Now that the Oculus Go mobile virtual reality headset is Buy Now , you definitely won’t find a shortage of content typically associated with a new platform. That is because the device is compatible with apps already available for Samsung’s smartphone-powered Gear VR, thus there are more than 1,000 titles available at launch to install and enjoy.
Read our Oculus Go hands-on review
“The most talented VR developers in the world have been busy since OC4, creating updates for their previously launched titles as well as a bunch of brand-new content,” the company said on Tuesday, May 1. “Thanks to their hard work, there’s nearly 100 new and updated titles to try right now and more to follow in the coming months.”
To get you started with the Oculus Go, the company provides an “essentials” bundle for $24 consisting of seven experiences: Jurassic World: Blue, Coaster Combat, Netflix, Face Your Fears, Drop Dead, Dead Secret Circle, and Bait! You’ll find other bundles too listed under the Oculus Collections banner costing up to $36, focusing on specific genres such as sports, simulators, arcade, adventure, puzzles, and so on.
For customers who just want to consume their favorite movies and TV shows, the Home Theater bundle gets you started for free. It consists of Hulu, Netflix, and Showtime (subscriptions required) along with Bigscreen Beta, a virtual movie theater where you can hang out with friends to watch movies and play PC games. The Within app provides premium VR content while Amaze combines 3D with virtual reality.
Each day Oculus will provide a Daily Deal. For instance, the deal as of this article was Coaster Combat, reduced to $3 from its original $5 price. In this social-powered game, players ride a roller coaster and hit treasure targets with an assortment of weapons. It’s also part of the Thrills & Chills bundle and the Roller Coaster Fun bundle in addition to the Essentials pack.
If you missed the news, Oculus Go is a stand-alone virtual reality headset that does not require a smartphone or a tethered PC. Simply slap in onto your face and jump right into mobile-level virtual reality experiences. The headset includes built-in speakers supporting spatial audio and a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones. A single motion controller with a touch surface, trigger button, and Home and Back buttons for navigation is bundled with the Oculus Go.
Theoretically, the Oculus Go would be a better option than Gear VR. That is because the Oculus Go doesn’t deal with phone-based processes that typically bog down a smartphone’s CPU as it struggles to render your experience. The platform is specifically designed and optimized for virtual reality, providing the best experience in a mobile-class device.
In the overall Oculus scheme, the Oculus Go resides at the bottom of Facebook’s VR totem pole. It’s an affordable low-end headset with standard head tracking that competes in the mobile VR space. The company’s upcoming mid-range platform dubbed “Santa Cruz” will rely on six-degree inside-out tracking for total, tether-free movement. The current PC-dependent Oculus Rift serves as the high-end premium device.
