Oculus Go to debut at $199
‘It’s the most accessible VR experience ever,’ says Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg
Standalone VR set arrives next year
Facebook will sell a $199 standalone Oculus Go VR headset, part of the social network’s mission to get 1 billion people on board with the virtual technology.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Oculus Go finds “that sweet spot” of an affordable price and a high-end virtual reality experience.
Current VR experiences fall into two categories: smartphoneenabled headsets carrying a lower price tag but a jumpier experience, and PC experiences that are higher quality but cost more and are usually tethered to the computer.
“It’s the most accessible VR experience ever,” Zuckerberg said in the keynote for Oculus Connect, a developers event for the virtualreality platform.
The Oculus Go will ship next year. Developers will receive test kits next month.
It will use apps and games that are available on both Samsung ’s Gear VR, which uses Oculus technology, and the high-end Oculus Rift. The device also includes spatial audio integrated into the headset, which means no need to wear headphones.
It also features a “breathable” mesh fabric and custom optical design, said Hugo Barra, head of VR at Facebook.
Facebook also announced a drop in price for its high-end Oculus Rift headset to $399, the third price cut since its launch.
A separate standalone VR prototype, dubbed Santa Cruz, is a more sophisticated version of Go but will include features such as the ability to track the position of controllers in your hands.
The quest to create a virtualreality experience independent of a smartphone or PC could help boost adoption of the technology, which has struggled to sway consumers.
Oculus helped drive the hype of VR with its headset, spurring companies such as HTC and Sony to roll out competing headsets. Samsung and Google also boast their own mobile-phone-based headsets.
However, consumers have been slow to leap into virtual reality. So far, one-third of consumers between the ages of 18 and 64 have tried VR, consulting firm Magid said.
Pricing has been a key issue, with some high-end headsets launching between $600 and $700, not counting the potential cost for a PC capable of running the device.
The form factor for higher-end models, which requires users to stay wired to a PC, is another hurdle.
Since then, virtual-reality developers have worked to make headsets with fabrics more comfortable for users to wear and slashed prices.
Facebook, which owns Oculus, also announced a drop in price for its high-end Oculus Rift headset to $399, the third price cut since its launch.