Oculus Go Review - Small Package, Great Experience
Up until the oculus Go came onto the market, I've never felt the need to get into the VR scene. I always felt like the cost was too prohibitive and the technology was too new.
With the introduction of entry level headsets such as the oculus Go, this barrier to entry is now gone and I'm now diving in head first so expect to see new VR related content in addition to the usual stuff. Today, I'm going to offer up my oculus Go review and share my thoughts on this inexpensive VR solution.
The price point on the oculus Go is just shy of $300 at the time of this review (around $270 Canadian) and is a reasonable price point in my mind. It's a good spot to be in and is reasonably affordable by the average person looking to get into VR.
It certainly is far less expensive than any other option out there (aside from those junky VR sets you see floating around). There are plenty of poor vr headsets out there from tons of brands that I've never heard of and most of them end up donated to thrift stores. I know because I've seen tons of them there.
The Headset
The headset that comes with the oculus Go is comfortable and fits nicely. It has two side velcro adjustments and one top one so that you can modify it to fit comfortable.
oculus Go Review – The Headset
Eyeglass Spacer
It also has an eye glass spacer that pushes the lenses out a bit further so that you can comfortable fit it on with eyeglasses.
oculus Go eyeglass spacer
Here's a look at the three pieces separately; the headset, the eyeglass spacer and the foam shield.
oculus Go – Headset components
Comfort
While it was a bit uncomfortable and awkward at first to put on.. once I adjusted the straps and figured out an easier way to put it on (put the lenses on first and then pull the straps over my head) I was good to go.
The one thing I did notice is that I was able to see light through the nose area as it doesn't seal fully over the bridge of the nose. I've read other reviews that state this as well so just be prepared for it. I didn't find that it took away from the experience but it may be annoying to some.
oculus Go review – The Headset Lenses
The Components
The power button is the center top button shown in the picture above and is (obviously) used to turn the power on and off. The volume rocker is located to the left of the power button and is easy to reach when wearing the headset.
Along with the typical VR component of the goggles, the headset has an integrated microphone which allows you to voice chat with friends and other players in multiplayer games (of which there are quite a few).
The headset, in my testing, lasted about 1 1/2 – 2 hours per charge and it took on average about the same amount of time to charge. Typically, it was good to go in about 1 1/2 hours.
The Controller
The system also comes with a single controller used to navigate within your virtual world.
oculus Go – The Controller
The Controller has three buttons and a circular touch surface which can be used to navigate the menus and games.
The bottom button is emblazoned with the oculus logo and is the equivalent of a home button. It will bring you back to the home menu and reorient yourself within a game. Above this, there is a back button and above that, the circular touch surface.
You'll also note the trigger button which is used to make selections, fire weapons in game and more.
It's light and easy to hold and comes with a wrist strap. It's a motion controller so moving your hand back and forth will translate similar to how a Wii remote would work on the Nintendo Wii (if you are familiar with it). The controller uses a single battery (included) to power it.
oculus Go – Controller Battery Compartment
The oculus Interface
The interface once you put on the headset is easy to navigate and use. There's a settings panel at the bottom of the screen and a selection of icons and thumbnails on the screen above.
oculus Go – The Interface
To navigate, you simply use the handheld controller to point and click on the individual items within the interface. to scroll up and down, you slide your finger on the touchpad of the controller.
Under Sharing, you have the option (as you can see above) to share content to Facebook (obviously, since they own oculus) as well as to Cast your screen to a phone or TV so that others can watch you play. You can even record videos and Go Live from the sharing menu.
Under People, you can add friends, remove friends and similar activities. Within the main tab, Navigate, you can browse the store, your library, your gallery and more.
Battery life is depicted in the top right of your panel for both the controller and the headset.
oculus Go Review – My Conclusion
In my day or two owning this, I've enjoyed it thoroughly. The library of oculus Go Games and Apps that are available is quite extensive. There's everything from apps like Netflix and YouTube to Games such as Drop Dead (super fun zombie shooter) and Deer Hunter VR make it a great budget VR console. I highly recommend picking one up and if you do, let me know.