Oculus

Oculus has released other virtual reality headsets since the original Oculus Rift launched to consumers in January 2016, but now we have its true successor. The Oculus Rift S increases the optical resolution, removes the need for external sensors, and improves the comfort and fit too.

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.

Facebook-owned Oculus has a new virtual reality headset to show off. The Oculus Quest sits between the portable Oculus Go and the PC-connected Oculus Rift in the range, needs no connecting wires or external sensors, and is arriving at the start of next year for $399.

Like most kinds of consumer electronics, VR is going through a phase of cord-cutting. At the Oculus Connect conference this week, the company announced the Oculus Go, a self-contained VR headset that doesn’t need to be tethered to a computer or require a phone.

​​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.​

One of the many nice things about PC-based VR is the ability to display what the headset wearer is seeing on a monitor. Today display mirroring makes its way to mobile VR, courtesy of Chromecast support for the Samsung Gear VR​.

Samsung and Oculus are back with another Gear VR. While the headset itself is barely changed from the previous model​, it adds a Bluetooth motion controller that appears to be a direct answer to Google's Daydream​. Read on, as we review the 2017 Gear VR with controller.

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.

​Today, augmented reality is the stuff of Pokemon and puppy-face filters, but someday, it will be socially acceptable to wear high-tech AR glasses tying us to the virtual world around the clock. At least, that’s according to Michael Abrash, Chief Scientist at Oculus Research.

​Whether you’re buying a new Samsung Gear VR or holding onto a previous edition, this could be a good time to refresh your content library and get behind the goggles. Oculus software updates have made the experience easier to navigate, and there are some intriguing new releases in the Oculus Store.

​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.​

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​.