Various companies are working on stand-alone VR headsets as we speak. Such a device no longer requires a tethered PC connection or a mobile phone to bring VR experiences to life. Oculus is working on such a device as we speak, which comes as a big surprise. Then again, parent company Facebook acknowledges the tethered connection needs to be cut sooner rather than later.
A Stand-Alone Oculus VR Headset
Most people know the Oculus Rift as one of the higher-end VR headsets available on the market today. Due to its high price – and recent price cuts – sales of this HMD have been rather poor. Especially when compared to competitors such as PlayStation VR and the Samsung Gear VR, Oculus doesn’t even come close. Their biggest “competitor’ in the high-end headset market is HTC, but even they are struggling to move a lot of units these days.
This is part of the reason as to why Oculus is trying to shake up things in a significant manner. By actively working on a stand-alone VR headset, things are looking a lot better than ever before. That is, assuming this new stand-alone will capture the hearts of consumers. Most of that will heavily depend on the price of this new HMD and how soon it becomes available on a global scale. Information remains scarce in this regard, unfortunately.
Based on the information we have received, it turns out the new headset will be called Oculus Go. It is an all-in-one device to make VR more accessible than it has been until now. There is a high-resolution LCD screen and built-in speakers, seemingly designed to provide spatial audio. An interesting concept, considering stand-alone VR headsets is definitely the way to go right now.
It appears the price will be $199, although that has not been set in stone just yet. Compared to the current Oculus Rift, that represents a major price difference. It will not necessarily be as powerful as the Rift, mind you, considering the stand-alone unit will have far less computing power under the hood. Then again, Facebook hopes to turn it into a headset with capabilities in between the Gear VR and the Oculus Rift. A rather ambitious goal, although it is good to see the company try and cover all bases in the headset industry.
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