Oculus announces $199 stand-alone VR headset, Oculus Go

Oculus will release a low-cost, stand-alone virtual reality headset in 2018 called Oculus Go, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today at Oculus Connect. The headset, named Oculus Go, will ship in early 2018 and will cost $199.

Zuckerberg announced the “all-in-one,” “accessible” headset today as part of an effort in Facebook and Oculus’ goal to put one billion people in VR. According to Zuckerberg, Oculus Go won’t require a separate PC or mobile device.

In an official announcement, Oculus called its Oculus Go headset the “easiest way to experience VR.”

Oculus head of VR Hugo Barra described the Go headset as the “sweet spot” between PC and mobile virtual reality experiences. Barra described the headset as “super lightweight” and “a leap in both comfort and visual clarity.”

On the hardware front, Barra said Oculus Go will include a fast-switch LCD display with 2560x1440 resolution and “next-gen” lenses with reduced glare. Oculus Go will also include integrated audio.

“Audio drivers are built right into the headset,” Barra said, which “makes getting in and out of VR much faster and easier to share with another person.”