LGR - Oculus Rift DK2 Thoughts & Demonstration

Gameplay demos and first impressions on the Oculus Rift Development Kit 2! Virtual reality has never been so virtually real, dude.
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[@monsterfurby]

I just ordered my DK2 yesterday, and now, at the height of my hype-buzz, one of my favourite youtubers adds his comments to the mix. Thanks LGR for pushing my excitement for this through the roof! Now I really can't wait for it to ship.

[@pushinguproses]

...I feel like I am gonna spew, and I haven't even used it yet. The device itself reminds me of some of the devices used at places like Lenscrafters to check your sight and eye health. Can this thing give me my prescription? I would totally invest in one if it did that.

[@InternetTAB]

If you're gonna spew... Spew into this

[@ArmchairChemist]

I think people who feel this way should still give the Oculus a chance. I guess it's normal to feel kinda sick when watching someone else play, but when you try it for yourself you probably wont feel sick at all ( not a guarantee though, everybody's different ), it's like how people who are prone to carsickness don't get sick when they're the driver since they have control and can predict the movements. I personally had a negative bias towards the DK2 like you guys but after trying it out for myself I was blown away.

[@ClickToEnlarge]

I use my DK2 with my race seat/wheel and Project Cars. It's.......insanely awesome.

[@LGR]

Nick Duel That really is an experience, isn't it? I still need a proper seat, but even just with my Fanatec wheel setup it's fantastic. Can't wait for CV1!

[@ClickToEnlarge]

You got a Fanatec!? awww man Im so jeleous, I ended up just getting a $300.00 Thrustmaster. Still fun though!

[@MisterNinten]

I was incredibly sceptical of the Oculus Rift when I first heard about this. Now hearing that it works, for the most part, I'm actually looking forward to this. I can only imagine how amazingly awesome certain FPSes will be with a surround sound headset.

[@temepeku]

VR is what i've been dreaming of ever since i was a kid. i will buy this the second it comes on sale because the concept really interests me

[@DavidStudiosproduct]

The first thing I'm going to do when I get an Oculus Rift, play Half Life 2. Even if I can't play the shooting part, I hear City 17 is amazing. I can already imagine the G-Man speech blowing my mind!

[@YoussefJKaram]

Did you play half life alyx yet?

[@PeteSkerritt]

The Lawnmower Man v. 2.0? :) Seriously-- your excitement is pretty cool to see. I'm a bit more of a believer after watching this piece than I was before, and it's honestly because of that enthusiasm. We've been down the VR road before, but this is different. There is a lot of potential, but the price for the mass market also has to be right in order for this to take off in a couple of years.

[@tekchip]

I demoed V1 back in 2011 and it was amazing! I haven't had the opportunity to try V2 yet but if it's better in any way that's going to be even more amazing. I'll be getting a final production unit unless Sony's offering has really really really good software support.

[@ilungapaul8938]

prièr ton dieu tout va bien

[@eddiehimself]

Heh, the AMD FX 8350 was really the workhorse CPU of choice back in the mid 2010s. I remember having one in my 2013 build and other people I knew having them back in that time period as well.

[@cosmic_drew]

People love to shit on the FX series today but I loved my 8350 from 2013-2016. I played so many amazing games combined with my 7970 and then my 390X and I wrote a ton of music using that cpu.

[@Powerhouse1]

The consumer edition says that It'll be under $300. If that's the case and everything works out well, than the price should be well worth it.

[@nyancat4924]

Pow3rh0use i heard the oculus rift dk2 costs $300 but im living in in germany and a old one costs 489 from ebay lol

[@EntonationStudios]

Well, this really turned out to not be true

[@Hashslingingslasher-]

oh wow im glad i subbed, no one ever even attempts to put the camera up too the lenses, thanks for that

[@potterj09]

This thing ... lol waited 9 months, paid $150 shipping from the States. Used it 3 times, got 2 migraines. Luckily the local market was so strong I sold it for more than I paid. Got a Quest2 recently and never looked back

[@benbmusic88]

Oh man thanks so much for making this! This answers tons of questions on what is going on with Oculous. You should post an update when some things change or improve. I cannot wait for this..

[@SpeedySPCFan]

For a moment, I thought DK2 meant "Donkey Kong 2" and wondered why there was an absence of any gigantic apes. D:

[@williamkendrick]

see this is why i like you, you break it down eloquently, and nerdily. its a pleasure to watch your videos. wish i had money to support you dammit. but i have a familly and i'm a disabled vet to boot... so my income is so small i literally have to make everything work for less than 800 bucks per month with two kids a wife and a house payment... YEAH.... but if i had any extra i swear i'd throw it your way... i appreciate your videos. thank you.

[@Noxedwin]

I owned a DK2. I didn't use it much. I couldn't find much software that supported it, other than little homebrew Unity things. Nowadays. I use Vive. For the record, Elite: Dangerous looks sick as hell in VR nowadays. You get an incredible sense of scale. The Cobra MK.II's cockpit looks *massive*, like you could actually stand up and walk around it.

[@evilkinggumby]

"I'm only going to talk about a few because I don't want to go on for too much longer". At the 9 minute mark of an 18 minute video..LOL. I love when you geek out and just can't stop :)

[@anakoART]

I tried DK1 some time ago and it was freaking fantastic. The pure feeling of you being inside another world is so revolutionary that I'm waiting for the final release with such an excitement I haven't felt since childhood. O: Hopefully they'll get over technical difficulties. Great review! Makes me wish I could try DK2 as well. xd

[@BahhBahhBrownSheep]

I wonder what you feel about the vr market nowadays

[@PuckStar]

I usually don't watch such long YT reviews but I saw it completely and liked it :). So thanks.

[@mgdriver8503]

Just picked one of these up for cheap. Glad to see you have a review on this!

[@Cooe.]

Lol I hope "cheap" = less than $40 w/ everything included AT THE MOST! Otherwise you got ripped off. Honestly, a DK2 w/o controllers is probably only actually worth about $20 in a post $299 128GB Quest 2 w/ controllers world if you're ACTUALLY thinking about using it. As a tech history collectors piece otoh, it's priceless.

[@kevinhansford3929]

@@Cooe. iv got a dk2 in my collection that Iv had from new and if you can pick it up cheap enough it's still functional with some games like elite dangerous so long as you use the old oculus app

[@AdaptiveReasoning]

So, when are we going to see your cat review the Oculus Rift box? What are its specs? Is it appropriately satisfying to chew on? Big enough to fit in? Did it come with the delightfully battable packing peanuts or those lame plastic popping sheets?

[@Jontman42]

This is pretty much the most exciting piece of technology for me. When it's at the point where you can just get lost in a virtual world and it feels real, the possibilities are endless.

[@asdf30111]

Most exciting piece of tech I can think of is full blow VR. You become a god by that point. VR is about when better then human AI should be. Full VR will also support uploading you self into a computer. As by then the Computer will be able to store that much info and it needs to to make VR feel 100% real. (Will True VR is a bit bellow transhuman AI and brain uploading but is not that far from it.) I hope I make it to that time when it becomes real.

[@VarietyGamerChannel]

And so are the potential lawsuits/deaths. Gaming is about to get really interesting.

[@jnobile22]

VarietyGamer you will probably see me in the news then "gamer plays skyrim with oculus rift for a week and dies of starvation" xD

[@SteveBenway]

I had a go on one at Replay Blackpool in May. It blew my socks off, but I couldn't get past the low resolution or the "milky" lens effect. If they get those sorted... er... I probably won't get one coz my PC isn't up to the job. Still... lovely piece of kit :D

[@LGR]

Was it the DK1 or DK2 do you know? The DK2 improves that effect greatly, but it's definitely still got a ways to go and is distracting at first for sure. Certain games it's way more noticeable than others too...which is probably why games with tons of text and little details like Elite Dangerous didn't impress me much, but Proton Pulse with its stylized graphics sucked me in!

[@SteveBenway]

It was the DK2. I liked the effect a lot, but without a higher rez screen, it'll never really hit the spot.

[@mbbmbbmm]

I tried the DK2 yesterday and I don't feel like that at all. :-) Your description sounds more like I would have described the DK1. For me the feeling of realness and presence overrules any shortcomings that are left. I didn't even notice the pixels most of the time. And when I did I found them rather charming and even reassuring in a kind of way. I don't know, maybe it really depends on the demo.

[@rubrsoul1672]

mbbmbbmm hmm it really seems to be how the rift was set up for the person, and what they were actually playing. This seems to be the cause of better/worse experiences from what i've been reading

[@michaelwestmoreland2530]

mbbmbbmm That's one heck of a beautiful description. Pixels charming and reassuring......the implication being that reality really IS a simulation, and the pixels remind us of the actual nature of things?

[@delatroy]

OR + The Dark Mod... Jesus testicles. Could you imagine the immersion and sense of stealth... Grim rock, Skyrim, Star Citizen, Portal multilayer!! Exploring car crashes in slow motion must be a blast too. Been waiting for this since the 80s!! :D Like being blown away by exploring Doom for the first time I'd say. Such moments are exceedingly rare.

[@SC0RPI0NFURY]

Nice dk2 demonstration, im so hyped about VR these days but i think ill wait for consumer version.

[@lucth16]

This is the first video I ever watch of you. Love you voice/tone. Keep it up!

[@JustGamerzNL]

I hope I can one day finally walk trough Hobbiton :)

[@redworld13]

That daggerfall shirt is awesome! great stuff as always lgr!

[@djjoel1]

Friggin wicked. So stoked for the final release. Euro truck simulator or another driving sim, with one of those expensive racing chairs that moves... *drools*

[@spinlathes9288]

DK1 was a motion sickness machine for me, can't wait to try the DK2..

[@AmusementCrazy]

My Rift is out for delivery! So excited!

Holy fuck, seeing that T-shirt took me to nostalgia in a microsecond.

[@jacobhively397]

I really really miss your old intro, please bring it back for your faithful fans. I've been here since the winblows review haha :D?

[@Ryodakun]

I had the pleassure of testing these things at gamescom and it's pretty amazing.

[@FightingForceSoulless]

This makes me feel like...like...i dont' know...it could be good, but who knows how many great programs will be there for this. And yeah, Carmack is a genius. He made Doom and now this, simply amazing.

[@neojeets]

Can't wait for Oculus and all the racing and flight sim titles that are sure to follow

[@VarietyGamerChannel]

Just ordered one. Now the long wait begins.

[@DynamixWarePro]

I defiantly am thinking about getting one, especially for playing simulators with, but I am going to wait for the final version first.

[@tonytechvt]

If you cross your eyes, then bring the images together to 3 and focus on the center image you too can experience a similar 3D effect in this video. No joke. This is really a thing.

[@KevinKevinGame]

Since Duke nukem, great stuff man all the time, not sure if I want to drop on the DK2 yet though but man is it teasing.

[@KeFeStudio]

Tried this yesterday. It is AWESOME!

[@Slot1Gamer]

Lazy Game Reviews Imagine combining this with a force-feedback rumble chair.. OR one of those force feedback vests ! Perfect for FPS

[@ingwersengrady]

A really detailed, but not obnoxiously-so helicopter gunship sim is what this thing needs.

[@KingRey.]

Its crazy how things have changed in only 6 years.

[@niceandgames]

Thanks for the look at this great...thing! I have been concerned about motion sickness and general comfort of the Oculus Rift but those game demos....whoo boy. Exciting stuff! Could see spending a lot of time with something like this. Might need many drinks with straws for easy hydration while wearing the headset. :)

[@AsahinaZatsu]

Now to experience eerie ambiance, with the rift.

[@plan7a]

:D - Let's hope the developers will continue to improve the progress of the device and you will get a chance to continue with it too.

[@cosmic_drew]

I can't even get my DK1 to work anymore with my PC.... but the case still looks cool on my shelf. lol

[@TheHabitman]

That last demo seemed pretty fucken badass. I'd love to give this thing a try. Just imagine a survival horror game with this. Incorporate elements from these modern survival games with classic survival-horror mechanics, and you'd probably have one hell of experience. No RE6, though. Or 5 for that matter.

Thanks for the awesome review. I think its the first review i see that actually helps deciding if i should get it or not. :)

[@mbbmbbmm]

Oh, so great that you review this!

[@RetroGamerVX]

So when bendy, curved screens become cheap enough, they may get it to fully wrap around :o)

[@LGR]

That would be amazingly cool! That and higher resolution would make this pretty unstoppable.

[@skykid]

Lazy Game Reviews Sony is working on one as well and you can bet they're paying attention to the limitations of this device.

[@Aotommo]

While they aren't using curved screens, there is a French company that is currently developing an HMD that has something like a 270 degree field of view, by using four separate LCDs and giant Fresnel lenses. I believe it's called the Infiniteye, if I remember correctly. The device itself looks pretty absurd but I imagine the view it gives is incredible!

[@michaelwestmoreland2530]

skykid I suppose I could live with that. Kick-starter used to basically demonstrate the existence of a market worth looking into, even if that just means the first group is eventually eclipsed by the big players...kind of like how it wasn't 6 months after the introduction of the Aegia Physics Card that in a completely unrelated move, Video Card developers started including GPU functions IN their own cards, slowly starving Aegia out of providing for a market those self same big players didn't give two shits about before.

[@andyb2341]

2:55 best arnold impression ever

[@greenpieceofmind]

I see you back there, Arena. I still can't wait for Redguard and Morrowind reviews :D

[@KombatGod]

Wow. Cool review, but I'm mostly surprised at how well I'm able to look at those gameplay footage with my eyes crossed making the 3d effect work.

[@AluVixapede]

To be honest, that's why I love the track IR, I'm a flightsim nerd as well, I noticed it was a lot ... Not "easier" but way more natural to do stuff.

[@EpicureMammon]

That paddle ball game looks like a 3D remake of an older flash game called Curveball (almost exactly the the same). I really liked that game, and this one looks great. MAN! I was inches from ordering a DK2, and now I wish I had (but I guess I'll save for the final one and some bike parts :) ).

[@raydeen2k]

Love the Daggerfall shirt! DF is my favorite in the TES series.

[@real_armadillo]

Can't wait to get my DK2.

[@brianrulez4140]

I also was amazed by the end user version...

[@lardman101]

Nice wallpaper choice, I have that one too.

[@regemo]

I tend to watch your Sims reviews. But I've also been interested in this Oculus Rift for about a year. And in this video The Sims and virtual reality collide lol.

[@HerbieIWALVG]

I cannot wait to get my hands on one.

[@Jimmykreedz]

Oh man I cannot wait for the consumer edition.. Q1 2016, too far away.. It's tough, man.

[@NaOVGiR2012]

I really want to get this DK2, when it is done. And John Carmack is apart of it, so I know that it is going to be good in the end.

[@allyjackson3561]

this is a wonderful thing. I got DK1 and it is sad to hear that my DK2 won't run most of them right now. but I am happy how good it is cause when the rift hits the market it will most likely sell. and that will make a market for VR. and that will make competition. on who can make the best head mounted display or VR conrolers like VRcontrole or Razer Hydras or the Omny tredmil. untell finaly we have nerve gear :D

[@andybell7572]

I am still Rocking my DK1, Not bothering with the DK2, I have my rift working with Rise of Flight (which you can view under my vids) but YES. If I had a crapton of money the DK2 would be sitting in front of me right now. However, there's a Track IR 5 and a DK1 in front of me, which, technically when all hooked up like a massive puzzle is the same thing. What I'd LOVE to see on the Rift is Pre-Directx 7 Stuff. For instance WING COMMANDER, or Red Baron 3D. Still bummed I couldn't get 3D Arcade to play ball, had all the roms working and everything.

[@YEUWYU]

I LOVE YOUR NEW SHIRT MAN!

[@sygos]

Really kickass Daggerfall shirt!

[@michaelwestmoreland2530]

It's great seeing a fellow gamer hyped about something. We haven't really experinced anything note worthy since, what? The invention of the dedicated GPU? I'm loving this. What I wonder is if anyone knows the sources of the limitations you described. The "blurry, grainy, screen door text" effect. Does anyone know if that's a hardware or a software issue? Or both? Or neither? I don't mind dolling out hard earned cash on a developing technology I've been secretly hoping for since the original Tron, if not before even that. I do, however, consider it important to figure out the nature of said issues. If it's hardware based, as much as I CRAVE the experience, I don't know that I could shell out the money (even with it's remarkably reasonable price tag, something else I haven't felt a long time, the sensation of getting as much if not more than what you paid for), KNOWING that the only way it was ever going to improve was in a further physical implementation, which means buying it all over again. I WANT to. I WANT to early adopt and do what I can to influence this away from the brief boom-bust of the early 90's into a lasting experience, but... On the other hand, if the resolution and text issues are SOFTWARE based, well hell, that's free update. I'm MORE than happy to deal with the annoyances now, knowing they'll only get better with time. So, hardware or software? Wait for a better piece of tech, potentially risking stalling the market the moment it needs capital interest most? Or grab it right here and now, and enjoy the ride through the world we call Immersion?

[@gex581990]

The final product is out you definitely need to do a video on that one

[@ThetaReactor]

In the same vein as Proton Pulse, you might like Minotaur Rescue VR. Similar sort of abstract, controller-less gameplay, with that classic Llamasoft psychedelia.

[@itsaPIXELthing]

Great hardware review, as always!

[@loverrlee7904]

I can't wait for Sims 5 on Oculus! ;)

[@Ryodakun]

I was always thinking that you could build a virtual desktop where you simulate sitting in front of a normal PC. The advantage is that you can adjust how big your screen is and all that stuff.

[@onkkell]

TrackIR, man. It's been around for years. But yes, it's quite cool tech.

[@LGR]

What's your point? I was saying it was new to _Rift_, not that it was new tech at all. And even then, this is still a bit different than what TrackIR does, having used both.

[@onkkell]

Lazy Game Reviews Sorry, I was just surprised you were so impressed by it when it to me just looked like it works just like TrackIR. Not that the tech isn't impressive. I was also tired and slightly grumpy when I commented, I see how silly and pointless it was now.

[@NefariousElasticity]

Can't wait for next year when the commercial edition is released. Hopefully the development/modding community stays active though, because this peripheral WILL die without it.

[@jouebien]

I played for about 5-10min on one of the DK1's at the Griffith Linux Users Group. It was ausom - although look at fire in one of the demos and prepare to get sick. Other than that I found it to be very enjoyable. Have not had a chance to play on the DK2 but like you said it has more functionality and a better screen (In the DK1 it was obvious you were looking at a screen).

[@exodous02]

Finally got home to watch you video. From what I've seen on your and others video is the final unit will need higher resolution. I'm sure when it is released it will sport a 4K display with a higher refresh rate and that will be 90% of the cost. I'd still like the desktop use and video watching to evolve. I do agree with you driving and flight sims seems the best before gloves or some other way of interacting is introduced.

[@daN0b1adeh0meharg]

Want to get it, but I think I can wait for full release. Hopefully.

[@onemanandhisbike]

Nice game collection there bro

[@segaprophet]

Yay for Raspberry Pi in the background! Does this mean we might get a Pi related vid?

[@hkoizumi3134]

If you're the type of person that get sick in the car while reading or playing games then there's a good chance that you can get motion sickness from DK2. I have told that I need to get my VR feet for it and to do that, I have to use it on the regular bases. So far it gets better and better but the first night I tried it, I got so sick the next day, I had to call out from work. I haven't called sick to work in 6 years! Once I got that nausea controlled by taking few remedies, I was okay in a day. So if you're looking to try this game, make it clear that you will have to work at it to get it to be playable. Either by setup difficulties or physical problems, this DK2 is not for the general public as of yet.

[@IvanoForgione]

I. Need. That. Daggerfall. Shirt. Now.

[@KenW66]

I can see it now, the Sims 5 and the DK3. That would be freaky.

[@Neothemod]

Lazy Game Reviews I really what a demo where your in a space shuttle and you get to drive it and go to the moon and walk on there, now that would be awesome :)

[@PlngPong]

Keep the Rift content coming Subbed.

[@lowenevvan8619]

You can see the 3D gameplay by crossing your eyes and lining up the images. It's not exactly easy though, as it inverts the way you focus in and out of objects, so 3D effects in gameplay and video would be awkward.

[@DarkShroom]

u should be able to have a sort of virtual desktop, some lightweight version of this should be the future imo

[@Pholiage]

I really really really reeeallly want one of these. But I have to wait :( As you said in the video, chances are that the DK versions might not work at all when the final build is released. Seeing as the DK1 software and DK2 doesn't work together. Thanks for sharing what there is to look forward to. Can't wait to play Shift 2 with Rift and G27 setup :D

[@slaxvice86]

Loving your Daggerfall shirt! (Though I wish they made a Morrowind one...)

[@whyisthereyou]

Hey LGR, are you going to be finishing the LGR plays Sims 2 expansion videos? You only got to open for business, nightlife, and university. And I was looking forward to watching the rest.

[@Admiralex91]

Thank you for this honest review.

[@cbarnes86]

Sooooo.... Was that an invitation to come over and try that thing? Lol great video. I'm not going to bother with a DK because when it fully releases, I won't know what to do with it. Can't wait for this thing though!

[@teknifix]

I am surprised that a piece of software somewhere didn't check to see if your CPU had the necessary instruction set and complain about it. I am certain that would have saved a headache.

[@ifoRproductions]

Imagine the oculus together with the brain wave detector emotiv insight!

[@fuyingbro]

Elite dangerous looks awesome

[@Zenvictplayer]

I have looks other game video like Skyrim. It looks pretty awesome. Install some kind of first person view mod and ENB Graphic modifications would make the incredible experience.

[@anakoART]

Exactly. The first game I'll play when I set up my Oculus once it's released is Skyrim. :D

[@realFoxBox]

Did you try Team Fortress 2? Its technically the first main stream game to support the rift. It can be enabled in the advanced option menu. If you have, or haven't given it a try, let me know!

[@LGR]

Can't! As mentioned in the video, games have to be made with the DK2's SDK in order to work with the DK2. None of Valve's games have been updated to support it yet.

[@speedysandisk78]

Got mine in the mail yesterday... Half Life 2 (and eps 1 and 2) is my trip at the moment, Valve updated the steam edition with full native VR support. It's not perfect, but still mind blowingly awesome, so much better than with the DK1.

[@Miasmark]

darnit! I was looking forward to oculus rift and Donkey Kong 2.