Facebook Planning $200 Mass-Market Oculus VR Headset

If yous want the best virtual reality experience today, and then an Oculus Rift should be at the top of your shopping listing. But it isn't cheap, with the bundle of headset and Oculus Touch on controllers costing anywhere from $400-$600 depending on the offer. And that's non the end of your spending as a expert performing PC is also required.

Facebook realizes Oculus hardware is expensive, information technology besides realizes much cheaper alternatives including Samsung'south Gear VR and Google Daydream are selling well and lack the annoying tether to a PC. Then Facebook is preparing to react with a make new Oculus-branded headset codenamed Pacific.

According to Bloomberg, later this year nosotros should await to come across a $200 Oculus Rift headset unveiled. Different the current Rift, this headset volition be completely standalone, meaning it includes everything required to savor virtual reality experiences. There's besides a 2d, more expensive standalone Rift planned codenamed Santa Cruz, which we got hands-on time with recently.

Shipping a headset including displays, the components to drive them, and a battery to power it all for simply $200 is certainly optimistic. It also ways compromises volition have to be fabricated.

We should wait this Pacific headset to keep sale next twelvemonth with prices starting at effectually $200. It will be more meaty than the existing Oculus Rift and lighter than the Gear VR. Just Facebook notwithstanding intends to button its use for gaming, watching video entertainment, and of grade for social interactions.

Rather than replacing the current Rift, Pacific looks likely to sit below it as an entry point device. Where as Oculus Rift will go along to offer the all-time experience for the nearly investment, Pacific is a mass market device everyone can employ. I doubtable that $200 cost point could fall quickly, too, if it proves popular. As for Santa Cruz, it will sit down somewhere in the middle I imagine.

Anyone who has used Gear VR or Daydream should expect a similar experience from Pacific. Facebook is thought to accept called a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor to power it, simply won't be including positional tracking. At that place's besides a rumored partnership with Xiaomi who volition handle production of the new headset and distribute a re-branded version beyond Red china.