Resurrection Of The Dead | Return of the VirtualBoy | Gaming

theverge The Oculus Rift contains a 1280 x 800 screen split in two — 640 x 800 for each eye — with an image that really needs to be seen to be believed. While the images themselves are relatively low-resolution, the immersion factor is pretty fantastic. That's due to the Rift's 90 degree field-of-view, something you won't find in most other HMD's (including Sony's recently-launched 3D head mounted display, which Carmack praised for its high quality and relatively low price point). As you can see in the video, the sides of the round eyepieces have been literally taped off to hide some of the end-of-screen effect that might take away from the experience (reminder: early prototype). The Rift also helps by being surprisingly thin and light, even in this prototype form. The framerate was also a smooth 60fps — something that Carmack focused on almost as much as the latency issue itself.

The gyroscope and accelerometers track your movement — minor adjustments to your field of view as well as precision aiming — while the controller still handles the broad strokes of moving and strafing. The gun can be raised and lowered independently from your view to avoid excessive tilting the head up and down. For 3D — both with traditional glasses or a HMD — the crosshairs on screen have been replaced with a red laser sight, something that Studio Director Tim Willits chose to do for the 3D version (HMD and traditional 3D) after extensive research.

The main knock against Rift at this stage is the aforementioned low resolution screen. We played without our prescription glasses, so our vision was blurry enough that it didn't affect our gameplay. However, one of our video production members with better vision noticed the low resolution and felt it took away from the experience. That's something that we think will improve with time, and the other factors — ergonomics, low latency, smooth framerate, wide field of view — make it a step above most of the headsets we've tried over the years.

As for the game itself, Doom 3 BFG Edition will be available this fall for the Xbox 360, Windows PCs, and the PlayStation 3 — the first time a Doom game has been available for Sony's console. It'll include Doom 3 and the Resurrection of Evil add-on, both completely optimized for 3D, with 5.1 surround sound, Xbox 360 achievements and PS3 trophies as well. There's also seven new levels that Id's calling "The Lost Mission"; this new content is also getting the full remaster treatment. To round out the package, Id is throwing in the original Doom and Doom 2 — making Doom 3 BFG Edition a comprehensive look at the franchise. There's no release date or pricing yet, aside from a planned fall launch.