Oculus Go: we tried the first autonomous VR headset of Facebook

On the occasion of the F8 conference, Facebook launches the Oculus Go, its first autonomous VR helmet ... and we already have it on the head. After a few days in his company, here are our first impressions.

Seven months after being officially unveiled to the general public, the Oculus Go will finally come to stand before the eyes (curious) of the greatest number. Facebook indeed supplements its offer of virtual reality headsets with this so-called "autonomous" model. Indeed, unlike its big brother Oculus Rift, Go does not require a PC, game console or even a smartphone to work.

Just like the HTC Focus or the Lenovo Mirage Solo, the technical platforms (see box below) and software (ersatz Android) are actually hidden behind the visor. Clearly, you put on the mask, you turn it on and you are propelled into the world of virtual reality with Oculus sauce.

Made by the Chinese giant Xiaomi, the Oculus Go comes in two models: a first with 32 GB of storage space, sold 220 euros. The other offers double storage (64 GB so) and is announced at 270 euros. At first, the Go can only be purchased on Oculus.com. It will happen only during the summer in European stores (and therefore French).

Oculus Go: unboxing

The box of the Oculus Go consists of the mask, the small wireless controller (and a battery to power it) and a USB cable to recharge the battery of the mask.

There is also an accessory to place between the lenses and the fabric covering, specially designed for eyeglass wearers. Added to this are a cloth to clean the lenses, a small strap for the controller and finally the instructions.

The first start of the mask requires the help of an Android or iOS smartphone on which You must download the free application Oculus. You must then open an Oculus account or connect via your Facebook profile to the portal.

The small program will guide you, step by step, in the installation and synchronization of the mask and the joystick. Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the smartphone so that the whole process goes smoothly is mandatory. This completed, you can put your mobile in your pocket, it will not be used anymore ... except to buy content on the app (the store is also accessible from the headset) or send to Go photos or videos stored on the cellphone.

Finally, it is also possible to retrieve items hosted on a Facebook account, Instagram, Dropbox or even a personal server (DLNA) if it is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the Go.

Data sheet of the Oculus Go
Screen size and screen resolution: 5.5 inches, 2560 by 1440 pixels
Refresh rate: between 60 and 72 Hz (at the discretion of the developers)
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Mobile VR Platform
Storage: 32 or 64 GB
System: OS based on Android
Connectivity: 3.5 mm headphone jack, microUSB (battery charging)
Autonomy announced: between 2 hours and 2 hours 30
Weight and dimensions (W x H x D) of the helmet: 468 grams / 18.3 x 10.1 x 13.1 cm
Weight and dimensions (W x H x D) of the handle: 68 grams (battery included) / 10.8 x 3.6 x 3.8 cm

Half-tone comfort

Come on, we put on the mask, we adjust the length of the bands of elastic fabrics side and upper, we grab the controller and go. Note, the helmet only supports the movements of the head and not the full position of the body in space. The right time to address the issues of comfort and ergonomics in use.

Good point, the foam coating and fabric that just squeezes on the face is nice. It does not get too hot and does not exert too much pressure. The weight of the mask (468 g) spreads well over the skull, provided you take the time to adjust the straps (washable).

Straps that load - in part - to drive the sound from the small speakers hidden in the mask housing. The reverse of the medal, your entourage benefits! But as a 3.5mm jack is available on the left side, it is still possible to connect a headphone to be fully immersed.

However, in terms of visual comfort, the Oculus Go does not really convince us. The rendering is not end, nor very natural. The 5.5-inch screen is not of exceptional quality, the colors drool and all the elements at the periphery of the vision are almost always distorted.

Another direct consequence, to have almost the nose stuck on the screen, the defects of low definition videos - for example - stand out much more than on a high-end headphones, like the Rift or the HTC Vive.

The wireless controller, for one, is a bit small for our big hands. It is nonetheless ergonomic. The thumb takes place on the touch pad (for scrolling in the menus) and also operates the two (too) small buttons, "Back" and "Menu", located just below. The index is lodged on the trigger. Balance, size aside, the handling of the controller is intuitive, as well as navigation in the Oculus portal menus.

Be aware that the controller is virtually modeled in the mask interface and a small dot-ended beam serves as a cursor / viewfinder. So we aim at the element that we want to select, we pull the trigger and you're done.

Clear interface, diverse content

Apps, videos, games, VR experiences ... For this launch, more than 1000 different content (free or paid) are available to users. Many come from the ecosystem Oculus / Facebook but also that of Gear VR Samsung and will continue to grow as and when. But do not expect to find 3D games cut for the Oculus Rift: the technical platform of the Go can not decently run them. Note, the representatives of Oculus told us that for the launch, a hundred different content would be fully optimized for the Go and we could test some (see below).

The purchase and download are done in a jiffy: all applications are housed on the top of the homepage.

The lower part of the interface, it hosts a bar filled with shortcuts to, for example, lists of friends, the Store or the Headset Settings.

Still, after several hours of exploring the Store, there are few new applications or VR experiences that have caught our attention or really impressed us. As with most RV stores, there are many more "experiences" and "narrative video" VR than real games or apps that provide hours of entertainment.

100 new software only for the Go

Among those that, at first glance, we liked, there is the new version of Oculus Room. It is a kind of living room to share with many. The principle is simple: you invite friends with an Oculus Go or Rift to connect to your virtual room.

Once they have materialized in the form of avatars, you can enjoy movies or photos or play together board games. Moreover, a partnership with Hasbro will allow Facebook to soon offer some games from the catalog of the publisher.
In the range of games available in preview and accessible at the time of our test, we enjoyed the latest version of the title Catan VR, from the board game of the same name or Ashar Online, a space shooter playable alone or several, rather well done. We recommend playing it sitting on a swinging office chair because you control your ship using the movements of the helmet and not the joystick.

In terms of video apps, the novelties are not bloated. Or more exactly, not yet out. We must therefore deal with the existing. In addition to those from the Facebook and Oculus ecosystem (Facebook 360, Oculus Video), Netflix or YouTube, we find mainly applications of US channels or sites, providing original programs or even a little replay.

And unfortunately, future apps Oculus TV (exclusive content and aggregator of apps dedicated to video) and Oculus Venues (concerts, live entertainment or sports event) may well only include American content to start.

There are also narrative experiences around the theme of cinema, nature, science, etc. But little French juice content is available at the moment. And since videos are rarely subtitled, a good knowledge of Shakespeare's language is required.

The real problem of Oculus Go is ...

As with the PSVR, we were quickly subject to motion sickness with the Go. In short, after a few long minutes of use, headaches and gagging started to appear ... even when sitting down. Whether playing, watching videos or simply surfing the Internet with the integrated browser, there is no difference.

Your servant first thought that he was an isolated case. So neither one nor two, he has positioned it on the heads of several other members of the editorial staff, usually insensitive to the discomfort caused by VR. A few minutes were enough for them, too, to feel bad ... and the urge to vomit (say things frankly) as headaches were still present several hours after ending their experience. Not sure that making its users sick helps Go to accomplish its mission: to democratize RV in homes ...

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