The Facebook-owned Oculus VR has announced a new VR headset that will free users from the need to connect to any type of platform. The Oculus Go will ship in early 2018 and is “the easiest way to get into Virtual Reality”, according to Oculus boss – Hugo Barra. It features a 2560 x 1440 LCD display, as well as built-in spatial audio, so you won’t need any headphones. There are also cameras on the front of the headset, that use computer vision technology to help with positional tracking.
Design
The Oculus Go basically has 4 cameras on the front, so no external cameras will be needed. Also, you won’t have to connect it to any platform because it has its own orientation-tracked controller. The headset is super lightweight, and the new fabric used for the facial interface is soft and breathable. Built-in speakers provide an integrated audio system that transports you straight into VR without needing headphones.
One billion people on VR?
Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of Facebook, said that the company’s main goal is to hit 1 billion users in VR, which is not impossible for a guy like him. What he said about Oculus Go, is that it will be “the most accessible VR Headset ever”, so we can say that it will most likely come up to the expectations of the audience because it will play a big role for the company’s sales. But is it necessary for it to become so popular? We see the effects of Facebook on our daily life, so I personally accept the idea with mixed feelings.
Controls
It detects your moves and transfers them via wireless controllers, that you have to hold while performing any type of action during the Virtual Reality experience. We have to admit that this “Santa Cruz” project did an excellent job on creating this easy to use controllers. They have both grip and trigger button on the handle and back and home button on the upper. There is also a touchpad on the middle of the ring. The ergonomics are totally incredible on this one because it feels like you are not holding anything, which makes the VR experience even better.
How will it help our daily life?
The idea of such a reality opens up a world without boundaries. A world where creativity is the movement. Oculus Go will give developers a practice field and I am sure that we will see interesting ideas in future. Last year we saw a big rise in the making of virtual reality games and I bet that we’ll see more of it next year.
Of course, VR is not just for gaming but it could help us deal with other things in our daily life.We saw that this reality helps business workflow and many companies tried it and said that it was an effective strategy of discussing different business aspects.Another example is an interesting idea of an app that will present 3D lessons for medical students and help them experience a whole new level of learning. Also, as Zuckerberg says “not all of us will have the privilege to visit a space station or experience zero gravity – but we could with VR? It has an interesting concept, which gives developers everything they need to come up with the best and hopefully reasonable and good ideas!
A gameplay picture from one of 2017 VR games “The Climb”
The price of $199 for Oculus Go is extremely reasonable, due to last year comments about the high price of Oculus Rift and drop in its sales. We will be able to get our hands on it in early 2018!
