The Oculus Rift S is a great VR headset, fit and ready out of the box for any of the best VR-ready laptops around. I never felt a moment where I wasn't immersed in the Oculus Rift S. It's an experience unlike any other. At a relatively cheap $399, it sports an ergonomic design and a sharp display, and it offers a bountiful amount of games. However, you may find it hard to adjust to the small controllers and the superbasic Oculus app.

If you’re new to the world of VR headsets, then this is well worthy of your attention. Overall it does a fantastic job of delivering an immersive and hassle-free VR gaming experience. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its drawback, but you be the judge!

The first thing you'll notice about the Oculus Rift S is that it's a lot easier to set up than the original Oculus. There are no lighthouse sensors to place; you just plug it in, download the software, and watch some mandatory training videos like you just got a job at 7-Eleven. Mark out a safe space (6.5 feet x 6.5 feet is recommended for room-scale experiences you can walk around in) so you don't hit anything, tuck your hands into the controller tethers, don't drink straight out of the Slurpee machine, etc. Unboxing everything takes longer than the set up. When you first put on the headset, you'll go through an orientation that runs you through the basics. It's well-paced and succinctly explains everything you need to know.

The Oculus Rift S is certainly a more approachable entry point into PC-based VR. But its concessions for accessibility haven’t improved the overall experience of entering into virtual worlds.

The Rift S has a slightly higher-resolution screen than the original Rift, at 1280 x 1440 pixels per eye instead of 1200 x 1080. But that’s still not as high as the Oculus Quest, and the screen refresh rate has actually been downgraded. Refresh rates help determine image quality and comfort in VR — if they get too low, they can increase motion sickness. Most VR headsets, including the old Rift, have aimed at a minimum of 90Hz. The Rift S only refreshes at a rate of 80Hz.