Summary
- Unboxing: the setting that the future crown of VR deserves?
- Design and ergonomics of the Oculus Go: a very nice product from Xiaomi
- Graphic quality and immersion
- Oculus Go: the extension of your Facebook via the Oculus Room
- The promise of 1000 applications
- Against competition :
- The Oculus Go has prepared the coming of the Quest
- The Oculus Go is a real commercial success
- TPCast offers a wireless streaming solution
- 6DoF controllers for the Oculus Go
- verdict:
- What alternatives to the Oculus Go?
- Oculus Go vs Oculus Quest 2: comparison with Facebook's new VR headset
- Final note
- Name: Oculus Go
- Brand: Oculus
- Category: Standalone VR Headset
- Login: Wi-Fi. Works wirelessly, without a smartphone and without a computer (requires a smartphone to be activated)
- Compatibility: Android, iOS
- Resolution : 538ppi; 2560 x 1440
- Go eye Prix version 32GB à 219€/ version 64GB à 269€
- Availability Oculus Go: Available
- Autonomy : two hours for video games, two and a half hours for 360 ° video
- Recharge time: 3 hours
- Microphone: included
- His : Works without earphone. A jack socket is integrated.
- Dimension: 190mm x 105 x 115mm
- Weight: 467g
- Processor : Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Mobile VR Platform
Virtual reality wireless, without smartphone and without PC. Beautiful tempting promises that dangled at us"The eye Go since its announcement. The Oculus Go and theHTC Vive Focus For many, the death knell for VR headsets to plug into a very expensive computer. Has the moment of democratized VR, where every household has its virtual reality headset, arrived? Answers in this test.
Unboxing: the setting that the future crown of VR deserves?
The packaging of the Oculus Go is directly reminiscent of those Apple products. A white box with the product highlighted in large on the main face. We notice in the small right the mention “by Facebook”.
You just have to lift the box to see the helmet appear. It is simply placed on a base with the controller and a small black box in which are the instructions and accessories. It is rare to keep the packaging of the objects you buy, but here the cardboard acts as a display and a base for theOculus Go.
As with the Oculus Rift, the controller works with a battery supplied by the manufacturer. An easily excusable choice for the Rift which is intended to be used at home. But difficult to understand for the Oculus Go, which as its name suggests is intended for mobile use. Oculus explained to us that it could not communicate on the possible future release of a battery controller. As for the advice of use one can quickly read a “Not recommended for children under 13“, As well as the manufacturer's manual. Note the presence a latex accessory to be placed inside the helmet for spectacle wearers. The Oculus Go can be recharged very simply via a mini USB cord provided by Facebook.
Design and ergonomics of the Oculus Go: a very nice product from Xiaomi
Helmet :
Yes, the Oculus Go is beautiful. With its silvery and gray colors, one would think when seeing it for the first time that it is a product of the famous apple brand. The finishes are very correct and the helmet is not heavy. Barely 467g. Which is very nice when put on the head. In play, we quickly forget that nearly half a kilo weighs on the top of our skull. One detail, however, caught our attention. The headset is MI signed for Xiaomi. Indeed, Facebook has signed a partnership with the Chinese brand regarding the production of its helmets. VR standalone.
The fabric bindings are very comfortable and are very easy to adjust, although it is best to ask for help to tighten the straps when using for the first time. However, on long hair, the back straps do not catch the hair. This has the effect of sliding the Oculus Go towards the front of the head.
Unlike the helmet of the rift which makes you sweat very quickly, that of the Go is entirely in fabric. Which is already more pleasant. And then it allows limit sweating. The helmet has three buttons located above. One to turn it on and off. Two more for increase or decrease the volume. While it is best to wear headphones in addition to the Oculus Go, it is not necessary. The helmet is equipped with speakers.
Sound comes out from two notches discreetly placed inside. Be careful, if you don't want to stand out, using speakers is a really bad idea. Everyone will hear what you are doing. Sound is not isolated at all inside the headphones. Fortunately, a jack is integrated and allows you to connect headphones or headphones.
The handcuffs:
Entirely gray, in the same tones as the helmet, it is very pleasant to hold in the hand. It is composed of a very practical touchpad to scroll through the menus. It is important to take it in hand before putting the helmet on your head. Once immersed in VR it will be difficult for you to find her without bumping into your furniture.
At the back a trigger allows to click on the menus or to shoot in the FPS. The buttons on the front allow you to return to the main menu or to recalibrate the controller. Yes, "Recalibrer la manette" because unfortunately, it is very different from the Rift. It's here that you'll find the weak point of the helmet. The joystick does not allow his arm to move freely. To give you an idea, it's like it's hanging on your body. Which makes you feel like you have tiny T-Rex arms What a pity, the helmet had everything to be perfect. A choice of Oculus that we bitterly regret. But let's not be too hard. The games and applications tested are still very pleasant to use with this accessory.
Graphic quality and immersion
With its screens 538ppi; 2560 x 1440, the headset is much more immersive than its competitor the VR Gear. The graphics quality is exceptional. At the moment, the app catalog does not take full advantage of the capabilities of the headset. Tested on many games such as Catan VR or Ultrawings, the result is stunning. However, this will never replace an Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or even a PSVR of a much higher quality. And this is normal. Remember that this is a helmet Standalone VR at 215 euros.
So no smartphone or PC expensive to connect to the device for it to work. A great product for anyone who can't afford high-end helmets. Excellent also for nomadic use in transport for example. However, the promise of “without smartphone or PC” is not fully respected. In fact, you must link your Oculus Go to its application when using it for the first time.
Note that the menu of the Oculus GO is identical to that of the Samsung Gear VR. Indeed, the application store is common between the two headsets. Very beautiful, we take pleasure in turning on our Oculus Go to find ourselves in a magnificent Zen space worthy of the most comfortable Japanese lounges. There is everything. Action games, social applications to meet up with friends and wonderful videos to watch in 360 °.
Regarding the battery. Allow two hours for video games, two and a half hours for 360 ° video. The headset is available in 32 and 64 GB versions.
Oculus Go: the extension of your Facebook via the Oculus Room
L'Eye Room is an application pre-installed on your helmet. It allows you to meet up with your friends in a virtual space to chat. Once you have chosen your avatar, you can move to a lounge where you can play little games. From musical quizzes to board games, there is something for everyone. Like in your real home, you can change the interior and put on some music. Connecting people with each other is Facebook's mission. Apparently virtual reality seems to be the new battleground for the social network.
Big disappointment regarding the live-stream on Facebook. The quality is poor. Cannot stream above 360p. Maybe this will be fixed in the future. In any case. the function cannot be used as it is. The same goes for video capture. Cannot use this feature anywhere other than the menu.
The promise of 1000 applications
“More than 1000 applications at its release”. A promise that Oculus has partly kept. Indeed L'eye to Go shares its store with that of the Gear VR. This explains the presence of the Gear's controller in most games. For the moment, only a dozen applications have managed to hold our attention. The Oculus Go suffers from a lack of “good apps” and “good games”. Even if they are not expensive, a few euros in general, the apps are not great, entertaining at most. Perhaps it would be wiser to wait a bit before purchasing this product. The time for the store to expand with good programs.
However, the headset is awesome when it comes to 360 videos. The menu offers a tab "discovery". It is a platform that allows you to discover 360 videos and immersive experiences. The diversity of the proposed catalog is astounding and is constantly being renewed.
Against competition :
Oculus is not the only one to have made the bet of accessible and autonomous virtual reality. HTC Vive Focus, Lenovo Mirage and the Samsung Gear VR are excellent challengers against the Oculus Go. Already available in China since December 2017. The Vive Focus was only to be released in China, but it seems finally that the Taiwanese manufacturer has decided to launch it internationally in the near future.
The screen is of type AMOLED 3K, offering a resolution of 2880 × 1600, with a refresh rate of 75Hz and 110 degree field of view. Which is much better than the Oculus Go and its 2560 x 1440 screen definition. For the moment, no official announcement concerning the price of the European versions. If we were at our price by China, it should cost much more than its counterpart at Oculus, either 550 euros.
With Mirage, Lenovo compte attack the market of autonomous VR headsets in a very original way. The headset works under Google DayDream, Google's VR app platform and is sold with a 180 ° camera. The camera is paired with your YouTube and Google photo accounts. She allows to share your shots online. Three camera modes are available: photo, video and live broadcast. Regarding the distribution of videos, no need for a cell phone, everything is done directly over Wi-Fi from the device. The camera is no bigger than a smartphone and weighs 139 grams and will easily take place in your loved one. It is equipped with a Snapdragon 626 as well as two front cameras. Good news, it recharges in USB Type-Cbad news, it only has two hours of battery life, which is still decent compared to its competitors. Via this camera, Lenovo is betting everything on the social and family aspect of VR. The helmet is expected to retail for $ 400.
Impossible not to miss the question that everyone is asking, come in the Oculus GO and the Gear VR, which is the best ? Well it depends on your smartphone. If you own a Samsung Galaxy S7 or higher, we advise you to take a Gear VR, if not to take an Oculus Go. While it is true that Facebook's VR version is more efficient and more stylish, it costs at least 219 euros. While the Gear is often on sale at 50 euros on many websites. Regarding the applications, they are the same between the two headsets, since they share the same store. In summary, l'Oculus GO is better, but if you already have a compatible smartphone then the Gear VR, then choose the latter instead.
The Oculus Go has prepared the coming of the Quest
The Oculus Go is the first of the standalone headsets from the Facebook subsidiary. The company also believes that the future of virtual reality headsets is autonomous. The Oculus Rift is therefore, no doubt, doomed to remain the only Oculus VR headset connected to a PC. The American firm has, in fact, recently presented the Oculus Quest which is a mix between the autonomy of Go and the power of Rift. Presented at the Connect 5 conference which took place at the end of last September, the Oculus Quest promises to be a small revolution. As Go is geared more towards an audience eager to discover the potential of virtual reality, the Quest is much more geared towards gamers and those who want power and interaction.
Quest is therefore a complement to Go and not its replacement. It will be marketed in spring 2019 at a price of 399 dollars, which is twice the price of the Go. The Oculus Quest is differentiated in particular by its computing power but also and above all by its controllers. The future autonomous virtual reality headset from Oculus has, in addition, an integrated environmental tracking system (thanks to 4 cameras placed on the front) and which replace a Room Scale. Much more practical and efficient than a Room Scale, its detection system will allow players to use it in any room without having to install exterior sensors. The Oculus Quest will also use the catalog of games and applications of the Rift while the Go must be satisfied only with the catalog of Gear VR.
The Oculus Go is a real commercial success
The American market research institute Superdata estimates that over a million Oculus Go headsets have passed since its release. The firm specifies that more than half of the sales were made over the last 3 months. It is true that Black Friday and Christmas shopping are conducive to massive sales. This is a little less than the PlayStation VR which remains the best-selling virtual reality headset today. The Oculus Rift, more expensive and requiring a more powerful computer, would not have passed, when to him only 160.000 copies over this same period of the fourth quarter of 2018.
Extremely encouraging sales figures for autonomous headphones, which should also be reflected in more games and future applications for this VR headset. This is also excellent news for stand-alone headsets which shows that the public prefers autonomy to connectivity to ultra-powerful PCs. This bodes well for the Oculus Quest, which promises more power and better resolution.
TPCast offers a wireless streaming solution
The Chinese start-up TPCast, already known for its wireless VR solutions, presented at CES, a wireless streaming system from a PC to Oculus Go headsets using a standard WiFi network. The concept makes it possible to run applications requiring more power than the internal processor of the Oculus Go allows from a PC and to send it by streaming to the autonomous headset.
The professional applications of this solution are numerous. Leducation, real estate, architecture or even industrial training could benefit from these functions on a headset that is both autonomous and cheaper than an Oculus Rift or an HTC Vive. Note that this solution will also be compatible with the Oculus Quest when it is released.
6DoF controllers for the Oculus Go
At CES 2019, the start-up Finch presented 6 degrees of freedom controllers compatible with the Oculus Go. These controllers allow tracking in 6 axes unlike the controller marketed with the Oculus Go which only supports 3 axes. The tracking system is rather precise even if we can regret a slight latency.
These 6 DoF controllers fill a gap in stand-alone headsets. However, no date has been put forward for their marketing and the young shoot has indicated that it prefers to focus, initially, on the field of education and medicine before possible marketing to the general public.
verdict:
The oculus Go is an excellent product to recommend to anyone who cannot afford a VR grind more expensive. For almost 200 euros, Facebook has succeeded in offering a standalone VR headset accessible to everyone. Attention, it is important to say that the graphic quality has nothing to do with a Oculus Rift or a HTC Vive. Never l Eye Go will not replace a high-end VR headset. The Oculus Go, however, risks becoming a staple of 2018 and forever marking the step towards the democratization of VR. At this price, no excuse not to immerse yourself in virtual reality.
Good points
- A headset that works without a PC, smartphone or cable
- A very nice product
- Much more comfortable than most helmets
- The price
- Perfect for 360 ° video
Negative points
- the tracking of the manette
- Lack of interesting apps
What alternatives to the Oculus Go?
It will be possible to use the headset normally until 2022. But the end of new applications after December 2020 will be enough to push many users, especially professionals, to find another model. However, where to turn?
The most obvious alternative is of course theOculus Quest. Among other things, it offers 6 degrees of freedom (DoF), and not just head movements. On the other hand, it takes longer to start. In addition, it is more expensive and one day you will have to use a Facebook account to take advantage of it.
However, since the Oculus Go was one of the more affordable VR headsets, it will be hard to find a cheaper price. A model fairly equivalent to Go would be the Peak G2 4K which like this only has 3 DoF. Despite everything, it costs 349 euros, against 204 euros for the Go.
Finally, the third option would be to see beyond Oculus and entry level. Nevertheless, it will have to pay the price. Between the HTC Vive for more than 1000 euros and the Pico Neo 2 for more than 600 euros, virtual reality is definitely not very accessible. In addition, you will have to learn to evolve on completely different platforms.
We can only regret this end of the Oculus Go, even if we can understand the strategy of Facebook.
Oculus Go vs Oculus Quest 2: comparison with Facebook's new VR headset
THE2019 Oculus Quest already marked a leap forward compared to the Oculus Go. This more expensive headset offers a much more advanced immersive experience thanks to 6DoF tracking and the Oculus Guardian system.
These two features allow you to play freely in your living room, moving and turning in all directions without ever risking hitting an obstacle or losing tracking. Moreover, Oculus Touch controllers and hand-tracking allow more interactions than the simple controller of the Oculus Go.
Quest's performance was also superior, thanks to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and a 1440 x 1600 definition OLED screen. the Oculus Go is content with a Snapdragon 821 CPU coupled with 3GB of RAM and a 2560 × 1440 LCD screen.
Now, Oculus Quest 2 widens the gap with a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 processor specially designed for VR, 6GB of RAM, and an 1832 × 1920 screen per eye with a refresh rate of 90Hz. Even the controllers and the battery have been improved.
The version with 256GB of storage space is offered at 449 euros, the same price as the first Quest when it was launched last year. A version at 349 euros, offering only 64Gb of storage, is also available. It's not not even 100 euros more than the Oculus Go in 64Gb version, offered for 269 euros.
Suffice to say that the Oculus Go is now technically outdated in the face of the arrival of the Quest 2. Moreover, this headset is no longer even available on the Oculus store which links directly to the Quest 2. The Oculus Go laid the foundations for the stand-alone VR headset market, but it is undeniable that it has had its day ...
Final note
7.2
Design: Oculus has designed a headset with a slim and sleek design. It is very pleasant to use.
Installation: Instant. Wireless, without PC and without smartphone. the promise. The standalone headset within everyone's reach is finally available. Impossible to pass to quote for this price. Remember that it does not replace an Oculus Rift or an HTC Vive who play in a much higher court
Graphics and performance:Much better than the Gear VR, the Oculus Go has succeeded in its bet of a low-cost, high-performance standalone VR headset.
Playability and use: The store of the Oculus Go is the same as that of the Gear VR. Only a handful of apps out of the 1000 promised managed to grab our attention. Perhaps it is wiser to wait a bit before purchasing this product. For the moment it is an excellent headset for viewing 360 ° videos but a little empty for applications
Quality / price ratio: Impossible to compete at this price. For almost 200 euros here is the gateway to VR. There is a before and an after Oculus Go.
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