VR is booming right now and is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, by 2023, it’s expected that the number of AR/VR devices shipped worldwide is expected to hit a huge 68.6 million units[1]. This boom in VR has led to some significant advancements in the technology, allowing tech enthusiasts to game and watch media in a way that wasn’t possible even five years ago. However, not everyone wants to experience the latest cutting edge device. This boom has also encouraged more people to become interested in VR in general and wonder if they could benefit from a VR headset. Let’s delve into our review on is the Oculus go worth it in 2022.
What Is The Oculus Go?
The Oculus Go was released in May 2018 and in many ways marked a new era for VR. Unlike the VR headsets that came before it, the Oculus Go didn’t require users to be hooked up to a PC. It functions as a standalone device that users can simply slip on and be transported to another virtual world. It was also the first VR headset to really break the mainstream in terms of popularity, turning VR headsets from a niche product into a product with widespread appeal.
Verdict
Pros
- Very affordable price.
- The best VR headset for movies. The Go is the best headset for viewing 360 video without spending a lot of money.
- There’s plenty of content such as 360 videos and arcade games, and they are cheap.
- It’ standalone, no PC or console required
Cons
- It only allows three degrees of freedom in contrast to a full VR experience which offers six degrees of freedom.
- The controller requires a battery (no charging option).
Resolution and Performance
The Oculus Go has been compared to smartphones in terms of its technical specs. It sports a screen resolution of 2560 x 1440 (or 1280 x 1400 per eye) and a 5.5-inch display. The resolution is comparable to its predecessor, the Oculus Rift. While the Go has a slightly higher resolution, the Rift featured a higher 90Hz OLED display panels, compared with the 60 or 72Hz LCD panels on the Oculus Go.
In terms of performance, the headset went with the Snapdragon 821 processor which was dated even at release being that it’s a 2016 processor found in many Android phones of the time. However, the processor is only one part of the picture. The Oculus Go is considered to be very well optimized.
Tracking on the Oculus Go
The Oculus Go has something called orientational tracking. This essentially means that it will track your head as you move up-and-down or side-to-side, and will also track the controller. This is called three degrees of freedom (3DOF), and is rather limiting compared to some other VR headsets that allow for 6DOF.
Oculus Go Games and Apps
There are over 1000 apps for the Oculus Go, including movies, games, 360 video, and other VR experiences. Due to the headset’s popularity and Oculus’ rather relaxed app submission rules, the store is full of apps so you won’t struggle to find what you’re looking for. However, the 3DOF does limit the types of games available and many users may find them to be less entertaining than full VR experience games.
The Oculus Go on Amazon
Oculus Go vs Oculus Quest
Oculus Go’s more powerful successor, the Oculus Quest 2 is now available. If you’re an avid VR gaming enthusiast, then the Quest is probably a better fit for you. However, the Oculus Go really excels when it comes to the VR media viewing experience, so if this is your main motivation, the Oculus go is worth it.
[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/539713/worldwide-virtual-and-augmented-reality-hardware-shipments/