Alternatives to the Oculus Go

Facebook/Oculus has already announced that it will cease production (and support from 2021) of the Oculus Go. This comes as a surprise to many VR users, as the Oculus Go is one of the more popular VR headsets of the moment.

The Oculus Go is characterized by its lightweight, high user convenience, and relatively low purchase price (compared to other VR headsets). These qualities make the Oculus Go the ideal VR headset for budding VR enthusiasts, as well as for specific target groups, such as children in the hospital. The advantage of the Oculus Go is that the headset works wirelessly and without a computer at any location. For this reason, the headset is ideal to put on someone for a moment, for example, to show a fun 360-degree video. But now that the Oculus Go is being discontinued - and Oculus's support is being scaled back, it might be wise to start looking at alternatives.

Fortunately, there are a number of headsets that can be used for the same purposes as the Oculus Go! In this blog, we highlight a number of good alternative VR headsets for you.

This VR headset has a powerful built-in processor and is therefore more suitable for playing games. The Oculus Quest can also be used completely wirelessly, but if desired, it can be connected to a computer via Oculus Link. By doing this, you can access VR content that is usually only suitable for PC-VR. This makes the Oculus Quest a unique all-in-one headset that is good for both entertainment and business applications.

One of the disadvantages of the Oculus Quest is that the headset is only suitable for consumers. Oculus states that business VR users should have a commercial license (Oculus for business). With this license, the Oculus Quest can be used in a business and commercial environment, but the downside is that you - in addition to this license, also directly subscribe to business software from Oculus for at least 1 year.

The Pico G2 is seen as the most obvious successor to the Oculus Quest. The Pico G2 is most comparable to the Oculus Go. The same lightweight, ergonomic design, and easy applicability characterize this headset. However, Pico has added some other handy features that make the headset even more comfortable. For example, the battery of this headset is built into the strap that runs over the back of the head, resulting in less pressure on the front of the VR headset (something you notice well with the Oculus Quest). As a result, the Pico G2 4K fits a bit more comfortably and you can comfortably wear the headset for a longer period of time.

The HTC Vive Focus Plus is a 6 DoF headset with a powerful built-in processor. The Vive Focus Plus is intended for business users who want to use the headset for business applications. With a high image resolution and 6 DoF motion, the headset is extremely suitable for developers and companies that want to put their own content on the headset. For example, the HTC Vive Focus Plus is often used by architecture companies that have designed their own house in VR. With the Vive Focus Plus, you can easily walk through the virtual space without cables and without obstructions. Developers can also work well with the Vive Focus Plus, because with the Vive Wave platform, own content can be developed and shared in a relatively easy way by and with third-party developers.

The Vive Focus Plus can be used without any restrictions in a business environment, but for the warranty, it must have the HTC Enterprise Service.

The VROrbit Theater is a somewhat lesser-known VR headset, but it targets a very specific purpose. The VROrbit Theater focuses - as its name suggests, on watching 360-degree videos and images. The VROrbit runs on an Android system, making the operation very simple, and placing your own content is also very easy. The headset can be connected to a computer via a micro-USB cable and you can drag the files you want to play on the headset to a folder in the headset. When you then turn on the VR headset, you see the folder and you can click on all content with the simple operation on the headset (and even the included wireless mouse).

Perhaps the least known VR headset in this list is the Skyworth VR S801. This VR headset was developed in collaboration with Reality Technologies; one of the largest global distributors in the field of VR, AR, MR, 3D, and AI. The Skyworth VR S801 uses the same design as the Oculus Go, but is even a bit lighter (only 310 grams). The Skyworth VR S801 has a high 2.5K image resolution, which means that this headset can also show VR and 360-degree content very beautifully.

On the Skyworth VR S801, just like with the Pico G2 4K, you can easily load your own content. This makes the headset a good candidate commercially to replace the Oculus Go (partly because the Skyworth S801 is in the same price range as the Oculus Go).

Perhaps this name doesn't mean much to you, but XRspace Manova promises to be the new headset of the future. XRspace was founded by HTC co-founder Peter Chou. The design of the headset strongly reminds of the Oculus Quest 2. A standalone headset with built-in tracking for 6 DoF movements, a powerful built-in processor to play free-roam VR games, 20% lighter than comparable VR headsets, and a very stylish design with a whole lot of custom-made accessories. The Manova is currently only available for pre-order and it is still unknown when this headset will actually be for sale. But one thing is certain: XRspace is an interesting party to keep an eye on!