Facebook foresees $200 wireless Oculus VR headset for 2018

There are several factors that are holding back widespread adoption of virtual reality headsets. Pricing is one of them but there's some good news as Facebook revealed a future version of its Oculus headset could be a lot cheaper.

Later this year, Facebook will show off a more compact, wireless version of the Oculus headset. This device will be lighter than the Samsung Gear VR headset but it does not seem like it will replace the Oculus Rift.

Instead, this $200 device seems to be designed to bridge the gap between the cheap headsets that turn smartphones into VR headsets and the products for high-end gaming rigs. The $200 Oculus will work without a connection to a PC or phone and is intended more as an on-the-go device.

In terms of computing power, the $200 Oculus headset promises to be better than the Samsung Gear VR but unlike the Rift, it will not include features like positional tracking technology.

Like current Oculus products, the new headset will be geared toward immersive gaming, watching video and social networking, said the people who asked not to be named to discuss a private matter. Code-named “Pacific,” the device resembles a more compact version of the Rift and will be lighter than Samsung’s Gear VR headset, one of the people said. The device’s design and features aren’t finalized and could still change, but the idea is that someone will be able to pull the headset out of their bag and watch movies on a flight just the way you can now with a phone or tablet.

At the moment, Facebook is doing a $399 summer sale for the Oculus Rift + Touch controller.


The Oculus Rift