Version 1.16 of Oculus Rift software is beginning to roll out to all Rift users, adding support for Mixed Reality capture, a redesigned interface for future updates and issue reporting, a new Home environment and multilanguage support. The Store now supports 360°-only apps, and provides alerts before purchases if you don’t have an appropriate tracking setup.

Following the recent version 1.15 update, which added further optimisations to room-scale support and dropped the ‘experimental’ tag, Oculus have taken another step towards embracing room-scale VR experiences with version 1.16, which now allows 360°-only apps. Until now, all Rift content on the Oculus Store was required to support the ‘front-facing’ tracking mode, i.e. with one or two Oculus Sensors pointing in the same direction. When Oculus launched the Touch motion controllers in December, it included a single Oculus Sensor in the package, to add to the existing Sensor used for the Rift headset. The recommended setup of placing the two Sensors 3-6 feet apart directly in front of you remains the default configuration, but is no longer a requirement for Store approval. Now, developers can choose to support 360°-only, which is achieved by placing the two sensors diagonally opposite each other across the play area, or with the recommended three-sensor configuration.

Early support for mixed reality capture has also been added, but the release notes warn of a delay before this is practical, as developers will likely need to update their apps to fully support the feature. Mixed Reality footage has been shown with Oculus hardware before using custom solutions; this update marks a positive step towards simplifying the process.

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The new update also improves the language support and redesigns the interface and technical process for updates, with the ability to read the full release notes from the Oculus software. Users will now be able to report issues directly from the software too. Oculus Home has also been given a new Cityscape environment, with the promise of more environments to come.

Full details and a recent history of Oculus software release notes is available here.

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Dominic Brennan
The trial version of Microsoft’s Monster Truck Madness probably had something to do with it. And certainly the original Super Mario Kart and Gran Turismo. A car nut from an early age, Dominic was always drawn to racing games above all other genres. Now a seasoned driving simulation enthusiast, and former editor of Sim Racer magazine, Dominic has followed virtual reality developments with keen interest, as cockpit-based simulation is a perfect match for the technology. Conditions could hardly be more ideal, a scientist once said. Writing about simulators lead him to Road to VR, whose broad coverage of the industry revealed the bigger picture and limitless potential of the medium. Passionate about technology and a lifelong PC gamer, Dominic suffers from the ‘tweak for days’ PC gaming condition, where he plays the same section over and over at every possible combination of visual settings to find the right balance between fidelity and performance. Based within The Fens of Lincolnshire (it’s very flat), Dominic can sometimes be found marvelling at the real world’s ‘draw distance’, wishing virtual technologies would catch up.