Oculus Rift hands-on demo

The Oculus Rift promises what so many '80s films predicted: goggles that envelop you in a fully 3D environment, where your perspective actually moves with your head. Sounds awesome on paper, but how does it work in practice? We got the chance to try out the Oculus Rift for ourselves at GDC 2013:

Our thoughts, besides the ones in the video? The unit is surprisingly light--imagine ski goggles, or two duct-taped game cases strapped to your head--which bodes well for longer play sessions. It also creates that cool, dream-like sensation of a disconnect between your mind and body; for instance, your eyes and brain may be telling you that you're plummeting towards earth, triggering a faint vertigo sensation despite the fact that your feet are planted firmly on the ground. No official retail price has been announced for the Oculus Rift, but if we start seeing more developers tweak their games to match Hawken and Team Fortress 2's compatibility with the device, this could very well become the next must-have peripheral in the world of gaming.

Lucas Sullivan

Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them.