Oculus Go

VERDICT

No PC? No smartphone? No problem – the all-in-one Oculus Go is the best way to get started in VR.

- Vaughn Highfield

THE APPEAL OF virtual reality is hard to describe in words. Manufacturers have struggled, too: Sony’s PlayStation VR (Shopper 348) and the Samsung Gear VR (Shopper 340) have brought the technology to the largest audience yet, but no one company has managed to convey VR’s appeal to the masses. Now, however, Oculus and Xiaomi have joined forces, and the fruit of their collaboration, the Oculus Go, is set to change the face of VR forever.

One barrier to VR’s wider adoption is just how much effort it takes to start using it. Console and PC-powered headsets require myriad cables, sensors, cameras and chargers before you get started. And even smartphone-powered headsets have their issues: you’ll find yourself downloading apps, fumbling with plastic device housings, and tackling issues with phone compatibilities from the off.

Oculus Go is designed to solve all of that. Everything is bundled into a one device: no cables, no smartphones, just a headset you pick up, put on and power up. Despite only offering three degrees of freedom (DoF), compared with Oculus Rift, HTC Vive (Shopper 342) and PlayStation VR’s six, Oculus Go is easily the most compelling case for VR yet.

SAVING GRACE

That’s especially true when you look at the pricing. At £199 for the version with 32GB of storage or £249 for the 64GB model, the likes of the Rift and the Vive don’t even come close to this degree of affordability. The Oculus Go’s closest competitor is the Samsung Gear VR, which will only set you back £120, but this requires an expensive Samsung Galaxy smartphone to function, and it will tie up your phone exclusively for VR duties and drain the battery while it’s at it.