Difference Between Oculus Rift and HTC Vive

Key Difference – Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive
 

The key difference between Oculus Rift  and HTC Vive is that the HTC Vive, which comes with a unique controller and tracking system, provides a more immersive experience as the device can be worn and walked around.

Virtual reality headsets have made their way into our lives in the recent past. Both Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive are one of the leading VR devices in the emerging market. Let us take a closer look at both Oculus Rift  and HTC Vive and decide which one is better for the user.

Oculus Rift – Features and Specifications

Design

The design of the device is not up to scratch as with the other headsets that are available in the market. The device is bulky but light at the same time. The VR device can be strapped in front of the head. This will enable the user to view the virtual world unobstructed. The device comes with Velcro straps providing comfortable pads for the face.

The Oculus Rift comes with a smaller footprint and a sleek exterior design. This device also supports glasses. Connectivity can be achieved with the help of an HDMI and USB. The device can support external headphones as well.

Controls

The Oculus uses a custom controller known as Oculus touch. The controls will include a joystick and a button setup. The relative position of the headset will be determined by a low latency tracking for a quick response. The device comes with an internal tracking sensor and a haptic feedback for an immersive gaming experience.

The device comes with a game pad, which ships with a Xbox One Controller.

Display

The displays define the quality of the headset.  The display on the rift comes with a vibrant OLED display with a resolution of 1080 X 1200. The final pixel resolution produced by the display is 2160 × 1200 pixels at a refresh rate of 90 Hz.  The refresh rate ensures that the user gets a smooth overall experience on the device.

The rift is able to provide a field of view of 110 degrees while relying on a 360-degree head tracking mechanism. The rift is said to be a more sit down device. There are other devices which can be used to walk around physically. This feature may not be applicable for the rift.

Performance

The minimum requirement of the rift is i5-4590 processor assisted by more than 8GB of RAM. The OS that needs to be run is Windows 7 service pack 1. The graphics will need to be supported by a GTX 970 or AMD 290. The rift may be able to manage with a less performance PC, but the user experience may not be ideal.

Software

The Oculus Rift is able to support software found in the Oculus Rift store. This software comes with a game called Lucky’s Tale for free.

HTC Vive – Features and Specifications

Design

From a design aspect, the HTC Vive cannot be said to be fashionable by any means when compared to the other VR devices in the market. This device comes with Velcro padding to provide comfort to the face. The Vive is a bit heavy when compared with its rivals. This is due to the 37 visible sensor, which is designed to connect to wireless cameras. This device also supports glasses which may be uncomfortable. The device can be connected to a PC with the help of a USB and HDMI port.

Controls

The Vive comes with a custom controller known as the SteamVR. The device also comes with a joystick and button setup which will use low latency tracking to determine the position of the headset. Since the gaming provides an immersive experience, the controller will feel real.

The headset comes with sleeker controls which are smooth and comfortable in the hand. There are also textured buttons aimed at making the controls more ergonomic. The whole button system has been designed so that when the user interacts with virtual objects, it will give a more realistic touch experience.  The device also comes with gamepads.

Display

The HTC vive comes with the vibrant OLED display which is able to provide a resolution of 1080 × 1200 pixels. The final resolution produced by the display is 2160 × 1200 pixel at a refresh rate of 90 Hz.

The vive has 70 sensors and uses laser positioning. It also includes a gyroscope and an accelerometer. The field of view supported by the vive is 110 degrees. A notable addition to the Vive is the front facing camera which enables seeing real world objects while being in virtual reality. With just the press of a button, real world objects can be shimmered into the virtual world. This solves a very important problem with VR where the users can avoid or interact with objects in their environment while wearing the headsets.

Performance

As with the Rift, the Vive also comes with identical requirements. The graphics recommended for the device is AMD Radeon R9 280. The company is trying to minimize the system requirement as allowed by the hardware.

Software

The software the HTC Vive is able to support comes from the Valve steam platform. It can also be used with other software. The Vive software includes the Job simulator and Tilt brush.

What is the difference between Oculus Rift and HTC Vive?

Display

Oculus Rift : The Oculus Rift comes with an OLED display which is capable of supporting a resolution of 2160 × 1200 pixel at a refresh rate of 90 Hz.

HTC Vive: The HTC Vive comes with an OLED display which is capable of supporting a resolution of 2160 × 1200 pixel at a refresh rate of 90 Hz.

Platform

Oculus Rift: The Oculus Rift comes with the Oculus platform

HTC Vive: The HTC Vive comes with the SteamVR platform.

Field of View

 Oculus Rift: The Oculus Rift is able to provide a field of view of 110 degrees.

HTC Vive: The HTC Vive is able to provide a field of view of 110 degrees.

Tracking Area

Oculus Rift: The Oculus Rift comes with a tracking area of 5 × 11 feet

HTC Vive: The HTC Vive comes with a tracking area of 15 × 15 feet.

The HTC Vive comes with a larger tracking area when compared with its rival.

Audio and Mic

Oculus Rift: The Oculus Rift comes with a built-in mic and built-in audio

HTC Vive: The HTC Vive also comes with a built-in mic and built-in audio.

Controller

Oculus Rift: The Oculus Rift comes with Oculus Touch and an Xbox One controller.

HTC Vive: The HTC Vive comes with the steamVR controller and a compatible PC.

Sensors

Oculus Rift: The Oculus Rift comes with a gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, and 360 degree tracking mechanism.

HTC Vive: The HTC Vive comes with a accelerometer, gyroscope, front facing camera, and a laser positioning sensor

The HTC Vive comes with a front facing camera, which helps in bringing real world objects into virtual reality. It also helps the device not to be stationary one like the Oculus rift. The HTC Vive can be taken around in the environment it is placed in.

Connections

Oculus Rift: The Oculus Rift can be connected with the HDMI, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports.

HTC Vive: The HTC Vive can be connected with the HDMI, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports.

System Requirements

Oculus Rift: The Oculus Rift needs a graphics card in the range of NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD 290 or higher. The device also needs an Intel i5 4590 processor or greater and needs a memory of 8GB or higher. The device is also compatible with a HDMI 1.3 video output. There are also two USB 3.0 ports. The Operating system that is needed for the smooth operation of the device is the Windows 7 SP1.

HTC Vive: The HTC Vive needs a NAVIDIA Ge force GTX 970 GPU or a Radeon R9 280 or higher GPU. The processor need is the Intel i5 4590 or higher. The memory that is needed is 4GB or higher. The device also comes with a HDMI 1.3 video output and a USB 2.0 port.

Oculus Rift vs HTCVive  – Side by Side Comparison of Specs