Oculus held their F8 event today during which they revealed two new and very different VR headsets. In comparison to the also just announced $1,000 Valve Index, these two Oculus headsets start at $400 (or $399 if you want to be specific), and that's the price for the full package on both of these.

A major advantage with these two headsets, when compared to the Index, is the fact that they utilize inside-out tracking. That means they make use of headset mounted cameras and sensors to track your location within an environment in addition to the controller locations in space. In short: You don't need any sort of tracking base stations with these to get a full VR experience.

But "Quest" and "Rift S?" What's the difference between the two?

Well, the Oculus Quest is a fully stand-alone VR headset. It has no wires and does not require a PC. Of course, this also means that storage is built into the headset and the visual fidelity is not as good as if you were running off of a dedicated gaming PC. The big upside to this is the fact that you still have a full VR experience that you can take literally anywhere.

The Quest starts at $399 for the 64GB model. There is a 128GB model priced at $499. Both bundles include the Quest headset, the inside-out "Insight" tracking, and two Oculus Touch controllers. The controllers are slightly modified designs of the older Touch controllers. You also obviously get some AA batteries for the controllers, a power adapter, a glasses friendly spacer, and a charging cable.

It's important to note here that the battery life on the Quest is only about two hours before it needs to be charged again. With the amount of tech at work here, a short battery life probably doesn't come as too much of a surprise. This battery life information came from a Quest video review courtesy of The Verge. Additional reviews can be found at Road to VR and IGN, among other places.


On the flip side of the coin is the Oculus Rift S, a not-quite-Rift-2 VR headset that aims to replace the older Oculus Rift model. This is the VR headset for those who have a gaming PC that they want to make use of to power their VR experience. Unlike the Quest, the Rift S does still make use of a connecting cable to a PC. However, like the Quest, the Rift S also features that inside-out "Insight" tracking, meaning that there is no longer a need for external sensors. This, in turn, means that users can now free up some of those USB ports the sensors on the non-S model were taking up.

Just like the Oculus Quest, reviews are already starting to come in for the Oculus Rift S. Road to VR says that it's a "good choice for VR newcomers" but a "difficult choice for VR vets." Other reviews from sites like Digital Trends and Engadget seem to echo those same sentiments.

Would-be buyers should make note of how the libraries work between these devices. As it stands, just because something is available and works on the Rift S, that does not mean it will work on the Quest (and vice-versa). However, so far most of the games that are on one are also available on the other device. With that in mind, you can check out a list of the Oculus Quest launch library below.

The Quest will come pre-loaded with five titles. These are Beat Saber, Creed, Journey of the Gods, Space Pirate Trainer, and Sports Scramble.