The next platform of computing — Standalone VR headset starting with Oculus Go

Last week, Facebook announced their first standalone headset at Oculus Connect 4 — the Oculus Go. It’s a virtual reality headset that’s basically GearVR with the power of the current generation smartphones minus the price tag, costing only at $199.

Now let me rephrase that. It’s a $199 device that has the full capabilities of current generation smartphone with unlimited screen space.

In the last ten years, phones have became much more than just a device for calling and texting. It has become a portable computer that is replacing most people’s need for computers. In fact, smartphone screens have gotten bigger and bigger each year. This is so users can have more space to browse website. This is so users can have more screen space for apps. This is so when the user type text on the screen the virtual keyboard won’t block the content. This is so when playing mobile games, there can be more UIs for engaging the users. But there’s a limit to how big it can go. Smartphones are currently carried mostly in pockets and the size of your pocket put a limitation on how big a smartphone can go. And thus, we have tablets — a bigger version of smartphone that sacrifices the mobility for extra big screens. On the other end of the spectrum, there are smart watches, devices that sacrifice screen space for mobility. Ultimately, we are stuck in a battle between mobility and screen space, and going for one, the other will suffer. The total amount of screen space x mobility is ultimately fixed.

Then there comes virtual reality. Virtual reality can be seen as the ultimate screen space device. Unlimited space that allows the user to place content anywhere in full 3 dimensions. And it doesn’t take up unlimited space either. This means that for people who are just looking for bigger screens, VR is the ultimate dream. And this is why standalone headset will be king. It provide much more screen space than any mobile phone and only need to be optimized for size factor. Oh yeah, and it only cost $199.

Oculus Go is just the start. It won’t be replacing smartphones as soon as it comes out, but this is the start of a new era. The next generation of standalone VR headset may have hand tracking, it may have cameras, it may have cellular connectivity, and when it does, why spend $1,000+ on a smartphone?