First look: Oculus Go, Facebook's standalone, iPhone-compatible VR headset
Facebook on Tuesday issued a surprise by announcing the immediate launch of its new Oculus Go standalone VR headset, which also boasts iPhone connectivity. AppleInsider got its hands on one of the first units, and offers a closer look.
Priced at $199 for 32 gigabytes of onboard storage, or $249 for 64 gigabytes, the Oculus Go is now available at Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, or direct from Google.
Unlike smartphone-based VR platforms, including the low-budget iPhone-compatible Google Cardboard, the Oculus Go has its own displays for each eye, allowing for an immersive wireless VR experience at an affordable price, without the need for an expensive smartphone.
In the box, Oculus Go comes with the headset and adjustable straps, and a wireless motion controller with touchpad (powered by a single AA battery). The headset itself charges through an included micro USB cable, and it even has its own built-in speakers so it can be used without headphones (though headphones can, optionally, be plugged in through an integrated 3.5-millimeter jack).
In order to get started, users must connect the Oculus Go to a smartphone, including Apple's iPhone. This is accomplished by downloading Facebook's official Oculus app, which quickly finds, pairs and sets up the headset.
Initial setup includes installing updates for the Oculus Go, but the process is simple and straightforward. While you wait, users can browse apps available for the headset, and purchase them to install once it is up and running.
Many of the apps and games for Oculus Go are paid purchase, not available for free. There are, however, some free options, including a non-interactive "Jurassic World" VR experience, and apps from Netflix and The New York Times.
The headset itself is light and comfortable, with a cloth material pressed against the face that seems like it would be acceptable for interim periods of wear.
Between the lenses in the headset is a sensor that knows when a user takes the headset off. This allows the device to automatically shut down and turn off its screen, saving battery life and pausing whatever the user is doing.
The interface itself is intuitive and rather Nintendo Wii-like, featuring motion control input, with a combination of gestures, touchpad use, and head movement.
Oculus Go is certainly a step up from the likes of Google Cardboard, but nowhere near the quality -- nor horsepower -- of a full Oculus Rift headset, or even PlayStation VR. But at $199, it's a good entry-level VR experience that should be enough to whet the appetite of VR enthusiasts without breaking the bank.
Priced at $199 for 32 gigabytes of onboard storage, or $249 for 64 gigabytes, the Oculus Go is now available at Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, or direct from Google.
Unlike smartphone-based VR platforms, including the low-budget iPhone-compatible Google Cardboard, the Oculus Go has its own displays for each eye, allowing for an immersive wireless VR experience at an affordable price, without the need for an expensive smartphone.
In the box, Oculus Go comes with the headset and adjustable straps, and a wireless motion controller with touchpad (powered by a single AA battery). The headset itself charges through an included micro USB cable, and it even has its own built-in speakers so it can be used without headphones (though headphones can, optionally, be plugged in through an integrated 3.5-millimeter jack).
In order to get started, users must connect the Oculus Go to a smartphone, including Apple's iPhone. This is accomplished by downloading Facebook's official Oculus app, which quickly finds, pairs and sets up the headset.
Initial setup includes installing updates for the Oculus Go, but the process is simple and straightforward. While you wait, users can browse apps available for the headset, and purchase them to install once it is up and running.
Many of the apps and games for Oculus Go are paid purchase, not available for free. There are, however, some free options, including a non-interactive "Jurassic World" VR experience, and apps from Netflix and The New York Times.
The headset itself is light and comfortable, with a cloth material pressed against the face that seems like it would be acceptable for interim periods of wear.
Between the lenses in the headset is a sensor that knows when a user takes the headset off. This allows the device to automatically shut down and turn off its screen, saving battery life and pausing whatever the user is doing.
The interface itself is intuitive and rather Nintendo Wii-like, featuring motion control input, with a combination of gestures, touchpad use, and head movement.
Oculus Go is certainly a step up from the likes of Google Cardboard, but nowhere near the quality -- nor horsepower -- of a full Oculus Rift headset, or even PlayStation VR. But at $199, it's a good entry-level VR experience that should be enough to whet the appetite of VR enthusiasts without breaking the bank.
Comments
Uh, you know Oculus has had Rift for quite a while now; this is an entry-level step up from Cardboard for beginners.
The image quality was pretty poor, screen door effect was terrible, the edges were blurry as hell and you had to buy a separate part just to even set it up.
Are you talking about the PlayStation VR?
It's a shame that people's views on what's possible in VR are going to be limited by these inexpensive devices that cut corners in the most important area, 6DOF. it's way more important even than screen resolution. I moved up from Vive to View Pro, and while the increased resolution is nice, it doesn't really impact the playability of the games.
I tried out all 3 PC solutions, Rift, Vive, WMR. WMR doesn't have precise handset tracking, your handsets have to be visible to your headset or tracking gets lost. Rift is much better, but not perfect until you buy the 3rd base station because it loses tracking if you face away from the 2 base stations. Vive gets it right out of the box with just two base stations.
PSVR, which my son has, works about as well as the Rift without the 3rd base station.
Outside of VR, I don't play games and haven't for years and years. With 6DOF from headset and both hands, I play every day. And get a workout that closes my rings on my apple watch and have a great time doing it. Enough that I've lost about 15 lbs in the couple of months since I started playing VR.
Sure, the 6DOF doesn't matter so much if you're just going to use it to watch a movie or TV show on a virtual movie screen. But the whole point of VR is to have worlds you can interact with the same natural way you interact in the real world. 3DOF doesn't allow that at all.
3DOF lets you look side to side, look up and down, and turn around and the display will respond. you remain at a fixed location, but just looking in different directions from that fixed spot.
6DOF lets you do all of that, plus move around in space and the display will show your movement in space.
For the controllers
3DOF lets you do a similar thing, rotate the controller around in a fixed spot
6DOF lets the controllers follow your hands. You see them in the 3D space exactly where your hands are. With perfect tracking, this includes having them properly located even if they aren't in your field of vision.
There is nothing more natural than simply moving your hands wherever you want and controlling a game that way.
With 6DOF, boxing works just like real boxing. You can duck, block, punch, etc.
In shooting games (for example paintball), you aim and shoot just like you would playing real paintball
Racket games you swing your racket just like you would in real life
A game Space Pirate trainer, you have a gun in one hand, a shield in the other, you can be shooting in one direction and have your other arm behind you to block shots coming from the other direction.
None of this will work with Oculus Go.
True, but this is a gateway drug for the real deal. I messed with Cardboard on my iPhone for a while before finding a good enough game/demo that really gave me a sense of immersion, where it clicked and I was like "oh, okay — i get it now" knowing that it was nothing compared to a full-featured headset. PSVR got me with the Batman Arkham VR game when I saw my own two hands in front of me, put on the Batman cowl and saw my head tilting/moving in the mirror along with my hands, and then I was completely sold. Next level was realizing I could peer around corners, lean over and look down into things, crouch down and see the underside of a desk, stuff like that.