FACEBOOK-OWNED Oculus has shown off the Oculus Quest, a standalone virtual reality (VR) headset that’s launching next year. The face-worn gadget, previously known…
FACEBOOK-OWNED Oculus has shown off the Oculus Quest, a standalone virtual reality (VR) headset that’s launching next year.
The face-worn gadget, previously known as ‚ Project Santa Cruz ‚, will offer six degrees of freedom (6DoF) and, like the Oculus Go, won’t require a PC, smartphone or external tracking sensors. Using four wide-angle cameras, the headset will supposedly be able to track up to 4,000 square-feet, enabling users to move around freely.
„What are the key attributes of the ideal VR system that we want to lock in now?“ Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, asked during the launch. „First, it needs to be standalone. That way there are no wires that are going to break your feeling of presence, and you’re going to be able to take it with you.
„Second, it needs to support hands, because that’s the way you’re going to interact with things and people.“ Finally, the Facebook CEO said, a successful VR device needs to support 6DoF, or six degrees of freedom, tracking,“ the Zuckbot added.
Shown off for the first time at Oculus‘ OC5 event on Tuesday, the headset ships with Touch Controllers, which the company claims are more advanced than those that ship with the Oculus Go. Build-in audio has been improved too, and Oculus is promising „high-quality, immersive sound with even deeper bass“.
You’ll find the same optics as the company’s first wire-free VR headset, though, with a display resolution of 1600×1440 per eye.
The Oculus Quest will have a line-up of over 50 compatible titles at launch, including titles such as Moss, Robo Recall and The Climb. A new Star Wars VR series, Vader Immortal, was also announced to be coming to the Oculus Quest with its first episode in 2019.
Oculus Quest is scheduled to launch in spring next year and will fetch $399 (around £305) at launch. µ
