Oculus suggested this week that the 4 camera setup increases sensor range well beyond that of the standard Windows Mixed Reality headset, which now use 2 cameras. This new headset also includes a mesh fabric that conforms to your face, elastic straps, and an all new custom optical design that include next-gen lenses.
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What we do know is that the Go contains a fast-switching LCD “screen” (read: eyepieces) with a combined resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, which should help reduce the grainy “screen door effect” common to mobile VR puzzel game. The lenses are even better than the ones now used for the Oculus Rift, offering “significantly reduced glare”. The processor and the display are built in to this headset – as are speakers and web connectivity. There is, however, a 3.5mm headphone jack for users to connect their wired headphones for private listening. Currently, the API is only open to Gear VR developers but Oculus says both Explore and its API will release for the Oculus Rift in 2018. The new headset will start shipping early next year. No word yet on price as its still early days, but expect something close to the hefty $599/£599 of the original Rift.
That’s how much the Facebook CEO shelled out in 2014 to purchase Oculus from its founders (for comparison’s sake Facebook paid $1 billion for Instagram). But that headset is years out and will probably cost more than $199. Oculus says the Go’s controller provides the same inputs as the Gear VR’s motion controller.
“I think you’re going to see these a lot on aeroplanes because it’s way better than the back-of-the-seat monitor or my phone”, Mike Schroepfer, Facebook’s chief technology officer, said in an interview.
The Rift Bundle is now available at a new permanent price of $399. The upcoming update brings loads of new features including the ability to customise Oculus Homewith environments, decor and interactive gadgets.
In years passed, he’s showed an app called Spaces that you can use to look at immersive videos and photos with friends.
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Oculus Go could give the company a relatively high-level VR experience but without the high price of equipment, which includes the secondary cost of a computer powerful enough to run the technology.
