had known we needed a separate piece to connect it to his laptop because he couldn’t use it right away due to that.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Graphics, Setup
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great vr for price
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I started with the original rift and have no complaints with it, only upgraded due to sensors and my sim racing cockpit. Definitely a big improvement with graphics, setup etc....
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Setup
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great beginner headset!
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I decided to get this headset because my friend had let me try his rift s and I absolutely loved it. I had never used a vr before, The setup was very easy to do. After you set everything up you get put into a introduction game with a cute little robot who will show you some stuff to get used to controls and all. the built in speakers are pretty nice, I also can wear my glasses while wearing this headset. I have a pretty big head and I am able to get it on. I just have to put it on a little different, but once it's on it isn't uncomfortable. I can also put my arctis 7 headset on while wearing this no problem. overall I am very pleased with this purchase.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Graphics
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good but controllers are cheaply made
|
|
Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Headset is great with amazing visuals and quality, but the controllers are cheaply made with many design flaws, batteries started shifting around every time it was moved quickly, had to fix that by putting tape on the battery to hold it, triggers started to squeak, and one of the controllers got a big crack on it now, so great be headset for the price but the controllers are cheaply made
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Easy to setup, see through is grainy.
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
It was easy to setup though I had to go back once I learned how to do the see through to setup the guardian. See through is grainy sometimes. I'm one of the unfortunate that gets motion sickness through prolonge exposure but it's really engaging except for when I hit the edge of play area or when 'teleporting'. My younger sister and her boyfriend had a lot of fun. They also did it for too long and got motion sickness. The box it came in great for storage. Also exposure to sun can damage lenses. Thankfully I recently installed curtains.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Vr
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Amazing Experience
|
|
Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This new model is absolutely amazing, overall im having a great experience with VR glad i picked this up. By now you should realize that VR is the future of gaming and with this you can be a part of it !
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Clear some space in your living Room.....
|
|
Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Coolest device since the microwave oven!! Brings to life a new form of gameplay for the video game industry. See Alyx, the Half Life Masterpiece game of the decade! Items like this are perfect for your Covid lockdown and free time.....the epitome of the perfect purchase and more than qualified for spendage of your hard earned money, on products that will not leave you lonely.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Graphics
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Amazing!
|
|
Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Have not been able to stop playing. The games are great and inexpensive. Great virtual experience with amazing graphics. Speakers are terrific.
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Usb
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
will not work with most laptops - even VR Ready
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
VR Ready does not mean it can connect to this setup.
The new connector type for the Rift S makes it incompatible with most laptops. It uses a USB and a display port connector.
The only way to get an adapter to work is if you have a thunderbolt output that is directly wired to the GPU. Not CPU.
This fact should be put into the description for this VR Unit.
Would have loved for this to work. I gave it one star in order for this to stand out enough to help avoid frustration for anyone looking to use this for a laptop that is VR Ready.
Best Buy took it back with no problems.
Great service.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
It's good for starting out / on the road with a PC
|
|
Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I purchased this VR headset back in November 2020 and I enjoyed it, playing with friends and showing people how it works. Up until my 2015 gaming computer decided it would not allow it to work anymore. I'm not sure if it's a issue with the headset, or the out of date pc. Recently, the headset said the sensors could not be tracked and I have tried everything except getting a new computer. One gripe I had with the actual hardware is the Field Of View, which is pretty low and doesn't feel very good.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Worth taking a look at for old and new gamers!
|
|
Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
It was a great turn out for the purchase. Puts you in an immersive and unbelievable world.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great entertainment.
|
|
Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Bought the VR headset for my son as a gift/ both he and I have enjoyed it use since. Its great entertainment as well as good exercise. Would highly recommend for any family fun.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
Painful experience with Oculus Rift S
|
|
Posted . Owned for 8 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This Oculus Rift VR headset has been a nightmare since I purchased for my son; it is freezes constantly and he needs to restart the PC to get it back running for sometime until freezes again. The PC is a fully loaded LENOVO LEGION T730 gaming machine with NVIDIA RTX 2070 so it is not the PC, we thought could be the PC but we had it checked and it is in perfect shape. We have contacted Oculus and provided all the logs they asked for, then they said we had to talk to BestBuy. So we did and BestBuy referred back to Oculus. so no one has accountability. Its been months, now the VR is getting dust in a corner and I have a frustrated kid. Surprisingly I get questioned why I did not buy the Oculus Quest instead... maybe I should have, but who will respond for the Rift S?