(Image Source: Oculus)
Facebook-owned Oculus launched the fully standalone Oculus Quest VR headset today, hoping to generate mainstream appeal for VR, a technology that has not quite garnered the widespread adoption some had hyped.
An Oculus Blog calls the headset an all-in-one, fully immersive 6DOF (Six Degrees of Freedom) VR gaming system that comes with touch controllers and a tracking system that uses headset sensors to map movements into VR. The headset requires no PC, wires or external sensors and is built as a gaming-first platform.
Qualcomm supplied its Snapdragon 835 Mobile VR Platform to power the Quest, a headset which the chipmaker says provides high accuracy and low latency VR so users can feel fully immersed.
“We worked closely with the Oculus engineering team to build upon the Snapdragon 835 feature set and optimize the platform to help deliver a unique, rich immersive gaming experience,” said Hugo Swart, head of XR at Qualcomm Technologies, in a statement. “The joint efforts between Oculus and Qualcomm Technologies deliver a completely wire-free, intuitive VR experience for consumers that has the potential to enrich lives and propel mass VR adoption. We look forward to the continuous collaboration with Oculus to make XR the next mobile compute platform and transform the world we live in.”
The Quest comes in a 64GB model that costs $399 and a 128GB model for $499.
“The Snapdragon Platform brings high performance with low power and integrated platform solutions, while our innovative Oculus Insight system uses four ultra-wide-angle sensors and computer vision algorithms to give you a greater sense of presence and mobility,” said Hugo Barra, vice president, AR/VR Partnerships, Facebook.
A tech reviewer from the Verge reported that Oculus’ Insight system “genuinely seems to work,” noting previous bad experience with similar “inside-out” headset tracking on other devices.
It is yet to be seen if the latest VR headset will spark interest in more consumers. In April, research from Parks Associates showed that only 8 percent of U.S. broadband households own a VR headset, while 25 percent were familiar with VR headsets.
Filed Under: Devices
