Facebook has announced that the Oculus Go virtual reality headset is now available for $199. It is a stand-alone headset that sacrifices OLED for an LCD display.

Oculus Go starts at $199
The headset costs $199 for the 32GB version and $249 for the 64GB version – or 219 and 269 Euro. The Oculus Go was announced in October 2017 as an untethered VR headset.

- “Today, we’re excited to announce that Oculus Go is now available at oculus.com in 23 countries,” the company said. “Oculus Go  a convenient standalone form factor and at an attractive price point that promises to radically change the game for consumer VR.”



To hit the attractive $199 price point, Facebook (who owns Oculus) has had to make some sacrifices. Oculus Go features a low frame rate LCD display rather than a fast OLED display. It is based on a Snapdragon 821 processor that is not nearly as powerful as other mobile SoCs. Facebook has also excluded positional tracking. Oculus Go only tracks your head movement.

On the other hand, it has everything built-in that you need to get started with VR, including speakers/headphones..



Oculus TV and Oculus Venues
At the F8 conference, Facebook also announced Oculus TV. The app will offer access to entertainment from partners such as Netflix, Hulu, Showtime, Red Bull, ESPN, and Pluto TV. It will launch later this month and will be the kind of virtual home theater going forward.

Another app called Oculus Venues will offer live concerts, stand-up comedy, and sports.

Is the technology in Oculus Go good enough to bring VR to the mainstream? Probably not but it is another step on the journey from bulky and tethered VR headsets to stand-alone headsets. Oculus Go can be ordered from oculus.com/go.



Oculus Go - specifications
 
 
 Size: 190 x 105 x 115 mm
Weight: 468g
3DoF tracking (3 degrees of freedom)
Display: 5.5” 2560 x 1440 WQHD LCD (running at 60Hz or 72Hz)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chip
Integrated audio and microphone
Battery Life: 1.5-2 hours for gaming (2-2.5 hours for video)