While most other VR headsets feel like experiments put out into the world for users and developers to figure out what’s cool and fun, the Oculus Go is different. This headset was created to offer you an unforgettable experience from the moment you open the box to the moment you excitedly hand the headset to someone else to share what you saw. This is an evolution of the Samsung Gear VR headset, replacing the need to put your phone in the front slot with a separate processor and display. It’s portable, feature-packed, and by far the easiest-to-use VR system released to date.
The best thing? It’s yours for $200. No external hardware is required and there is no cable dangling from the back of the head. This is a VR headset that you take with you on a plane or for your kids to enjoy watching you. It’s a complete entertainment system, from a game console with hundreds of titles to an immersive HD TV that you can take with you wherever you go.
Have questions? We have answered them right here.
- Look on Amazon
- $149 at Walmart
- What is Oculus Go?
- Oculus Go vs Daydream Standalone
- How good is the battery?
- How to set up your Oculus Go
- Customize your settings
- Tips, tricks and helpful tips
- Playing with friends
- Choosing good headphones
- Sharing our experience
- Traveling with Oculus Go
What is Oculus Go?
Simply put, this is a virtual reality headset designed for everyone. Oculus Go is the third headset from Oculus and it exists between Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift for phones. It’s slightly more efficient than a phone-powered headset, but not quite as efficient as it is on a PC. But as a standalone system, that is, not requiring connection to anything, Oculus Go offers something unique.
| speculation | Oculus Go |
|---|---|
| screen | 2560×1440 @ 72Hz |
| lenses | Custom Fresnel |
| FoV | 101 degrees |
| SoC | Snapdragon 821 |
| RAM | four |
| Storage | 32 / 64GB |
| battery | 2600mAh |
| connection | Wi-Fi |
| audio | Speakers / 3.5 mm jack |
| The weight | 177grams |
| Price | $199 / $249 |
The headset itself is plastic on the outside, with easily removable foam around the eye sockets for easy cleaning and sizing. Most prescription glasses fit into the headset just fine, but Oculus included guides in the box to replace the spacer if your lenses don’t fit right away. If you’re not sure which configuration you prefer, switching back and forth is pretty easy.
On the front, you’ll see that the Oculus Go has been designed to reduce heat in a way that overheating shouldn’t be a problem when wearing the headset. The metal front panel conducts heat well, and the clearance around the entire front rim helps airflow where it’s needed most. In all of our tests, the headset has yet to show a temperature warning.
The Oculus Go comes in two models, available for those who prefer more or less storage space in their headset. These headsets are visually identical, but one has a total capacity of 32GB while the other supports 64GB.
- Not sure which storage size is best for you? That’s how you choose the right Oculus Go for you!
- Already know which one you want? Here are all your buying options!
What is the difference between Oculus Go, Samsung Gear VR and Daydream Standalone?
The Oculus Go isn’t the only VR headset to come out this year with its own built-in computer and no messy cables. The Google Daydream Standalone project exists to take the phone-based VR experience it calls Daydream and extend it into its own headset system. Then we have the Samsung Gear VR, a headset that demands your phone from us. Like the Oculus Go, Daydream Standalone does not require a phone. Unlike the Oculus Go, it’s $400.
The reason for this price increase is the availability of features you won’t find on the Oculus Go, such as a better head tracking system and a tough plastic construction that can take a few hits. Choosing between these three headsets is more about the ecosystem you want to live in, whether you want Facebook and Oculus to run the store that sells your apps or Google.
- Check out more on Oculus Go vs Lenovo Mirage Solo
- Check out more on Oculus Go vs Samsung Gear VR
What can I do with Oculus Go?
All apps and games you install on your Oculus Go come from the Oculus Store, a separate store operated by Oculus. It has its own payment system and its own update system, which you manage through the Oculus app on your phone. While the Oculus Go headset actually runs Android, the Oculus app is available for both Android and iOS users.
- Check out our favorite horror games for Oculus Go
- Check out our favorite Oculus Go beginner games
Thee Oculus Store gives you access to over 1000 virtual reality experiences, from action games to emotional stories and plenty of puzzles to explore. You’ll also find a healthy Education section in the store next to a huge selection of movies that you can purchase directly from Oculus and enjoy in your own virtual theater.
Our parent guide to Oculus Go will help you choose the right apps for your kids.
How is the battery life in Oculus Go?
According to Oculus, the Go headset is capable of 2.5 hours of continuous gameplay. When testing the headset, we found that this number is highly dependent on what kind of game you’re playing and what brightness level the display inside the headset was set to. If you find yourself browsing the web and watching YouTube 360 videos at slightly less than average brightness, our tests have shown that the headset’s battery will last up to about 4.5 hours. If you’re playing a visually intense game like Anshar Online with friends, the 2.5 hour claim from Oculus is almost right.
You can drain your battery in less than three hours if you try.
It doesn’t turn on standby, which is a bit longer. If you unplug your travel headset, expect the battery to last a few days between uses. Even if you use the headset for 20-30 minutes and put it aside, the battery will last quite a while. The same goes for watching movies on the headset, if you take a break between viewings you’ll find that you can just watch two whole movies with slightly reduced brightness. But with a single use, you can drain the battery in less than three hours if you try.
But the real secret to Oculus Go lasting more than 2-3 hours is having a backup battery nearby that you can use while inside the headset. Depending on the battery capacity you choose, these backups can recharge your headset several times before it needs to be recharged and can provide enough power to charge your headset even when you’re playing more intense games.
Take a look at the best backup batteries for Oculus Go!
I just received my headset. Now what?
Before you open the box, there are a few things you should know about setting up this headset. This VR headset is a little different, and while it doesn’t need a phone to power it from the inside, there’s an app for Android and iPhone owners to make it easier to control.
- How to set up Oculus Go: Android Edition
- How to set up your Oculus Go: iPhone Edition
Managing your options
After setting up your Oculus Go for the first time, you can review your privacy settings to make sure they’re set the way you want. Oculus Go includes an online gaming component, which involves sharing information about your activities with other people on their headphones. If you do not wish to share this information publicly, you will need to monitor your privacy settings.
How to adjust your Oculus Go privacy settings
Once you’re all set up and happy with the experience, you can add a gamepad to play all the latest games available on the headset. Check out our vetted batch of the best Oculus Go gamepads to complete the experience!
- The best gamepads we’ve tested with Oculus Go
- How to Connect a Bluetooth Gamepad to Your Oculus Go
If you’d rather just use the included controller, that’s cool too! There are a lot of great things you can do with your Oculus Go remote and all you need to power it is one AA battery. Because the battery doesn’t charge the way you might expect from using other controllers, it’s important to know how to check the battery capacity inside the headset and how to remove the battery when it’s time for a new battery.
- How to check the battery on your Oculus Go controller
- What to do if your Oculus Go controller won’t connect
Tips, tricks and helpful tips
The first thing we’re going to show you here are some helpful tips on how to get started with your Oculus Go headset. From getting the right fit, to how to play Steam VR games, we’ll get back to you. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions from Oculus Go owners.
- How to get the most comfortable fit for your Oculus Go
- How to deal with light bleeding on Oculus Go
- Error messages and their meaning
- How long in VR is too long?
Now let’s get to the tricky side of things. Whenever a new device comes out, we always want to find all the cool ways we can hack the device to make it do even cooler things. One of those great things you have to do is download apps that aren’t normally available on your device, and here’s how!
How to download apps on Oculus Go
Perhaps you already have an application in the store that you want to fully disclose. Here we’ll show you how to do all the fun, from running YouTube VR videos to seeing what games are currently playing. not work on Oculus Go.
- How to use Oculus Venues
- How to watch 360 degree videos on YouTube
- How to use private browser
- Live sports events you can watch
- All Oculus Go games not working
Did you experience critical errors while trying to use Oculus Go? Sometimes when all else fails, the last option is to do a hard reset on the device. Luckily, Oculus has made this pretty easy as you can do it with a headset. or Oculus apps on your phone.
How to reset your Oculus Go
Playing Oculus Go games with friends
While most Oculus Go events are solo, the Oculus Store has some amazing multiplayer games. To take full advantage of this experience, you need to add a few friends to your list.
- How to add friends to your Oculus Go
- Check out our favorite multiplayer games for Oculus Go
This will allow you to quickly start playing co-op, whether that game is something stationary like Catan VR or full of excitement like Anshar Online.
