LIMITATIONS

What? Oculus has limitations?

Yes, unfortunately it does, primarily because it runs only on power coming from the laptop’s USB cable. Most laptops limit this to 2.5 watts. Oculus goes great on smooth floors, but is subject to the following shortcomings:

• Some obstacles can be impassable, such as ‘steps’ between floor-types, often found in doorways between rooms. If the steps have short ramps, they might be OK.
• Stay away from thick/deep carpet. Smooth, hard carpet is not so bad, but turning can be slow.
• Auto-docking on carpet may not work.
• Laptops over 5lbs/2.3Kg may be too heavy.

Other Limitations:

• Oculus communicates over your wireless network. If you drive out of range, you will experience major lag or lose the connection.
• FIREWALLS: Oculus relies on two custom TCP ports for snappy, real-time performance (ports 5080 and 1935 are default). If Oculus or the remote PC is behind a heavily locked-down firewall on the network, connection may not be possible. To test if its going to work for your situation, install the free software.
• Oculus relies heavily on the laptop for proper functionality. It is designed to work with a wide variety of small laptops, but if the laptop itself isn’t functioning properly, Oculus may not either.

If you’re unsure about the above “other” limitations, it’s highly encouraged to install the free software only, without the Oculus hardware, on the laptop you would use it on, before buying. Try streaming video and audio; this will let you know if you’re likely to have problems with the laptop or your network.