Oculus Rift DK1
| Oculus Rift DK1 | |
|---|---|
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | PC VR (Development Kit) |
| Platform | PC |
| Creator | Oculus VR |
| Price | $300 |
| Website | https://www.oculus.com |
| System | |
| CPU | Host PC dependent |
| GPU | Host PC dependent |
| Storage | |
| Display | |
| Display | 7" LCD |
| Resolution | 1280 x 800 (640 x 800 per eye) |
| Image | |
| Optics | |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | 3DoF (IMU only) |
| Audio | |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | HDMI/DVI, USB |
| Ports | HDMI, DVI, USB (via control box) |
| Device | |
| Weight | 379g |
| Sensors | 1000 Hz IMU (gyro, accel, mag) |
| Input | External controllers |
The Oculus Rift DK1 (Development Kit 1) is the first publicly available virtual reality head-mounted display from Oculus VR, funded through Kickstarter in 2012 and shipped in March 2013 at $300. The DK1 featured a 7-inch LCD display at 1280 x 800 resolution (640 x 800 per eye), 110-degree diagonal field of view, and 3DoF rotational tracking via a 1000 Hz IMU. The headset included interchangeable lenses for diopter correction and connected to PC via an external control box. The DK1 is credited with sparking the modern VR renaissance and was open-sourced in September 2014 under Creative Commons and BSD licenses.[1]
History and Development
2012 Kickstarter
- Raised $2.4 million (10x original goal)
- Promised $300 reward tier for dev kit
- Generated massive developer interest
March 2013 Release
Shipped to Kickstarter backers and available for public purchase.
2014 Open Source Release
- Firmware under BSD license
- Schematics under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
- Full mechanicals published on GitHub
Design and Hardware
Display System
- Screen Size: 7 inches diagonal
- Resolution: 1280 x 800 (640 x 800 per eye)
- Type: RGB LCD
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- Aspect Ratio: 16:10
Field of View
- Diagonal: ~110 degrees
- Horizontal: ~90 degrees
- Significantly wider than prior HMDs
Optics
- Three interchangeable lens pairs
- Simple dioptric correction
- Adjustable focal length
- Polycarbonate/acrylic material
Tracking
IMU-Based 3DoF
- Tracker: Adjacent Reality Tracker
- Update Rate: 1000 Hz
- Sensors: 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer
- Capability: Rotational tracking only (no positional)
Latency
Overall motion-to-photon latency approximately 50-60ms.
Connectivity
Control Box
External brick required for connection:
- HDMI input
- DVI input
- Mini USB
- DC power
- Brightness/contrast adjustment
Limitations
No Positional Tracking
Only rotational (3DoF) tracking available.
Screen Door Effect
Low resolution resulted in visible pixel grid.
Motion Blur
Standard persistence caused blur during head movement.
Legacy
Modern VR Renaissance
The DK1 is widely credited with reviving consumer interest in VR.
Developer Foundation
Thousands of developers created early VR experiences for DK1.
Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 7" LCD |
| Resolution | 640 x 800 per eye |
| Total Resolution | 1280 x 800 |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| FOV | 110° diagonal |
| Tracking | 3DoF (1000 Hz IMU) |
| Weight | 379g |
| Connection | HDMI/DVI + USB |
| Price | $300 |
| Status | Open Source |
See Also
References
- ↑ "Oculus Rift". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oculus_Rift.