The Rise of Oculus Go: A New Era in Virtual Reality

In recent years, virtual reality (VR) has become an increasingly popular form of entertainment and interaction. While it has traditionally been accessed through high-end devices such as PCs and game consoles, a new player has emerged in the market that is changing the way we experience VR. Oculus Go is a standalone VR headset that offers a unique and affordable solution for those looking to enter the world of virtual reality.

One of the most significant advantages of Oculus Go is its price. At just $1.99, it is the least expensive all-in-one VR system available on the market. This makes it accessible to anyone who wants to try out VR without breaking the bank. Additionally, Oculus Go is a self-contained device that requires no additional hardware beyond itself. The processor and everything else necessary for VR experiences are contained within the headset itself, making it easy to set up and use.

In terms of design, Oculus Go is similar in size and shape to PC-based Oculus Rift headsets. However, it features redesigned foam padding that provides a more comfortable fit for users. The top head strap can be removed if desired, and there is even an extra spacer available for those wearing large eyeglasses. While Bluetooth headphones are not compatible with Oculus Go, users can instead opt for wired headphones or the onboard speakers, which provide spatial audio and a good casual experience.

Many of the apps available on Oculus Go are similar to those found on existing phone-connected VR headsets such as Gear VR and Daydream View. However, there are also many new and impressive experiences that showcase the capabilities of this technology. For example, Oculus Go is particularly well-suited for 360 videos, offering a seamless viewing experience. With hundreds of apps and games already available, users can explore a wide range of content and enjoy a variety of VR experiences.

One notable feature of Oculus Go is its social aspect. The headset offers its own social experiences, including multiplayer games and "rooms," which allow users to meet up with others and chat while watching videos or playing games. In fact, I was able to try out one of these features with Sean Hollister, who is based several thousand miles away. Using a randomly generated avatar, we were able to interact with each other in a virtual space that felt surprisingly realistic.

Another interesting feature of Oculus Go is its ability to play 3D movies and trailers. While I was able to view a few examples of these experiences during my testing, it's worth noting that not all content may be optimized for this format. Nevertheless, the prospect of being able to enjoy immersive VR movie experiences is an exciting one.

In terms of technical capabilities, Oculus Go offers three degrees of freedom (DOF), which means users can move around and interact with virtual objects in a more natural way. However, it lacks six DOF tracking technology, which is expected to be included on future models. Despite this limitation, Oculus Go still provides an impressive VR experience that is well-suited for casual use.

Oculus Go stands alone as a device, but it does pair with smartphones via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The iOS app for Oculus Go is easy to use and allows users to browse and download apps, adjust settings, and connect to the internet without having to physically put on the headset. Overall, Oculus Go offers an impressive value proposition that makes it an excellent entry point for those looking to experience virtual reality.

Overall, Oculus Go represents a significant development in the world of VR, offering an affordable and accessible solution for those who want to try out this technology. With its simple design, impressive features, and wide range of content available, Oculus Go is definitely worth considering for anyone interested in virtual reality.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: endo you use VR odds are you don't oculus Go is here to maybe change that in the past few years VR has connected either via phones like the gear VR and daydream view or pcs and game consoles like oculus rift or HTC vive oculus Go is its own thing a standalone VR headset everything's inside the screen processor you don't need anything else that's one big difference in oculus co the other is price and $1.99 it's the least expensive all in VR system for anyone who doesn't have a smartphone or doesn't feel like sticking it in a headset oculus co is about the same size and shape as the PC based oculus rift but it's redesigned foam padding feels even comfier the top head strap can be removed if you want there's even a pop and extra spacer for people wearing big eyeglasses I didn't need it and while you can't use bluetooth headphones you can use Wired ones or really good on-board speakers that pipe spatial audio through the head strap for a really good casual experience and they're onboard mics which are there for chat too most of those apps are basically the same as the gear VR apps that have been around for years but a lot of it still pretty impressive to a newcomer it's fun but not earth-shaking but for 360 videos especially oculus co seems like the perfect viewer and there are already hundreds of apps and games to check out keep in mind go doesn't have a kid mode though it's a one account device with no safe view settings oculus has its own social experiences on the headset to you complain some multiplayer games and there's rooms which allows you to meet up with other people chat watch videos and play games I tried out with Sean Hollister several thousand miles away and this is what happened yours is a randomly generated avatar and it is yours yours looks crazy to bespoke you got orange camouflage totally random totally read it as well ok flood pops lady with who can't see through her own mask and what the heck is on your eyes I could put up a photo these are my children let's take you to see that San Francisco here this is a 360 photo I took a while back Oh a nice is that Mike oh wow I feel like I'm back there again yeah you were here not that long ago I'm also trying Shawn but now that got movie trailers they can do 3d movies too apparently this would be a 3d movie if it wasn't just a trailer I'm just gonna bring up a George Carlin video dangerous territory here we go so there's George Carlin as we play checkers seems fitting somehow oculus Co works like existing phone connected VR headsets it has a basic remote with buttons a trackpad and a trigger that you can use to click around and you mostly use the apps while standing still or seated turning and looking around it's got what's called three degrees of freedom but it lacks six degree of freedom tech using cameras to track you that are gonna be on upcoming VR headsets oculus co stands alone but it does pair with your smartphone either Android or iPhone the iOS app that I tested is easy to use it helps you shop for apps download them and adjust settings and connect to Wi-Fi without putting on your goggles and even though go is entry-level VR its display looks a little better than other mobile VR I've tried keep in mind other VR headsets are on their way offering similar standalone propositions but go simple design it's low price feels like the Amazon echo or Google home of VR headsets and right now for those reasons it's probably the best basic VR experiencedo you use VR odds are you don't oculus Go is here to maybe change that in the past few years VR has connected either via phones like the gear VR and daydream view or pcs and game consoles like oculus rift or HTC vive oculus Go is its own thing a standalone VR headset everything's inside the screen processor you don't need anything else that's one big difference in oculus co the other is price and $1.99 it's the least expensive all in VR system for anyone who doesn't have a smartphone or doesn't feel like sticking it in a headset oculus co is about the same size and shape as the PC based oculus rift but it's redesigned foam padding feels even comfier the top head strap can be removed if you want there's even a pop and extra spacer for people wearing big eyeglasses I didn't need it and while you can't use bluetooth headphones you can use Wired ones or really good on-board speakers that pipe spatial audio through the head strap for a really good casual experience and they're onboard mics which are there for chat too most of those apps are basically the same as the gear VR apps that have been around for years but a lot of it still pretty impressive to a newcomer it's fun but not earth-shaking but for 360 videos especially oculus co seems like the perfect viewer and there are already hundreds of apps and games to check out keep in mind go doesn't have a kid mode though it's a one account device with no safe view settings oculus has its own social experiences on the headset to you complain some multiplayer games and there's rooms which allows you to meet up with other people chat watch videos and play games I tried out with Sean Hollister several thousand miles away and this is what happened yours is a randomly generated avatar and it is yours yours looks crazy to bespoke you got orange camouflage totally random totally read it as well ok flood pops lady with who can't see through her own mask and what the heck is on your eyes I could put up a photo these are my children let's take you to see that San Francisco here this is a 360 photo I took a while back Oh a nice is that Mike oh wow I feel like I'm back there again yeah you were here not that long ago I'm also trying Shawn but now that got movie trailers they can do 3d movies too apparently this would be a 3d movie if it wasn't just a trailer I'm just gonna bring up a George Carlin video dangerous territory here we go so there's George Carlin as we play checkers seems fitting somehow oculus Co works like existing phone connected VR headsets it has a basic remote with buttons a trackpad and a trigger that you can use to click around and you mostly use the apps while standing still or seated turning and looking around it's got what's called three degrees of freedom but it lacks six degree of freedom tech using cameras to track you that are gonna be on upcoming VR headsets oculus co stands alone but it does pair with your smartphone either Android or iPhone the iOS app that I tested is easy to use it helps you shop for apps download them and adjust settings and connect to Wi-Fi without putting on your goggles and even though go is entry-level VR its display looks a little better than other mobile VR I've tried keep in mind other VR headsets are on their way offering similar standalone propositions but go simple design it's low price feels like the Amazon echo or Google home of VR headsets and right now for those reasons it's probably the best basic VR experience\n"