Facebook's Oculus Go Standalone VR Headset Available Now For $199
The Oculus Go is also different from solutions like the Samsung Gear VR in that it doesn't require you to strap in your smartphone. Powering everything is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, which was hot stuff in the flagship smartphone world in late 2016. Paired with the SoC is 3GB of RAM and either 32GB ($199 model) or 64GB of storage ($249 model). There are no provisions for a microSD slot on the Oculus Go, so you will need to choose wisely when it comes to your storage needs for games and applications. As for wireless connectivity, Bluetooth 4.1 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi are onboard as is a GPS radio. You'll also find a microUSB port for charging and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
On the all-important visuals front, there's a 5.5-inch 2560x1440 LCD that offers a refresh rate of 60Hz in standard mode or 72MHz in performance mode. Further helping with immersion are built-in speakers, and 3 degrees of freedom sensors for both the headset and the single wireless hand controller.
Given its smartphone origins, the Oculus Go will perform more like a Gear VR than an Oculus Rift. But at the $199 price point, there's little to complain about here for those looking to get their feet wet in the VR headset game. We should also mention that the hardware is built primarily by Xiaomi, which will come as no surprise considering that Oculus launched the Mi VR Standalone earlier this year at CES 2018.
According to Facebook and Oculus, over 1,000 titles are available now for you to experience on the Oculus Go (including content that was previously available on the Gear VR). You can order the Oculus Go right now directly from Oculus or from Amazon.
