Device hub · VR / spatial · Desk research
Oculus Rift
Original Rift is dual-OLED 90 Hz lighthouse-class PC VR with external sensors.
Product images
Placeholder — OEM press not licensedHorizon’s Rift hardware table and the 2016 blogs remain the official sources. Product photos are not hosted.
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not a Meta asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the official product page for the real product photo.
In short
Original Rift is dual-OLED 90 Hz lighthouse-class PC VR with external sensors. It is not Rift S (80 Hz LCD, inside-out, fixed lenses) and not Quest. FOV degrees and grams are unpublished on the Horizon table.
Who it is for
- Owners documenting CV1 from Meta’s still-live Horizon table.
- Writers comparing constellation OLED Rift to Rift S, original VIVE, or Index.
Who should skip it
- Anyone shopping current Meta. That is Quest 3 / 3S.
- People who need published FOV degrees or headset grams.
- Buyers who think the $599 2016 box included Touch. Retrospective Meta copy lists sensor + remote + Xbox controller.
Key differentiators
- Dual OLED 1080×1200 per eye; 90 Hz; HDMI 1.3; outside-in 6DoF.
- Adjustable lens distance (Horizon) versus Rift S’s fixed row.
- 2016 $599 pre-order; first shipments 28 March 2016.
Caveats
- Do not invent FOV degrees or grams.
- Touch is not in the earliest $599 box sentence. Do not copy Rift S’s in-box Touch onto CV1.
- Additional tracking sensors allowed on USB 2 (Horizon) — extra cameras were sold separately.
- No hands-on testing.
VR-category specs
Same rows on every headset hub (Vision Pro, Quest, Galaxy XR, PICO, PS VR2). FOV, weight, and battery cells quote the manufacturer footnote — they are not lab measurements.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Display type | Dual OLED 1080×1200 | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Display resolution | 1080 × 1200 per eye | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Refresh rate (OEM) | 90 Hz | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Field of view (OEM claim) | Not published | Cited Meta pagesDo not invent 110° from the HTC VIVE table or from reviews. |
| Optics / lenses | Horizon: lens distance adjustable. Lens family not named pancake | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Chip / processor | No headset SoC. External PC required (Horizon) | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| RAM / unified memory | PC system RAM. Not a headset RAM SKU | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| On-device storage | None (PC VR) | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Operating system | Rift PC platform / Oculus software (2016 blogs) | Meta 2016 Rift blogs |
| Tracking | Outside-in 6DoF (Horizon). Pre-order/retrospective: external sensor in the box. Additional tracking sensors allowed on USB 2 | Horizon Rift hardware table; Meta five-year retrospective |
| Controllers | 2016 pre-order/retrospective box: remote + Xbox controller. Oculus Touch was a later add-on — not in that $599 sentence | Meta five-year retrospective; 2016 pre-order blog |
| Other input | Xbox controller and Oculus Remote in the early box story. No eye tracking on the Horizon table | Meta five-year retrospective |
| PC / console tether | Required. HDMI 1.3 + minimum 2× USB 3.0 (Horizon) | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| IPD | Adjustable lens distance (Horizon). No millimeter range on that table (accessed 2026-09-19) | Horizon Rift hardware tableDo not invent 58–72 mm. |
| Weight | Not published | Cited Meta pages |
| Passthrough / see-through | Not listed. Passthrough+ is a Rift S announce feature — do not copy it here | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Eye tracking | Not listed | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Battery — headset (OEM) | Tethered visor — no headset-hour row | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Battery style | PC/wall tethered | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Charging (OEM) | Headset powered from the PC cables | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Audio | Integrated over-ear headphones and microphone (Horizon). Retrospective: flip-down headphones | Horizon Rift hardware table; Meta five-year retrospective |
| Wireless | Not a wireless headset on the cited pages | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Glasses / prescription | Not published | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Platform / account lock | Oculus Store / Rift PC platform (2016). Not Quest standalone | Meta 2016 Rift blogs |
| Age / intended use (OEM) | Not published | Write-day access note |
| US list price (dated) | $599 USD on Oculus.com when pre-orders opened (blog dated with shipments from 28 March 2016). Later EU retail suggested £549 / €699 (16 August 2016 blog). Not a 2026 street price | https://www.meta.com/blog/oculus-rift-pre-orders-now-open-first-shipments-march-28/; https://www.meta.com/blog/rift-launches-at-retail-in-europe-and-canada-september-20-pre-order-now/ |
| Price band | Legacy PC VR (2016 $599) | Meta 2016 pre-order blog |
| Announced / introduced | Pre-orders 6 January 2016 at $599; first shipments 28 March 2016 | Meta 2016 Rift blogs |
| Availability | Discontinued leftover / used-market. Horizon still documents the hardware table | Horizon Rift hardware table |
Oculus Rift extras
Unique to this line or SKU. Other headsets keep the first table aligned and swap this extras list.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Color space (Horizon) | Native between Adobe RGB and DCI-P3, 2.2 gamma, D75. Default SDK: same as native, linear gamma (or native sRGB) | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Extra sensors | Additional tracking sensors allowed on USB 2 (Horizon) | Horizon Rift hardware table |
| Early box (retrospective) | Headset, external sensor, remote, Xbox controller — Touch later | Meta five-year retrospective |
| vs Rift S (same Horizon table) | Rift: dual OLED 1080×1200, 90 Hz, HDMI 1.3, outside-in, adjustable lenses. Rift S: single LCD 2560×1440, 80 Hz, DP 1.2, inside-out, fixed lenses | Horizon Rift hardware table |
Overview
Original Rift stays a hub because Horizon still prints its table and “Rift vs Rift S vs Index vs VIVE” queries still start here. Successor: /vr/oculus-rift-s/. Same-era lighthouse: /vr/htc-vive/.
Display
Dual OLED 1080 × 1200, 90 Hz, HDMI 1.3. Same class as original VIVE’s per-eye number; do not steal VIVE’s 110° FOV onto this page.
Sensors vs Touch
Horizon: outside-in. Early $599 box (retrospective): one sensor + remote + Xbox controller. Extra cameras on USB 2. Touch is later.
Sources
- Meta Horizon — Rift platform hardware specifications — accessed 2026-09-19
- Meta Quest Blog — Rift pre-orders $599; shipments 28 March 2016 — accessed 2026-09-19
- Meta Quest Blog — Five years of VR (early box contents) — accessed 2026-09-19
- Meta Quest Blog — EU/Canada retail £549 / €699 — accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently asked questions
Is this Rift S?
No. Rift S is /vr/oculus-rift-s/ — 80 Hz LCD, inside-out, fixed lenses.
Did $599 include Touch?
The 2016 pre-order price is the headset kit. Meta’s later retrospective lists an external sensor, remote, and Xbox controller. Touch was a later add-on.
FOV?
Not on the Horizon table. We will not invent 110° from HTC’s VIVE page.
Official product page: Oculus Rift. Specs: Oculus Rift specs.