New Rift S arrives tomorrow !

[blanes]

My second CV1 (1st replaced under warranty) has now developed the same issue with the left speaker not working, so yesterday I decided pretty much on impulse to buy a Rift S from the Amazon Australia store as it was Aussie $630 with free 2 days shipping which looked to be a good price. I only use VR for sim racing but I will certainly appreciate the increase in visual clarity and the added comfort of the new halo head-strap.  

I have done some research and watched a few Youtube vids, but most are quite old now and I still have a few questions about the Rift S that I could not find definitive answers for in the limited time I have between work and family.  In anticipation I am hoping you guys here, with lots of good knowledge, can fill in some gaps for me.

1. Should I uninstall my current Oculus software and then reinstall after swapping out the CV1 for the Rift S ?  Or is that all handled automatically, no chance of problems that may be avoided with a full fresh install ?

2. Has the issue where users were seeing white static or noise on their Rift S screen during games been solved or fully fixed yet ?

3.  Did the Rift S eventually get the update spoken about, to increase the range and bass levels on the inbuilt speakers ? Or are they still the same with no improvement ?  I have a pair of Hyper X Cloud 2's which a user on Reddit says fit comfortably over the Rift S, so I can use them if needed.

4. Can I or will I ever be able to use the CV1 sensors, so that I can race at night ?  If not, would a small LED light near my monitor screen be enough for a seated driving experience in a mostly dark room ?  Have others encountered similar scenario and have a solution short of turning on a ceiling light ?

5. Regarding the cloth and foam covering around face and head of the Rift S,  would it be ok to use Scotchguard to treat those areas and waterproof them ?  Scotchguard works really well on carpet and fabrics to seal and protect them making them easy to clean with a damp cloth.  I am guessing the VRcovers for the CV1 do not fit Rift S in any possible way ? 
www.scotchgard.com/3M/en_US/scotchgard/products/all-products/~/Scotchgard-Fabric-Upholstery-Protecto...

6.  If I have issues do I still go through Oculus support or do I now have to deal directly with Amazon Australia ?

Thanks for any answers and I appreciate any other advice about problems or issues I should anticipate or plan for that may keep the new install as easy as possible.
Thanks & Cheers ? Mark Blanes

[ShocksVR]

1. You should be good. Just start the Rift S setup

2. Yes

3. Yes

4. No. That lamp may be enough light. If not, you may want to look into infrared illuminator you can get off Amazon for dark play (they're like $20)

5. Not sure.  VRCover said they're working on their Rift S covers (which should include the halo pads too, so it'll be a pretty good all inclusive set).

6. Not sure. If you can go through Amazon for refund/exchange that'd probably be the quickest way.

Lastly congrats !

[Fangzhou]

1. Should I uninstall my current Oculus software and then reinstall after swapping out the CV1 for the Rift S ?  Or is that all handled automatically, no chance of problems that may be avoided with a full fresh install ?

No need, software is the same

2. Has the issue where users were seeing white static or noise on their Rift S screen during games been solved or fully fixed yet ?

Static flashing solved already (by 1.39 PTC). Noise solved for most of the time. Microphone noise still happens sometimes, not all users faced this problem. 

3.  Did the Rift S eventually get the update spoken about, to increase the range and bass levels on the inbuilt speakers ? Or are they still the same with no improvement ?  I have a pair of Hyper X Cloud 2's which a user on Reddit says fit comfortably over the Rift S, so I can use them if needed.

Audio system already said to be improved by software update. But I did not notice the difference. Though, I still prefer built-in audio system for games that not related to music since the build-in audio does not give pressure on ears, which is much more comfortable for long time usage.

4. Can I or will I ever be able to use the CV1 sensors, so that I can race at night ?  If not, would a small LED light near my monitor screen be enough for a seated driving experience in a mostly dark room ?  Have others encountered similar scenario and have a solution short of turning on a ceiling light ?

According to current information, you cannot use CV1 sensors. So you have to turn on the light. 

5. Regarding the cloth and foam covering around face and head of the Rift S,  would it be ok to use Scotchguard to treat those areas and waterproof them ?  Scotchguard works really well on carpet and fabrics to seal and protect them making them easy to clean with a damp cloth.  I am guessing the VRcovers for the CV1 do not fit Rift S in any possible way ?  

Actually you can just remove the face covers and foams on halo headband and wash them with water. 
The face covers of the Rift S is very different from CV1, not possible to cross use. 

6.  If I have issues do I still go through Oculus support or do I now have to deal directly with Amazon Australia ?

I guess both works.

BTW, in Oculus Connect 6 Oculus announced that Oculus Quest will be able to support PC VR games by using USB Type C cable (Oculus provides official cable "Oculus Link"), so that Quest will be very similar to a Rift when it is used as PCVR. This function is supposed to release on November. Quest itself is all-in-one VR and have WiFi support (2.4/5Ghz enabled, 60Ghz is disabled by Oculus somehow), so Quest may have more possibilities.  

[LoneEcho]

5. Using a chemical on headset part that will sit on your face is a very bad idea. Because your skin actually absorbs "things."

You will poison yourself or in best case scenario get alergic reaction or maybe chemical burns on your face.

[blanes]

Thanks for all your answers guys, very much appreciated and I will checkout that infrared illuminator thanks ShocksVR.  

Scotchguard has been around for a very long time and I have used it on clothing as well as furniture.  Never heard of anyone being poisoned or burnt by it and should be as safe as any other synthetics we come into contact with. Appreciate the concern DuxCro but I believe it is safe stuff once you let it dry fully and it seals fabrics really well.

Fangzhou I read about the Quest but thought the S was more suited for me as I only use VR to simrace and it supposedly has better visual quality than Quest overall.

Thanks again for your responses guys. 

[DaftnDirect]

As other's have said, no need to reinstall software, a have CV1 and Rift-S just plug in & play.

You need some light for the tracking but it's surprising how low the light level needs to be, depending on the size of the room, if you don't want excessive light coming through the nose gap, (assuming it's night) a 1W LED lamp is enough for what I would call an average size room. In my small study room, I turn off the light and monitor, and just have the light on in the hallway outside, and that's plenty enough.

I use my PC surround speakers for the best results in my small room for seated VR, but larger room-scale VR where you're walking about needs headphones for sure to avoid poor positional sound. You may prefer the headphones for seated too, I just find speakers and a subwoofer nicer and with a bit more directional information.

Whatever chemicals you use just make sure they don't go anywhere near the lenses, I've avoided chemicals completely.

Edit: I forgot to say... have fun!

[blanes]

Thanks DnD good info re the light and it sounds like I will have enough with couple small LED night lights I already have.

I will definitely remove the covers to treat them with Scotchguard and let that fully dry so lenses should be good.  Looking forward now to tomorrow to get some racing in the Rift S !    B)

[ElusiveMarlin]

The others have answered your main questions so I wont go over them again.

Just wanted to say you will love the difference in clarity you get going from CV1 to RIFT S.
it is like going from VHS video to DVD!  (Might be showing my age a bit there!)

[blanes]

Thanks I am from the VHS era too...  When I upgraded from DK2 to CV1 it was impressive even though I was always happy with the DK2. 

I am hopeful the jump to the Rift S is a bigger leap than from DK2 as there are so many good things said about the image quality. It will keep me racing in VR until a Rift 2 but then I will need a new PC and GPU before that time comes. 

[Kapt-Krunch]

Welcome to the club!