Facebook owned Oculus has announced a new standalone VR headset due for release in 2018. Named Oculus Go, the headset does not require connection a phone or computer to work. It is expected to retail for $199. Also announced were updates to the Santa Cruz headset to add hand presence using two tracked controllers, making it one of the first untethered headsets to include this feature. The news was shared at the annual Oculus Connect 4 event, you can watch the full keynote on Facebook and read more on the Oculus website.
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What a pity… they missed the train again… this does not have any motion tracking technology (no inside-out tracking at all…)
The inside out tracking device will be “Santa Cruz”. Oculus Go is mainly a GearVR variant without the need for a phone. Which is great for business applications. I develop for the GearVR and having to constantly deal with the phone ( mount/unmount, app launching etc ) is annoying, for both: the customer and the developer
Yeah, think there’s room for it – cleaning dust, overheating with the GearVR etc. kills it for me – a portable self-contained unit that works decently would fill a gap.
Yeah, I develop for gear right too, and I feel your I think this would have been an opportunity to clear out the bigger problem of GearVR, the uncomfortably due to the lack of positional tracking.
I still have hopes with the new HTC Vive stand-alone device, theoretically it has inside out positional tracking and it´s based on Daydream standard, so no weird extra licensing and suitable for more HMD´s with phones too, but just GVR
Cheers!
“I feel your” = “I feel your pain”
The Vive Standalone is also going to cost $500+, 150 percent more than the Oculus Go. Oculus Go compares to what we get from smartphone VR, where Vive Standalone is a new category, and likely the same category that Oculus Santa Cruz will land in.
But do you think the Santa Cruz is going to be standalone? becasue 500$ without the need of a PC, it´s pretty ok.
But anyways, when I find a client that is afraid of VR is because they tried VR in GearVR or similar, and they are afraid of people becoming sick with the experience, so in this case, for ur at lease, no matter the price, it´s not a good solution, it could be in some situations, but a pretty small number.
I´m eager to see the new proeducts, Vive Standalone and Santa Cruz project 😀
CHeers!
The Oculus Go is standalone at $200, but it only has 3DoF tracking and that does make it pretty inferior to these other 2 future options especially in terms of user comfort as you mentioned.
I am hopeful that Santa Cruz and Vive standalone will have wireless VR capability to let a PC do the heavy CPU and GPU lifting, but Santa Cruz is for certain a standalone VR device with 6DoF inside-out tracking as of today, just like the Vive standalone.
Here’s a good summary and thoughts about the announcements made on OC4 from the developer perspective
https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/EdwardMcNeill/20171012/307526/Where_VRs_Going_Thoughts_on_OC4_Hardware_Announcements.php
dudes, typo in title: “Occulus” with only one “c”
Oops – fixed
Oculus Go is only 3DOF. It is disappointing, but still awesome. The first iPhone didn’t have GPS. The general public don’t know what 3DOF and 6DOF mean. I think oculus Go is good overall for VR and santa Cruz is the perfect next step.