Facebook unveils new $399 Oculus Rift S headset with higher-res VR graphics and ...

Oculus has debuted its latest VR headset, the Oculus Rift S. 

The $399 device features major upgrades, including a higher-res LCD display and improved optics, as well as new Touch controllers. 

The Rift S, which is slated to launch this spring, will effectively replace the original Rift headset that first debuted in 2016.   

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The Facebook-owned virtual reality firm took the wraps off of the Rift S at the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. 

Oculus said the headset 'gives gamers and tech enthusiasts access to the most immersive content that VR has to offer.'

The display panels get a big spec bump to 1280x1440 resolution per panel, or 2560x1440 total, at 80 hertz.

'Improved optics and display technology deliver a sharper picture with higher pixel density for an even more immersive gaming experience,' the firm said.

'Games on Rift have never looked better.'  

Oculus is bringing some of the same features it introduced in the 'Quest' headset, revealed last year, to the Rift S.

Similar to Quest, Rift S has Oculus Insight, which is the firm's inside-out tracking technology. 

Five cameras are integrated into the sides, front and top of the device to track user movement. 

'Using computer vision algorithms, Oculus Insight captures, traces, and navigates physical spaces in real time,' the firm explained. 

Additionally, Oculus redesigned the Touch controllers around the new inside-out tracking technology, so that users can 'grab, point and gesture' with ease. 

The controller design has been changed so that the plastic loops are situated on the wearers knuckles so that the tracking sensors work properly. 

As Variety pointed out, this also means that users can't use controllers from previous Oculus headsets with the Rift S. 

There's also a new Passthrough+ feature which conveniently lets the wearer view the 'real world' environment around them without having to take off the headset.