Facebook plans to stop selling the Oculus Go, the standalone, affordable virtual-reality headset that often attracts VR newcomers seeking an entry-level device. The social media giant plans to focus its attention on its pricier, more advanced VR headset: Oculus Quest, The Verge reported.
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Oculus Quest’s success caused Oculus Go’s failure
The $399 Oculus Quest is considered the first all-in-one gaming system for VR. It’s highly recommended by VR pundits for those who can’t afford a bank-breaking, top-tier VR headset, but also have an aversion to purchasing a cheap, bare-bones model. Many rave about the Oculus Quest’s wireless, standalone convenience – a high-end, VR-ready PC isn’t necessary with this headset. The Quest has its own store that is curated with games that are optimized for the headset’s hardware. The sub-$200 Oculus Go, on the other hand, may be unappealing to prospective VR headset buyers; it only offers three-degrees of freedom (3DOF), which means the headset tracks a limited number of head-motion signals. Conversely, the Oculus Quest features six-degrees of freedom (6DOF), which provides deeper immersion into the virtual-reality world. “You’ve told us loud and clear that 6DOF feels like the future of VR,” the Oculus blog (opens in new tab) said (opens in new tab). “That’s why we’re going all-in, and we won’t be shipping any more 3DOF VR products. We’ll end sales of Oculus Go headsets this year as we double down on improving our offerings for Quest and Rift.” Facebook also plans to relax its strict app approval process to encourage more developers to work with the Quest headset.
How does Facebook plan to phase out Oculus Go?
Facebook will discontinue the Oculus Go after its current stock runs out. If you currently own an Oculus Go headset, Facebook said that it will continue to maintain your system’s software with security patches and bug fixes throughout 2022. However, Facebook will not add any new Go apps into the store after December 18, 2020. While Facebook acknowledges that the Oculus Go “opened up VR” to those who wanted a taste of computer-simulated worlds, the headset was geared more toward VR video services. And with more people preferring VR for gaming, it’s no surprise that Facebook is zooming in its Quest and Rift headsets while kicking the Oculus Go to the side.
