SAN JOSE—We’ve had a couple of chances to try out Oculus’ hand-tracking Touch controllers in the last few years, but they’ve always been short, limited demos on early prototypes. This week at the Oculus Connect conference, we finally got a chance to get to know the retail version of the controller, using it on about a dozen different games throughout an all-day event.

The extended playtime has been enough to build that strong first impression into a clear preference. Oculus might be coming late to the hand-tracking party compared to the competition, but the wait has been worth it for what is currently my favorite virtual reality controller.

Let your fingers do the playing

Oculus Touch’s biggest strength is that you don’t have to focus on holding it at all times. With controllers like the HTC Vive or PlayStation Move (or even the Wii Remote), your fingers and hand position are limited by the need to grip the controllers with most of your fingers at all times. Oculus Touch, on the other hand, is balanced to stay in the crook between your thumb and index finger, even if you open your fingers and thumb and even as you twist and turn your hands around in all directions.