The price tag of the 32GB Oculus Go has been permanently slashed by $50, bringing the cost of the stand-alone virtual reality headset to an even more affordable $149.
Facebook, which owns Oculus, confirmed the price cut to UploadVR, saying that the discount will be applicable across all countries where the VR headset is sold. The 64GB version of the device received the same $50 price cut, bringing its price tag down to $199 from $249.
The Oculus Go is Facebook’s low-cost version of its VR headsets, which aims to invite more people to try out the technology without having to splurge on a more expensive device or a high-end PC. With the permanent price cut, the Oculus Go looks to become an even more attractive option for people who want to try out VR.
The Oculus Go, built by Xiaomi, does not require a mobile phone or PC to power it. It is a well-designed device that is comfortable to wear and easy to use, and launched with a massive library of 1,000 apps. The headset also features built-in speakers and a 2,600 mAh battery that allows for up to two hours of gaming on a single charge.
However, the lower price tag comes with certain limitations, including only three degrees of freedom, which means that wearers can turn and tilt their head while in VR, but will not be able to move around within the virtual space. In addition, the resolution of the Oculus Go is 2,560 x 1,440, which is not as sharp as other, more expensive VR headsets.
In comparison, the Oculus Quest, another stand-alone VR headset, is packed with more powerful hardware that enables six degrees of freedom. Facebook also updated the Oculus Quest to support PC connection cables to play Oculus Rift games, which means that it will be able to play the highly anticipated Half-Life: Alyx, which the Oculus Go will not be able to run.
The Oculus Quest, however, goes for $399, which is now more than double the price of the $149 Oculus Go. People with the extra cash to spend should splash out for the Oculus Quest, but the Oculus Go is still a good choice for a basic VR experience.
