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The ultra-portable Pico Goblin is the first fully untethered VR headset

Pico Goblin
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Virtual reality has never been this accessible. Meet the Pico Goblin, heralded as the first all-in-one VR headset featuring a user centric design. This stand-alone headset needs nothing but your eyes and your appetite for adventure — there are no cables, PCs, or phones required for its operation. So if you are looking to take VR on the road, or to introduce others to the technology in an easily accessible way, this just may be the headset for you.

The headset comes from Pico Interactive, a company founded in 2015 with the goal of creating captivating VR entertainment platforms, but with a focus on user experience. And it would certainly appear that the company has achieved its goal. While there are plenty of other larger VR headset makers in the field (think Samsung, Oculus, and others), the Goblin’s stand-alone capabilities make it a standout.

Because the Pico Goblin is completely untethered, it’s ultra-portable. And that, the Pico team notes, means that it “gives people unequaled freedom to play, anywhere and anytime.” With this headset, VR enthusiasts will have access to a number of virtual reality games, apps, and videos.

The Goblin features a 5.5-inch thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal (TFT LCD) display with a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution. Plus, the headset promises fine-tuning features that could make viewing content easier on the eyes, reducing stress and optimizing the experience as a whole.

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU, the Goblin also boasts 3G high-speed LPDDR4-1866 RAM, and 16G eMMC 5.1 ROM. The Goblin also features 3DoF controller tracking, and a 3500mA battery, which allows for 2.5 hours of play time. Ultimately, the Pico team notes, “The Goblin is built to deliver an optimized VR gaming and entertainment experience for people on the go.”

At launch, the Pico Goblin will feature 50 games, all of which claim to be casual and easy to play. With no complex setup, no cameras or sensors to connect, and no wires to speak of, you should be able to simply put the Goblin on, and instantly immerse yourself in a brand new world.

The Pico Goblin is now available for pre-order for $269 and is slated for shipment later this year.

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