Facebook’s F8 conference will begin later today in California with one of the big news announcements expected to be the launch date for Oculus’ new standalone headset, Oculus Go. Ahead of the reveal, customers in the US can now pre-order the head-mounted display (HMD) via Amazon.
Oculus Go will be the company’s third virtual reality (VR) headset, after first releasing Gear VR in conjunction with Samsung, and then its high-end, PC-based, Oculus Rift. The new device is due to offer a more consumer friendly experience for entry level users with all the components for running VR experiences built in, rather than having to connect a specific smartphone or be tethered to an expensive PC.
First announced during Oculus Connect 4 in October 2017, the HMD made its first public debut during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2018 in March. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chip, Oculus Go features a new LCD display which boasts a 2560 x 1440 resolution, integrated spatial audio, adjustable headstraps and a 3DoF controller.
2018 looks to be the year of standalone headsets with Oculus Go going head to head with rivals including the Lenovo Mirage Solo and HTC’s Vive Focus. However, there are some major differences between the latter two and Oculus Go. The Oculus HMD will retail from $199 USD, with more expensive options offering increased storage. But the device doesn’t offer any tracking so all the content will be seated. While the Lenovo Mirage Solo and Vive Focus both offer inside-out tracking via two cameras on the front (much like Windows Mixed Reality headsets), so users can enjoy roomscale style experiences where they can move around much more freely. This tech does come at a price however with both devices set to be double the price of Oculus Go.
During GDC 2018 Oculus did reveal several titles that would be available at launch including VR boardgame Catan VR, multiplayer online space shooter Anshar Online, mini-game compilation They Suspect Nothing, and Job Simulator follow-up title Vacation Simulator.
If further details are released later today during F8, VRFocus will bring you the latest announcements.
via Mint VR