Oculus Go VR Headset ($199, standalone) stealth released, available now.

Neuromancer said:

You can sync this to a regular bluetooth gamepad right?

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Oculus Go's menus don't include an exposed way to connect Bluetooth devices. Worse, while I was able to get a computer mouse working by connecting it with a micro-USB hub, I couldn't do the same with an Xbox One gamepad. Connecting the XB1 pad that way freezes my Go headset every time. Boo, hiss.

Have tried this multiple times, and can confirm that the image quality is a giant leap up from what you get with the Gear VR and a current-gen phone. Honestly, if I was just to watch Netflix or something, I think I'd also prefer the Go to PS VR.

Image quality really is very crisp, and the unit is lightweight and wireless, which I love.

samred said:

Oculus Go's menus don't include an exposed way to connect Bluetooth devices. Worse, while I was able to get a computer mouse working by connecting it with a micro-USB hub, I couldn't do the same with an Xbox One gamepad. Connecting the XB1 pad that way freezes my Go headset every time. Boo, hiss.

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Wow that's disappointing. In fact it seems crazy.

Noooo, it's not shipping to Portugal :(

But Spain is cool with you, Facebook?

Is it weird I kinda want to get one even though I have a rift?
All the wires and shit make me not want to fuck it ever, and the idea of using it to lay in bed and watch videos sounds really neat.

I've never tried VR and I'm tempted by this.

but having a single controller means to me most of the best apps wont be supported.

Khezu said:

Is it weird I kinda want to get one even though I have a rift?
All the wires and shit make me not want to fuck it ever, and the idea of using it to lay in bed and watch videos sounds really neat.

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I have a rift and I picked one up. I used a gear vr all the time before bed to watch a tv episode or movie when I was still on Android. I'm looking forward to having that option again. Plus, the plex app will make streaming things much easier.

Yeah, I got excited for a sec there, but at this point I'd like VR to use with DCS flight sims so I guess this ain't what I need. Plus I want a seamless porn experience, which this also can't do. Pass.

GRIMREEFZ said:

but having a single controller means to me most of the best apps wont be supported.

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Yeah they need to get on that shit right away and let us sync a BT gamepad. It's 2018 for crying out loud.

YOOOOOOO! Virtual Desktop. Totally gonna stream my computer screen to my face.

Is there a built in fan, to combat the condensation?

Did Minecraft for Gear VR ever get the Better Together update like the regular mobile version? I can see myself getting it eventually if it can play that.

Ja- said:

I've never tried VR and I'm tempted by this.

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I have tried all of them and found none of them all that compelling, but yeah, a really simple device with no wires actually really appeals to me. The complex setup or compromises of all the current kits just makes me want to run in the other direction.

But the whole glasses thing... blegh. Out of all the headsets I've tried, the Rift was the worst when it came to glasses, to the point that it would really not even fit properly with them. At least the Vive and PSVR fit, even if it wasn't perfectly ideal. The prescription lenses are an option, but I hate to spend that kind of money on them. And I really don't intend on getting contacts.

EDIT: Oh wait, I'm looking at the gallery on the Ars review and it looks like it comes with a spacer for eyeglasses. I might have to give this thing a shot after all!

Anthony Hopkins said:

Is there a built in fan, to combat the condensation?

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No fan. (I'm not sure I've ever tested a commercial VR headset with an internal fan.) As a light headset with a nice nose opening and ear openings (no headphones, remember, it's all "skull bouncing" sound), Go's natural heat dissipation is actually quite good. I had friends put this on and report heat and foggy lenses at first, only to find those issues receded quicker than they expected.

samred said:

No fan. (I'm not sure I've ever tested a commercial VR headset with an internal fan.) As a light headset with a nice nose opening and ear openings (no headphones, remember, it's all "skull bouncing" sound), Go's natural heat dissipation is actually quite good. I had friends put this on and report heat and foggy lenses at first, only to find those issues receded quicker than they expected.

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Wait, you can't use headphones at all? Even as an option?

Verge review is up:

The Oculus Go makes improvements to the Gear VR, but its biggest achievement is just making mobile VR content easier to access. It's a reasonably priced device that doesn't require having a specific phone, doesn't force you to clumsily lock that phone into another piece of hardware, and doesn't drain the battery that you might need for more important tasks. And as long as VR is still a labor of love, anything that reduces the "labor" factor is great news.

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https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/1/17306458/oculus-go-standalone-vr-headset-review

Chessguy1 said:

Tested talk about controller support at 12:12, it only supports certain controllers like the xbox controller

https://youtu.be/aQcR1q35vMc?t=12m12s

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OK thanks. It's a little disappointing since it sounds like my Amazon BT controller won't work but it's better than nothing.

Engadget's review:

https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/01/oculus-go-review/

Krejlooc said:

raw, pitch, and yaw is not positional tracking. They are not incorrect, this thing indeed does not have positional tracking. These things track orientation, not position.

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I know - I was paraphrasing a confusing post from the reddit thread.

Neuromancer said:

Wait, you can't use headphones at all? Even as an option?

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Evidently you can use headphones instead:

Verge: "There's also a headphone jack on the side"

Neuromancer said:

Wait, you can't use headphones at all? Even as an option?

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It has a 3.5mm headphone jack, right next to its micro-USB port. Call Facebook whatever you want, but at least they're not Apple about the jack.

fuck im tempted.. i love new tech.. wireless vr hmm

samred said:

Oculus Go's menus don't include an exposed way to connect Bluetooth devices. Worse, while I was able to get a computer mouse working by connecting it with a micro-USB hub, I couldn't do the same with an Xbox One gamepad. Connecting the XB1 pad that way freezes my Go headset every time. Boo, hiss.

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Wow, what? No way to connect a BT gamepad? That's vital given the limitations of their included controller.

Krejlooc said:

This is a 3DOF headset, meaning no positional tracking. It only tracks pitch, yaw, and rotation, not X, Y, and Z of your head. If you lead forward with this, it will not detect that motion. 3DOF headsets can cause VR sickness in some people because the disconnect is too much for them to bare.

There is another wireless Oculus Rift headset in the works called Santa Cruz, that will be more expensive but will also do 6DOF. If you're on the fence, waiting for wireless VR, and you don't mind spending more for a better experience, I'd say wait for that one.

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Honestly I don't get the hype just for filling in a marketspace left by the GearVR.

Is this just to tide people over until Santa Cruz is released and becomes cheap enough for everyone? Its the same cost as WMR hmd :/ I dunno something about seeing all the posts on the oculus subreddit rubs me the wrong way.

You just know someones going to buy this and be disappointed, expecting a full 6DOF experience.

Sounds pretty damn interesting. Especially since Gear VR always was a Samsung selling-point for me. Does the display really look better than Gear VR with current models (such as S9)?

Heid said:

Honestly I don't get the hype just for filling in a marketspace left by the GearVR.

Is this just to tide people over until Santa Cruz is released and becomes cheap enough for everyone? Seeing all the posts on the oculus subreddit rubs me the wrong way

You just know someones going to buy this and be disappointed, expecting a full 6DOF experience.

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Oculus Go is something that should have launched right along side GearVR -- the Galaxy Note 4 GearVR at that. It's like 2 years too late IMO. It really doesn't make sense to be releasing 3DOF headsets anymore.

I get why Oculus Go exists, it just exists too late for me to really perk up. I'm much more interested in Santa Cruz, although I expect Santa Cruz to be like $800 or so.

So this isn't actually a wireless headset for PC, it's just something that's preloaded with software? Because the former is what we need for VR to REALLY take off.

cosmicblizzard said:

So this isn't actually a wireless headset for PC, it's just something that's preloaded with software? Because the former is what we need for VR to REALLY take off.

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It's a self contained headset using mobile tech. You can install apps to it via the oculus store.

cosmicblizzard said:

So this isn't actually a wireless headset for PC, it's just something that's preloaded with software? Because the former is what we need for VR to REALLY take off.

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There are already wireless kits for both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. I have both, they are awesome, but super clumsy to set up, and come from a tiny chinese 3rd party manufacturer. Intel is going to release their own solution soon enough, as is HTC. Wireless PC VR is already a thing.

This is mobile VR. Think gameboy color, compared to the N64 that is the Rift and Vive.

samred said:

No fan. (I'm not sure I've ever tested a commercial VR headset with an internal fan.) As a light headset with a nice nose opening and ear openings (no headphones, remember, it's all "skull bouncing" sound), Go's natural heat dissipation is actually quite good. I had friends put this on and report heat and foggy lenses at first, only to find those issues receded quicker than they expected.

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Arh, oh well.
I guess ill have to turn my heating on.if my room is cold.

I dont suppose anyone knows if the go will have bluetooth earbud support?

Krejlooc said:

Oculus Go is something that should have launched right along side GearVR -- the Galaxy Note 4 GearVR at that. It's like 2 years too late IMO. It really doesn't make sense to be releasing 3DOF headsets anymore.

I get why Oculus Go exists, it just exists too late for me to really perk up. I'm much more interested in Santa Cruz, although I expect Santa Cruz to be like $800 or so.

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What would you expect standalone daydream headsets to cost? Those seem to be similar performance as this (smartphone level) but with 6dof tracking

This sounded interesting (I was about to look into a purchase), however the deal breakers for me are no slider or scaler to adjust interpupillary distance and no SD card support.

Those 2 things being missing are just silly.

MrKlaw said:

What would you expect standalone daydream headsets to cost? Those seem to be similar performance as this (smartphone level) but with 6dof tracking

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There is only 1 stand alone DayDream headset with 6DOF at the moment announced (with a price and release date), which is the Lenovo Mirage Solo. It will retail for $400.

There are things like GameFace, which is 6DOF and a hybrid DayDream/SteamVR headset, but it's been in the works since like 2014 and is pretty much vaporware at this point.

Is there any way to get your own media on this thing to view in the video apps?

Cheebo said:

Is there any way to get your own media on this thing to view in the video apps?

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In the future, at least, you will be able to use an OTG cable to connect a USB drive to upload media that way. At launch, I'd imagine it's limited to transfer by wifi.

Remember the Google Daydream Xiaomi device I think one Google IO ago? All white, with a white controller, very, very similar to this Oculus thing.

Also, did you spot the Xiaomi logo on the sides?

Make some wonder...

What sort of options besides Plex/Netflix/Hulu is there for watching movies on this? For example, I buy a lot of digital codes online for iTunes/Movies Anywhere for movies. Is there any service that supports Movies Anywhere that you can load on this?

dgdas9 said:

Remember the Google Daydream Xiaomi device I think one Google IO ago? All white, with a white controller, very, very similar to this Oculus thing.

Also, did you spot the Xiaomi logo on the sides?

Make some wonder...

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https://www.oculus.com/blog/oculus-...-partnership-with-xiaomi-and-qualcomm-at-ces/

Cheebo said:

Is there any way to get your own media on this thing to view in the video apps?

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Yep. This runs Android 7.1.2, and I was able to upload mp4 and mkv files to my Go's internal memory and watch with no trouble.

dgdas9 said:

Remember the Google Daydream Xiaomi device I think one Google IO ago? All white, with a white controller, very, very similar to this Oculus thing.

Also, did you spot the Xiaomi logo on the sides?

Make some wonder...

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Yes, Xiaomi produced the Go in collaboration with Oculus. They'll soon release the same model in China under their own branding.

dgdas9 said:

Remember the Google Daydream Xiaomi device I think one Google IO ago? All white, with a white controller, very, very similar to this Oculus thing.

Also, did you spot the Xiaomi logo on the sides?

Make some wonder...

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It's not really that mysterious. The VR mobile market is pretty incestuous. GearVR, for example, is synonymous with Samsung phones, yet Samsung is also producing an all-in-one DayDream unit, and the GearVR phones are also daydream compatible.

At this early stage, it doesn't make sense for a mobile company to put all their eggs into a single mobile VR platform.

peppermints said:

What sort of options besides Plex/Netflix/Hulu is there for watching movies on this? For example, I buy a lot of digital codes online for iTunes/Movies Anywhere for movies. Is there any service that supports Movies Anywhere that you can load on this?

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There is NextVR, which is a VR streaming platform. They provide lots of VRcinema, and are also the ones who bring NBA VR to these devices.

There is also Oculus Studio, which does a lot of VR films, like the marvel ones. Those are on the Oculus store.

Krejlooc said:

There is only 1 stand alone DayDream headset with 6DOF at the moment announced (with a price and release date), which is the Lenovo Mirage Solo. It will retail for $400.

There are things like GameFace, which is 6DOF and a hybrid DayDream/SteamVR headset, but it's been in the works since like 2014 and is pretty much vaporware at this point.

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So
$200 for a basic but wireless 3dof oculus go
$400 for slightly more powerful mobile daydream with 6dof, or a tethered oculus rift, or tethered mixed reality
$500 for a Vive

Who knows how much for Santa Cruz.

samred said:

Yep. This runs Android 7.1.2, and I was able to upload mp4 and mkv files to my Go's internal memory and watch with no trouble.

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Awesome! How did you go about doing that? Connecting the Go to a PC via a Micro-USB cable?

Does this have the gap in the nose area that lets light in like the rift does? I've always hated that.

samred said:

Yes, Xiaomi produced the Go in collaboration with Oculus. They'll soon release the same model in China under their own branding.

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Ahahah I made it sound like a conspiracy theory or something. My point was that the other Daydream thing from Xiaomi never ended up coming out, and it's very similar to this. It seems like Oculus just kinda swooped in and stole the deal from Google or something. But that's just conjecture.

fyi

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