The makers of Oculus Go call it the most approachable VR product on the market. And VR site Reality Lovers gave the headset a test drive to see if it lived up to the hype. Following is Reality Lovers' report of its findings:
We at Reality Lovers think that for many VR novices—and even not-so-novices—this new kid on the block could be the perfect entry point into the ever-expanding world of virtual reality. Sporting a unique combination of features packed into one neat unit, with an agreeable price tag, it is bound to give the competition a run for their money.
We were on a mission to put our new toy through its paces by playing one of our latest videos in 4K (the highest resolution the Go supports).
Perhaps the main difference we noticed immediately is that the Go has killed the need for a smartphone! With other devices, one would typically insert a mobile device into the front of the unit. The Go’s answer is to pack everything needed to run VR neatly into the headset itself. The Go’s brilliant smartphone-less design was only matched by its flawless Wi-Fi connectivity feature. We could not be happier!
This is one comfortable headset that comes with plenty of plush padding (as was claimed, the result of cooperation with the garment industry). Although at first it may seem like there is a slight weight distribution imbalance toward the front, first-time users shouldn't panic: in the event of an emergency, there is a sturdy strap down the middle to hold it in place.
If we wanted to be real nitpickers, we would comment that there was a bit of light seeping in through the bottom, but this didn’t bother us too much, as we were sucked into what was happening on the screen.
Setting up the Go was easy and simple, and took only about five minutes—and yes, we had to reach for our smartphone, but only once. See, the Go does requires a phone, but only for this initiation ritual. Once the software is loaded, the phone can be used for other things, like texting people about the new toy. The device’s built-in Wi-Fi allowed us to stream or download content directly into its belly (or brain) (whatever).
Once online, running (or downloading) actual VR content is a breeze. Just open the browser on a Wi-Fi-connected device, access the desired site, e.g. Reality Lovers (highly recommended), and log into a user account. After that, make a selection and enjoy a one-of-a-kind VR experience.
We cannot reiterate enough that the Go is a standalone device, meaning it has completely ditched the PC needed to run, as was the case with, for example, the Oculus Rift. The immersive VR experience is accomplished via the 5.5-inch, 538 ppi panel (2560 x 1440 resolution). We found the picture sharp—in fact, sharp enough to almost eliminate the notorious “screen-door” effect, a growing pain suffered by many devices that came before it.
Even though the Go doesn’t include full motion controllers or inside-out tracking technology, it still allows for the head movements to be accurately picked up by the tracking mechanism. As for sound, the Go comes with its own built-in speakers, enhancing its compact look and feel. And although the sound is less impressive than we expected, it was good enough for us, and should be sufficiently immersive.
According to Oculus’s specs, a user should be able to get around 2.5 hours of video viewing per charge. That more or less checks out with our experience. We have to say though that a bit better battery-to-charge-time ratio would be a definite plus. But this was not a deal breaker at all.
Oculus Go is a serious contender hitting above its weight class. We especially applaud the maker for packing in all the key features and doing it with an affordable price tag. That said, and being the VR perfectionists that we are, here is our wish list for the versions to come: quick charge, support for 5K resolution and SIM card slot for mobile internet.
Nevertheless, none of this changes our view that for our money, Oculus is a resounding Go. As of this writing, it retails for $199/£199 for the 32GB version, and $249/£249 for the 64 GB version. For comparison, the Oculus Rift costs $399/£399. The Oculus Go is available in 23 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
