A week with the Oculus Go VR headset

Facebook just released their first standalone VR headset, the Oculus Go. It doesn’t require a computer connection (or a smartphone installed in the headset) and is fully self-contained aside from using a smartphone to do the initial set up. It comes in 32gb or 64gb internal memory options (with no expandability possible).

I’ve used countless Google Cardboard (and similar) headsets that use a smartphone as the display (which have felt more gimicky than useful or compelling) and I’ve had many opportunities to try out the bigger, full room size VR set ups before but was never compelled to get my own.

The reason was mostly cost. Aside from required the head mounted display (HMD), you also needed a high end gaming PC to run the software, a lot of room to flail around play and honestly, I simply wasn’t impressed with the state of the art of the displays inside the HMD to justify the cost of entry. I also wasn’t sure the content was there to justify them unless I was actively gaming or developing for the platform.

What made the Go compelling to me was that it was truly standalone (it’s basically a mid-range Android device built into the HMD), it’s inexpensive ($199US for a 32gb model) and seemed built for content consumption rather than strictly gaming. In particular, I wanted a better way to experience the 360 photos and videos I’ve been shooting with various cameras and my drone. Being able to shoot a 360 panorama from up high with my drone and then being able to experience that output in a truly immersive way (using the Go) was worth the price of admission alone.

What surprised me though, was how comfortable it is to wear and how good it sounds and looks. So much so that I wanted to try watching an entire movie in VR. I’ve actually watched entire movies inside the headset now and once you get settled in, found it to be very comfortable and not unlike going to the theatre. It can be a little tricky reaching for and taking a drink while wearing the headset though. I also found it a little strange to be sitting on my couch with my cat curled up beside me but couldn’t see her in VR when I looked over at her while watching a movie.

A nice feature that I also wasn’t expecting is that the Go automagically discovered my media server on my wifi network and let me view any photos or video I had stored on it. I could also share directly from my iPhone, view media on Facebook and just about any website via the built in browser. Youtube has some great 360 content that streams really well via the fullscreen browser. You can also run the Plex server app on your computer to share that content directly to the Go via wifi. I’ve also stored some of my favourite content on the device itself by connecting directly to my MacBook and browsing the file system using Android File Transfer which is also the easiest way to get screenshots and captured video off the Go.

The media viewers (first and third party) all have multiple viewing methods where you can watch 2D content in a traditional home theatre (with a giant screen), a large, empty movie theatre, on the moon or simply in a black void without any other distractions. There are also media viewing apps where you can watch the same content with a friend (both via your own VR headset). Netflix also has an app so you can binge your favourite shows too.

The Go has surprisingly great spatial audio which really helps with the immersive experience.

What’s in the box?

Along with the HMD, you also get a bluetooth controller (and AA battery), a micro-usb charge cable and an extender to make it easier to wear glasses while wearing the Go. I’ve been using the Go daily and seem to get about 2 hours of battery life but also have used it while charging. The controller’s battery seems to have great battery life and is still at around 60% after a week of use.

I’m just starting to wade into some of the gaming content and so far it’s been hit and miss but will only get better as more developers make their content available for the Go.

The World War II flight sim, Overflight was on sale and is pretty fun to play.

I also really enjoyed Bait! which is a pretty relaxing fishing sim.

Unfortunately, the screen capture controls aren’t the easiest to use and some apps don’t seem to let you capture their visuals (and no sound with the video capture) – it would be great to have a second screen streaming option (you can live stream a low resolution version to Facebook but it’s delayed) or even capture the full 360 experince to a local video file…I realize it may be tricky to stream all that data to a file but hopefully it will get better (and include sound) in a future update.

You can also pair a bluetooth controller to the Go to play some games. In particular, the Oculus Arcade app won’t even launch unless you have a paired (gaming) controller connected. But once I did, it was a very fun way to play some old school retro games on a virtual arcade cabinet in VR…you can even hear and see the joystick and pushbuttons being pressed when you’re playing a game.

The HMD has a face sensor and has a habit of turning itself on if the strap gets too close (triggering the sensor)…like when you’re putting it away. Fortunately, 3D printing to the rescue with this combination lens cover and controller holder available on Thingiverse

The Go seems to hit the sweet spot between cardboard/smartphone VR headsets and much more expensive rigs without sacrificing much content wise. I suspect it will be very popular when it’s more widely available and bring more people (like me) into the VR world.

I ordered my 32gb model directly from Oculus and it was $269 Cdn all in shipped via free UPS (ground shipping that took a week to get to me). It’s also available on Amazon.com and in store at US Best Buys with more outlets coming soon. As of this writing it’s not available at retail in Canada.

Update: After reading a suggestion online, I ordered this portable travel router, the RAVPower Filehub Plus, to use with the Go:

Aside from being a useful travel router, it also contains a huge 6000mah battery (huge capacity although it’s a small device) and more importantly, the ability to be a portable media DLNA server by simply putting your media onto either a USB drive or SD card. It shows up as a connected server on the Go when you connect to the RAVPower’s wifi.

This effectively allows me to offload all movies from the Go’s internal memory and allowing me to stream from the device wirelessly to the Go when, um, on the go. I’ve got a 64gb sd card that lives inside the router (it sits flush in the slot) that expands the storage and makes it easy to add more content by simply updating the sd card or plugging in a thumbdrive. Another nice benefit is that I can quickly view images or videos from my DSLR or drone as well as copy them to my smartphone or laptop without needing a card reader.

Update #2: The Go will be available on Amazon.ca as of June 26th so you can preorder now. It’s likely cheaper getting it directly from Oculus though as I didn’t pay any taxes or duties with free shipping.