Wearables

The new Oculus Quest headset takes wireless VR to the next level

The new Oculus Quest headset takes wireless VR to the next level
The Oculus Quest starts at US$399 - no PC required
The Oculus Quest starts at US$399 - no PC required
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The Oculus Quest starts at US$399 - no PC required
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The Oculus Quest starts at US$399 - no PC required
The Oculus Quest comes with the same Touch Controllers as the Oculus Rift
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The Oculus Quest comes with the same Touch Controllers as the Oculus Rift
The 1600 x 1440 resolution optics (one for each eye) on the Oculus Quest match those on the Oculus Go
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The 1600 x 1440 resolution optics (one for each eye) on the Oculus Quest match those on the Oculus Go
With no need for wires or a PC, the Oculus Quest lets you explore a room
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With no need for wires or a PC, the Oculus Quest lets you explore a room
Six degrees of freedom sensors are built into the Oculus Quest to track you through space
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Six degrees of freedom sensors are built into the Oculus Quest to track you through space
Oculus hasn't revealed all the specs for the Oculus Quest, but we should hear more before it goes on sale
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Oculus hasn't revealed all the specs for the Oculus Quest, but we should hear more before it goes on sale
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Facebook-owned Oculus has a new virtual reality headset to show off. The Oculus Quest sits between the portable Oculus Go and the PC-connected Oculus Rift in the range, needs no connecting wires or external sensors, and is arriving at the start of next year for $399.

Alongside the Go and Rift, the Oculus Quest finishes off the "first generation" of Oculus VR headsets, the company has said. It brings a lot of the benefits of the Oculus Go, including wire-free operation and on-board computing power, without quite reaching the high graphics performance of the Oculus Rift.

As yet we don't have any details on the performance limits of the Oculus Quest, but we do know it's going to be able to run several Rift-ready games, including Robo Recall, The Climb, and Moss. It will also come bundled with Touch Controllers, like the Rift.

The new headset will pack the same 1600 x 1440 resolution (per eye) optics of the Oculus Go, but presumably significantly more powerful components under the hood. One key feature is the inclusion of six degrees of freedom (6DOF) sensors – essentially, you'll be able to be tracked in 3D space without any sensors stuck to the walls around you.

Other than that, we know the headset will come with a lens adjustment mechanism to keep everything in focus, and "improved" built-in audio.

Six degrees of freedom sensors are built into the Oculus Quest to track you through space
Six degrees of freedom sensors are built into the Oculus Quest to track you through space

"Oculus Go remains the easiest and most affordable way to get into VR, while Oculus Rift leverages the power of your PC to push the limits of what's possible," explained Oculus in a press statement. "Thanks to Oculus Quest, we're now able to combine the best of both worlds and welcome even more people into the VR community."

With no wires, no need to buy a separate gaming PC, and everything you need in the box, Oculus (and owner Facebook) will be hoping the Quest headset has enough to tempt more casual gamers into virtual reality. Considering it runs more or less the same software and games as the Rift, it should be able to produce some top-quality experiences (though maybe at lower frame rates).

We should get more on the specs of the device between now and "spring" (in the US) next year – let's hope there are no production delays along the way either. The $399 we quoted above is for a model with 64 GB of storage on board, but we don't know any more details of configurations yet.

Check out a video promo for the Oculus Quest below.

Source: Oculus

Introducing Oculus Quest—Our First All-in-One VR Gaming System

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3 comments
3 comments
ChairmanLMAO
Theres options, facebook is baaaad. So, Vive has wireless too, yo.
NeilosBarross
We need headsets with 200-210 degree field of view. Enough of this looking through a telescope crap, let me know when hardware has made this possible. Until then I'll occasionally play with my cheap GearVR toy with it's equally ordinary telescopic view of the world
Derek Howe
I'm planning on buying this the day it comes out. The biggest drawback to good VR was the cable, and this cuts the cord. I can't wait.