3D Printing

Microsoft Publishes Improved Oculus Rift Lenses for 3D Printing

It became pretty clear at the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo earlier this month that Microsoft and Oculus seemed to have developed an unspoken partnership with some of their technology. It was announced at E3 that Oculus’ Rift VR headset would be compatible with both the new Windows 10 and the Xbox One. But, we’ll see how friendly Oculus is towards Microsoft when they realize that Microsoft’s Rift Lens is much better than the Oculus Rift DK2 lens. Microsoft’s lens offers less chromatic aberration and a sharper image than the Oculus, but the improvement in the technology ups the price considerably.

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Though Microsoft has decided to share the design for the Rift Lens via a downloadable CAD file and has allowed for the lens housing to be 3D printed, it is still going to be an expensive investment. Microsoft recommends 3D printing the housing using a Objet Eden 260 3D, which is not the typical printer that is sitting around a 3D printing hobbyist’s house. This is much more advanced technology than what a Maker enthusiast would likely use. Microsoft also adds that the lenses need to have an antireflection visible light (VIS) coating. This costs about $200 per eye. If you want to invest the time and money on this improved lens, you can purchase it at Edmund Optics.

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Once you’ve got past these hurdles, you will see the difference in the image quality right away, though the field of view is a little smaller than the standard Rift hardware. Overall, it has less chromatic aberration and is sharper across the field.

Being that the Oculus Rift DK2 is only $350, you get why there is no money in the production budget for $200 per eye anti-reflection coating. But, Oculus just announced a “custom optics” consumer version of the headset which might help reduce lens distortion.  Perhaps, these lenses with 3D printed cases are just for pro gamers? Otherwise, it’s difficult to determine what Microsoft’s angle is with their own Rift lenses.