Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 22, 2015. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
HRTF for 3D Sound
This technology is based on the "Head-Related Transfer Function", or HRTF for short. According to Oculus, the sound area has been severely neglected until now, although it makes a decisive contribution to immersion in virtual worlds. HRTF technology is intended to enable users to orient themselves in the room through sound as well, since the sound source changes depending on its distance from the head.
For this sound trick, data from hundreds of points around the head is available and retrieved when calculating a sound. Although HRFT has existed for several years, the precise tracking of head movement makes it work much more efficiently in the Oculus Rift. According to Heise, one of the testers had problems adjusting the headphones optimally, so that a true surround-sound system did not materialise.
Further Features
In addition to the new 3D sound, the Oculus Rift headset has also become lighter and the resolution has been increased (even though Oculus VR does not want to reveal the official pixel count), so the screen-door effect is no longer as pronounced as before. The preceding DK2 model had a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels.
Consumer Version
There is still no consumer version of the Oculus Rift, only prototypes and developer kits. The developer has not yet announced when Oculus Rift will be available as a consumer product.
All further information about Oculus Rift is available here.
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