TIME Names Oculus Go as One of the Best Inventions of 2017
Oculus’ upcoming standalone VR headset, Oculus Go, has been named one of the best inventions of 2017, according to a new list of the top 25 inventions of the year released by TIME magazine.
The Oculus Go was first announced at the Oculus Connect 4 developer conference last month and will start shipping to consumers for $199 early next year. The headset, which won’t require a PC or smartphone to run, is said to be “hands-down the easiest way to get into VR,” according to Oculus head of VR Hugo Barra.
Oculus Go will feature a “super lightweight” ergonomic design, new custom lenses with reduced glare, and a “fast-switch LCD” display with a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels. It also has spatial audio built into the headset, which can be used without headphones. In addition, Oculus Go will ship with a 3DOF controller similar to the Gear VR and is fully compatible with Gear VR games and applications, which is important because it means Go users will have access to a vast library of immersive content right at launch.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the Oculus Go as the “sweet spot” between high-end PC VR and mobile VR, and is the company’s latest step towards achieving its ambitious goal of getting 1 billion people into virtual reality.