We tested... the Oculus Go, the headset 200 euros, which simplifies virtual reality

The last headset Oculus hopes to democratize virtual reality. NICOLAS SIX / “THE WORLD”

In the world of technologies, mundane things sometimes take a tour exceptional. To turn on the Oculus Go, just press its button to ” on ” and then put the helmet on the face. A maneuver amazing simplicity when compared to the ignition helmets competitors : the models, the least expensive (around 40 euros) does not have a screen, need a smartphone, and are energy-efficient. The most expensive (around 400 euros), should connect to a console and are a little more difficult to use.

The Oculus Go, on the other hand, is more easy to use and has everything you need : a screen, a graphics chip, a wireless controller, etc., 220 euros, the price is half way to that of its competitors. The amount is significant but far from being excessive, because the bowels of the Go house the electronics of a smartphone mid-range.

The Oculus Go is a new gateway in the virtual reality, which promises us for many years of wonderful 3D games, video news stories that are immersive and revolutionary experiences. Is it finally the great door, that we are tired of hope ?

Practice

The first time you turn on the Gb, it is necessary to take out his smartphone to create an account, set the Wi-Fi, and read a long security warning. Any model labeled Apple or Android will do the trick.

The battery of the Gb holds about two and a half hours, and it is more than it takes. At the end of a time-of-use, many users will feel a little disoriented even slightly barbouillés based virtual experiments in which they are engaged. In other hand, the autonomy of the Gb will be a problem if multiple players use it, because it takes three hours to recharge. Please note, the Gb can store dozens of apps and games in its memory of 32 Gb.

Uncomfortable of course, but not much more than its competitors

Not revolution : the weight of the Gb is close to the average. However, it is more widely available than many other helmets. Its wide straps and its foams very thick allow him to marry the most of the faces.

The lens and the screen of the Oculus Go has been particularly cared for. NICOLAS SIX / “THE WORLD”

Next to visual comfort, on the other hand, the Gb is far from being exemplary. He offers no adjustment of optical, as opposed to a headset at € 20 like BoboVR. No knob to adjust the gap between the eyes : a small minority of users will see double. No adjustment for the depth of the short-sighted : they will need to use the-Go with their glasses. In this case, the headset remains fortunately quite comfortable, even with the big frames.

A immersion fair

Oculus has not skimped on the quality of the screen, a model particularly end (2 560 × 1 440 pixels) in the greater field of vision than the average (110°), and highlighted by excellent optical lenses. The images it delivers are no cleaner than those of the best helmets grand public.

But the eye did not leave to take. The virtual reality headsets still have a long way to go before issuing a image photo-realistic. For the moment, their images remain unclear and eaten by black margins, as at the exit of a tunnel.

To interact with the user, the Oculus Go captures the movements of the head, but not those of the body, in contrast to its big brother, the Oculus Rift. Impossible to squat to pick up an object, it’s impossible to avoid a projectile that falls on you.

The controller that came with the Gb, pleasant and precise, makes a big difference in the face helmets lower end of the range which are massless. Without a controller, it’s a bit like if we played the hand in the back. This accessory allows you to navigate in the menus of the helmet much more quickly, driving a car, playing with a racket ping-pong, etc

The wireless remote control of The Oculus Go has four buttons and a touch-sensitive area. NICOLAS SIX / THE WORLD

However, the controller of the Gb is far from providing opportunities for interaction of the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, in which the controllers sophisticated give the impression of having not just one arm, but two, extended by hands that allow you to interact relatively finely.

Few applications and exciting

The Gb accesses a thousand applications, among which, the games really convincing are rare and hard to find. Surnagent a few titles, such as Land’s End, Catan VR, Racket Fury : Table Tennis, Republic of VR, Dreadhalls, or Dead Secret by example. Even looking carefully, not of the success of the video game major to report.

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The graphics are much less spectacular than those of the Oculus Rift. The catalog of games of the Rift is not compatible with the Gb. Most of the games are from the ecosystem, Samsung Gear VR, a virtual reality helmet with controller requiring a Samsung mobile high-end (about 100 euros). Oculus had added only a few dozens of games.

The games are not everything : the virtual reality headsets give you access to videos, stories, small documentaries, sequences, sports or action. You can also chat online with friends Facebook, in the halls of virtual reality, which reminds us of the passage that Oculus is a subsidiary of the social network.

At this stage, for the average user, the games and applications available probably aren’t enough to make you want to put on the helmet regularly for months. The Oculus does not have the power of seduction of a good console.

In summary

The Gb is not a blow to the heart. Even today, the experiences of virtual reality are still too often disappointing. In addition, virtual reality headsets are still far from providing a visual immersion disturbing natural. The Go is no exception in this regard.

The latest Oculus, however, is far from unworthy. It justifies very largely its rate of 200 euros, thanks in particular to its controller, which offers opportunities playful as they do not have the helmets to 40 euros, and especially thanks to the simplicity of its single-use.

You can leave the Go to sleep on a shelf and wake up at any moment : it happens rarely more than fifteen seconds before it goes to the game or application coveted.

The Oculus Go is rather for you if :

you’re a big curious and you have the financial means to satisfy your curiosity ;
you like it all : games, art, extreme sports, investigative journalism, etc

The Oculus Go is not for you if :

are you looking for the games most impressive ;
you’re claustrophobic, and you hate the blurry images.

Before adopting the Oculus Go, it is necessary to try. Its lenses are not compatible with the eyes of all the users. In addition, the virtual reality headsets nauseous to a minority of users at the end of a few minutes.

Read also We tested seven virtual reality headsets around 40 euros also Read The best VR helmets all-in-one

Nicolas Six