Oculus Rift

Our sense of smell is now being used to help sell the illusion of virtual reality with the FeelReal VR Mask, which not only wafts certain scents your way but can also simulate rain, heat and wind on your face.

​​It has a critical average of just 56 on Metacritic, with writers praising the visuals and atmospherics but bemoaning the slow pace and lack of variety in its gameplay. More than two years after its release we revisit Adrift: a much-overlooked and underrated and misunderstood astronaut sim.​

The New Atlas crew last tried Zero Latency, the free-roaming virtual reality system, two years ago. Now the tech has improved, the game library has expanded and there are 18 different sites in nine countries. So we thought it was about time we went in for a rematch – and we were not disappointed.

By themselves, the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift create self-contained, fully digital virtual reality spaces, but the new ZED mini attachment adds an augmented reality twist. It sits on the front of a Rift or a Vive, feeding in a view of the real world that can be mixed with computer graphics.

Scientists at MIT have developed a system that uses Oculus Rift to pull the strings on a teleoperated robot, a system they say could one day allow blue-collar manufacturing jobs to be carried out from hundreds of miles away. ​

​There are a few budget-friendly ways to get into VR these days, but if it's a high-end experience you're after then you'll typically need to shell out. Oculus continues to bridge the gap, however, today shaving around US$200 off its Rift headset bundled together with its Touch controllers.​

​​Among the Oculus demos we tried at GDC this past February was Mage's Tale, a role-playing game that uses Oculus Touch controls and full-body tracking to take the "role playing" part of RPGs literally. The Rift game launches June 20.​

If you're looking for a PC-based VR game with a character you recognize , now's your chance. Batman: Arkham VR is available for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive starting today, along with stylized horror title Wilson's Heart on the Rift.

In one of the most fitting matchups of fictional property and game developer from recent memory, the quirky minds at Owlchemy Labs (Job Simulator​) teamed up with the series' creators to make the hilarious and immersive Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, out today on Oculus Rift​ and HTC Vive​.

​Last October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stage at OC3 and demoed a seemingly far-off app where friends could speak and interact in VR. Today, the first day of the annual Facebook Developers Conference, a nearly identical app called Facebook Spaces launches in beta.​

The companies behind the two leading virtual reality headsets – the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift – are battling for early adopters by lowering the barriers to obtaining a VR-capable PC. Today, HTC announced package deals to woo potential customers.​

While the new Gear VR that's launching next week isn't much changed from the 2016 model, there are a few differences – including a new controller. Let's see how the specs and features of the 2017 Gear VR​ compare to those of the Oculus Rift​.