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# Tech Time: Oculus Rift

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## Video: Tech Time: Oculus Rift

[Watch (HLS stream): Tech Time: Oculus Rift](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/caipZbtu.m3u8) (2:45)

![Tech Time: Oculus Rift](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/caipZbtu/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2016-03-28. TIME Tech Editor Alex Fitzpatrick explains why the Oculus Rift VR headset may be the coolest piece of technology released this year._


---

Jul 27, 2023 7:50 PM UTC

---

## More From This Series

[All Videos](https://time.com/video/)

[Tech Time: Everything You Need to Know About the Playstation VR Headset](/video/YdhW2udE/)

### Tech Time: Everything You Need to Know About the Playstation VR Headset

[Oculus Launch Games](/video/5U62HV2J/)

### Oculus Launch Games

[MIRROR'S EDGE with the OCULUS RIFT - I'M SCARED OF HEIGHTS\!\!](/video/oTp5Qhs3/)

### MIRROR'S EDGE with the OCULUS RIFT - I'M SCARED OF HEIGHTS!!

---


## Transcript

[ MUSIC ] I'm holding in my hands, one of the coolest pieces of technology that'll come out this year. This is the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. It costs about 600 bucks. And people who preordered theirs will start getting theirs right away. I've had this for about a week, trying out different games and experiences. And I think it's one of the best VR headsets on the market right now. I really want to show you guys some games, so let's hop into virtual reality. [ MUSIC ] So this is a game called Adrift. It's one of my favorite [ UNKNOWN ] games available for the platform [ UNKNOWN ]. Basically, it's a lot like that movie Gravity.

You're an astronaut at the space station and things go terribly wrong And then you've gotta figure out how to survive and how to get back. This is an oxygen tank that I'm grabbing right now, you need that to survive. And so use your boosters in sort of the spacesuit that you're wearing. It's super fun, it's super immersive, but it also has the unfortunate tendency to make you really sick. After about ten minutes of playing this I kinda needed a break, And I didn't really feel normal and human again for a good solid hour or two, kind of like too many rollercoasters right in a row. So this is a game called Lucky's Tale.

Basically it's a platformer, kind of like New Super Mario World. You play as this cute, little fox guy here, and you're basically just trying to get through this world, collect as many coins as you can, fight some enemies. And basically, it's pretty similar to a lot of other platform video games out there where you're doing similar stuff, but the virtual reality element of it makes it way more immersive. I can kind of look around, and the whole world Is I'm just in this world as sort of the camera, and it's pretty neat, it's pretty different. It's just a much more interesting video gaming experience.

LIke if this game was just a normal Nintendo game, or whatever it may be, I don't think I'd find it as much fun, but it's really cool as an example of what VR gaming can be like. Whoo, so that's just some of the things you can do with virtual reality in the Oculus Rift headset. It's on preorder for 600 bucks, about. But then you also need a really high powered gaming computer. And those can cost from a thousand dollar on upwards. So the whole package, you're looking at spending about 1500, 1600 bucks if you don't already have Have one of those really high- end computers, which I know is a lot of money, but some early adopters will definitely do it.

And I for one, I love this thing. It's super cool. It's a whole new medium for gaming and movies and story telling. I really recommend, if you're interested at all, find a way to get one of these. Just get some hands- on time with it, and And you'll understand perfectly how cool this thing is.

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