Oculus Go, the company’s upcoming $200 standalone VR headset, doesn’t have an official release date yet, but a recent report from Variety contends Oculus will be launching Go at Facebook’s f8 developer conference this May.
Variety cites “multiple sources familiar with the company’s plans,” although a Facebook spokesperson declined to comment when asked to confirm.
In short, Oculus Go is essentially a standalone version of Samsung Gear VR, a mobile VR headset featuring rotational-only tracking (3DOF) for both the headset and the controller. Starting at $200, Oculus Go is however much cheaper than Gear VR’s total price, which requires not only a $130 headset/controller, but also a compatible Samsung smartphone to drive it.
Besides delivering an accessible entry point for VR newcomers at a cheaper price than Gear VR, Go uses what Oculus calls a “fast-switch LCD” at 2560×1440, which the company says has a much better fill-factor than OLED, helping to eliminate the screen door effect. The headset is said to use Oculus’ “next-generation” lenses, “offering a wide field of view with significantly reduced glare.”
Recent FCC filings hold two versions of the headset will be available, a 32 GB model and a 64 GB model.
Oculus Go was first unveiled at Connect 2017, Oculus’ annual developer conference. Since developers have already started receiving Oculus Go since at least November last year, and in boxes that appear to be consumer-ready, many surmised its launch could be as early as this year’s GDC. Since Facebook hasn’t publicly acknowledged Variety’s report, there’s still no telling why the company is reportedly waiting for f8, which takes place May 1-2, 2018 in San Jose, California.