Facebook and Oculus have unveiled so much on the first day of the Oculus Connect 3 event. Among those that were showcased are the new standalone VR headset, the Oculus Touch and the Oculus Avatars. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was at the event. Though Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey was notably absent.
A Standalone VR Headset
Oculus has been successful with their Rift VR headset. Now, Zuckerberg has revealed a standalone VR headset that people will expect. It does not require a phone when being used. The said prototype device will be more affordable than the Oculus Rift. This may be an answer to Google's Daydream VR and Sony's upcoming PlayStation VR.
According to The Verge, it is basically in the fine line between the Rift and Samsung's Gear VR. The new VR headset has a position tracking feature. Apparently, this complements both mobile and desktop VR experiences. He said that it will use the Computer Vision Software. It basically means that the new device will be portable. Users do not have to worry about wires. They are not needed to tether this device to the PC.
The release date and price of this VR headset has not been announced yet.
Oculus Touch And Avatars
Oculus is finally releasing the highly anticipated handheld Touch controllers. It will be available on Dec. 6 for $199. Though it can already be pre-ordered on Oct. 10. The Oculus Touch comes with an extra camera sensor. According to BBC, additional motion sensors will also be provided for a "room-scale" VR. That will cost the customers another $79.
There will be at least 35 gaming titles during its launch. It includes the Epic Games' Robot recall, VR Sports Challenge, The Unspoken, Arktika and Lone Echo. The Oculus Touch will be launched along with the Oculus Avatars. These Avatars are set to hit mobiles by 2017. Users can actually customize it with a broad range of options.
It is integrated with "rooms" and "parties" features. Oculus' Lauren Vegter explained that "rooms" enables users to be in a virtual physical space together. On the other hand, "parties" allows multiple VR users to meet up and talk through their avatars. Oculus described it as the foundation of the user's identity in VR.
The "rooms and parties" features will also be in Samsung's Gear VR.
