When comparing Space Rift vs The Lab, the Slant community recommends The Lab for most people. In the question“What are the best HTC Vive games?” The Lab is ranked 5th while Space Rift is ranked 50th.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Simple and intuitive controls
The cockpit interface for controlling ones ship (where the majority of the gameplay takes place) is pretty minimal but easy to understand. The player will not be bogged down with too many controls and menus, meaning it is easy to figure out what to do and how to do it.
Pro Good story
For an indie VR title, to see a fleshed out story is a very welcome thing. On top of this it is not a story that has been done to death, while some tropes are recognizable, the overall experience is quite fresh and well thought out.
Pro Shows what the system is capable of doing
Pro Amazingly fun collection of mini games and experiences
The lab is a collection of a bunch of very fun mini games. You get to use a bow and arrow to defend your castle against waves of enemies, control a fighter drone in a classic arcade style shoot-em-up, repair a Aperture science robot, explore the secret shop from Dota and more. Although each game is simple, they are all very well executed and make fantastic use of VR mechanics.
Pro Nice VR games collection
Pro Perfect for showing your friends what the Vive can do
All the games and experiences are very easy to play and are simply an incredible introduction to the capabilities of VR.
Pro Free
It's free so there's no risk of wasting money in case it turns out you don't like it.
Pro Amusing writing
The Lab is a mini game collection created y Valve, who are know for a very specific witty sense of humor. That is not lost in The Lab whatsoever as the writing is cleverly funny, which makes a mini game collection game all that more enjoyable.
Pro Non game sections are really interesting
The user can stand on the top of an Icelandic mountain top and look around, there is no game to it, it is just an experience but one that is quite interesting as it is almost like actually being there.
Cons
Con Visuals are at times odd
Objects tend to not have any particular certainty of size. Sometimes a desk may appear as though it is for a child, while other times an object may be way too big for what it is. On top of this the textures when close to objects are not that great. basically it is quite easy to see that there is a lack of polish in the game, while it does not detract from the gameplay itself, it does interfere with the immersiveness of the title.
Con A bit too easy
While there may be some challenge at first, learning how to play the game, once the mechanics are figured out the gameplay itself can be on the easy side.
Con More a proof of concept than a full fledged game
The mini games are quite short and will not provide a whole lot of entertainment. The purpose of this title is to showcase what room scale VR is capable of (which it does well), but when considered as a game for those interested in gaming it falls a bit short.