Have you used a vive? The resolution I don't think is any better, but the vive does feel magical to me. Everyone I put in it seems to feel similarly; but the tracked controllers are probably a big part of that immediately immersive experience
I haven't used a vive no. My guess is that the "magical" feel does indeed rely on your hands showing up in the game ("tracked controllers" as you put it).
Without that hand tracking, it's difficult to feel truly immersed in the world.
