Facebook unveils virtual reality headset

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Facebook is launching a new virtual reality headset that does not require a separate computer to operate, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday.

Zuckerberg, speaking at a conference for virtual reality developers, said the “Oculus Go” device would cost 199 US dollars and would be shipped early next year, too late for this year’s holiday shopping season but likely ahead of rivals.

Facebook and other major technology companies such as Google and Microsoft that are betting on VR have a long way to go.

Facebook has invested heavily in virtual reality hardware. /Reuters Photo

About 16 million head-mounted display devices were shipped in 2016, a number expected to rise to 22 million this year, according to the research firm Gartner Inc. Those figures include headsets for what is known as augmented reality.

Facebook has invested heavily in virtual reality hardware in hopes the technology, which offers a 360-degree panoramic view of faraway or imaginary spaces, will move from a niche interest to a widely used platform for gaming, communication and business applications.

In 2014, Facebook paid three billion US dollars to acquire Oculus and retain its employees.

The Oculus Go is billed as simpler than the Rift, which went on sale last year, or the Vive system made by HTC. Both of those require desktop computers to operate.

Facebook Oculus VR headset /AP Photo

“I think you’re going to see these a lot on airplanes because it’s way better than the back-of-the-seat monitor or my phone,” Mike Schroepfer, Facebook’s chief technology officer, said in an interview.

Schroepfer said the device is aimed at people who do not have Samsung smartphones. Oculus and Samsung Electronics already sell a device, named Gear VR, that when paired with certain Samsung phones is similar to Oculus Go.

Alphabet offers a rival headset, Google Daydream, that works with yet more smartphones.

“The Oculus Go has potential to be a huge driver of growth,” if people like the titles and apps on it, Stephanie Llamas, vice president of research at Super Data, said in an email.

Facebook will permanently cut the price of the Rift system to 399 US dollars from 499 dollars, the company said.

Facebook has invested heavily in the development of VR and AR technology. /Reuters Photo

Facebook is expected to ship 213,000 Rift systems this year, while HTC is expected to ship 305,000 Vive systems, according to Super Data research.

Beyond price cuts and new products, Facebook is trying different ways to attract people to the virtual-reality medium.

The company is developing software known as Facebook Spaces that allows friends to meet in virtual rooms, and it said it would soon integrate live video.

On Wednesday, the company said it was releasing technology to create better, customized facial images, or avatars, and would soon add the ability to use playing cards in Facebook Spaces, in addition to the dice it already has.

Source(s): AP ,Reuters