We anticipated this back in mid-July and here it is: Oculus Go is the company’s new virtual reality headset that doesn’t require computers or smartphones to work. With an official price of $199, the Go aims to position itself as an intermediate option between Samsung’s Gear VR and solutions at the level of the Rift or the Vive. It includes a dedicated controller, its design is very clean, and those $199 don’t sound so bad. But the fundamental question remains: Will it be enough to bring virtual reality to one billion people, as Facebook wants?
The Rift gets a permanent price cut
One of the announcements from the Oculus Connect conference is that the Rift headset will permanently return to its promotional price: $399. That’s about the cost of a mid-to-high-end graphics card, which, incidentally, is necessary to process the content intended for the headset. The investment that grants us access to virtual reality is lower than a few months ago, but according to Facebook’s vision, price remains one of the main obstacles to adoption. Mark Zuckerberg said the plan is to move virtual reality to one billion users, a goal that might be too aggressive. And the next step in that strategy is Oculus Go.
Simplicity and independence
The head of Oculus and current vice president of virtual reality, Hugo Barra, called the Oculus Go “the simplest way to get into virtual reality”. The headset is completely standalone, with no physical connections to computers, tablets, or smartphones. Its fabric-based construction aims for greater flexibility and comfort. It features lenses from a generation later than those found in the Oculus Rift, and an LCD screen with a maximum resolution of 2,560 by 1,440 pixels. It also includes spatial audio, so you don’t need headphones. As for its dedicated controller, Facebook basically borrowed the design from the Gear VR controller.
Compatibility and price
And the connection to the Gear VR doesn’t end there, because all content compatible with that platform will work without issues on the Oculus Go. The first development kits will start shipping in November, while the final version will debut early in 2018, with a price of $199. While that number sounds interesting (something tells me the hardware will be sold at a loss), Facebook seems to be ignoring two critical issues.
The content problem
First, users don’t want a “Oculus Rift 0.5” at $199, but the “full” version that can reproduce much more demanding triple-A titles… which brings us to the second issue: There isn’t a single piece of software that makes a VR headset essential. We can’t rely on isolated exceptions (Superhot, Elite: Dangerous), or on Bethesda recycling its franchises. Developers’ priorities point toward things like online games, loot crates, and the scourge of pay-to-win. Without content, the virtual reality market will be more “virtual” than ever…
