Oculus VR launches Oculus Go headset

Facebook-owned Oculus VR has officially launched its standalone virtual reality (VR) headset, the Oculus Go, with prices starting at £199 (inc. VAT).

Designed to address the high barrier to entry of the company's existing Oculus Rift headset system, which requires a £349 outlay on the hardware plus a hefty gaming PC with which to drive it, Oculus Go takes the company's core technology and pairs it with the mobile-centric platform it developed for Samsung's GearVR hardware. The result is a fully standalone virtual reality headset with internal tracking: Pop it on, power it up, and you're in VR with no need to be tethered to a gaming PC.

The bundle includes the Oculus Go headset itself and a single motion-tracking controller, in contrast to the dual controllers bundled with the Oculus Rift, and comes in two storage sizes: A base 32GB model priced at £199 and a higher-end 64GB model priced at £249 (both inc. VAT). According to Oculus VR, the 32GB model can store three high-definition films, 10 VR games, and 20 applications at the same time; the 64GB version, meanwhile, ups this to 7 HD films, 20 games, and 40 apps.

Interestingly, the international release of the Oculus Go is slightly less all-inclusive than its US release: Those buying the headset in the US will receive a bundled 10W AC adapter to charge the controller and headset, while those buying internationally will have to provide their own 5V 2A USB power supply.

More information on the launch is available from the official website