Virtual Reality has become a huge game-change in the Entertainment Industry.
While it was extremely expensive just a few years ago, the technology has improved a lot and has become much more mass-adopted.
Although it's still not essentially a household item, VR sets like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or Playstation VR have become a lot more popular in recent years as the prices have dropped.
In 2014, social media giant Facebook acquired Oculus - one of the leading producers of Virtual Reality gear.
Since then, they have been working hard to bring Virtual Reality to mass adaption - and it looks like they have come one step closer.
This week, Oculus / Facebook announced a new standalone, wireless VR headset, codenamed "Pacific" - for only $200 !
Current VR headsets can range anywhere between a few thousand dollars to about $400, so Facebook/Oculus is hoping to bridge that huge gap with a device as affordable as $200 which could really further the mass adaption.
The company announced that the new product will come out at some point next year.
Although there isn't a lot of information about the new product yet, the company announced that it is working on it:
“We don't have a product to unveil at this time, however we can confirm that we're making several significant technology investments in the standalone VR category. This is in addition to our commitment to high-end VR products like Oculus Rift and mobile phone products like Gear VR.”-Statement from Oculus
There are 2 different types of VR headsets: those that connect to a gaming console for example the Oculus Rift ($600), and those that are built for a smartphone like Google'S Daydream View ($100.)
But there are immense differences in quality.
While the smartphone-VR sets only have limited featured and quite low image resolution, the high-end headsets can be used to play games on different consoles in high quality.
The new product that Facebook announced is somewhere in between.
It will be a wireless, standalone device, meaning that neither a console nor a smartphone has to be connected to it.
In terms of quality and functions, Facebook aims to produce something in between both worlds, offering both exciting features and high resolution as well as a relatively affordable price.
This is another step in Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's plan to revolutionize and promote Virtual Reality.
In 2016, he stated that Facebook already invested $250 million on funding VR content creators, and then announced that the company would double that sum and invest another $250 million in companies and developers to fund VR content like games and movies.
That's half a billion dollars which will be used to create more compelling VR content!
Of course, Facebook / Oculus aren't the only ones trying to kick-start Virtual Reality. The competition never sleeps!
HTC has announced earlier this year that they are also working on a standalone VR device based on Google's Daydream, and that they will invest $100 million in VR-centric startups to create more VR content.
Samsung will also release a standalone VR device in the future, code-named "Odyssey".
And even the classic Oculus Rift will soon be improved with a wireless version that doesn't need connection to a PC, but still offers the same image quality.
What's your opinion about Virtual Reality? Have you tried it or do you own one of these VR headsets?
© Sirwinchester