Facebook plans to unveil cheaper wireless Oculus VR headset this year: report

Facebook is planning to unveil a cheaper wireless Oculus VR headset later this year, reported the Bloomberg Technology. The new VR hardware will reportedly cost not more than $200 (approximately Rs12,855), amid great competition from rivals such as Sony and HTC.

The new device will be designed in a way that it need not be tethered to a PC or phone, unlike Facebook’s previous VR gears. It has been code-named “Pacific”, is a compact version of Oculus Rift headset and lighter that Samsung’s Gear VR headset, according to people familiar with its development.

“We don’t have a product to unveil at this time, however we can confirm we’re making several significant technology investments in the standalone VR category,” an Oculus spokesperson told Bloomberg in a statement.

Earlier this week, Oculus also announced to temporarily cut price of its Rift headset and Touch controllers to $399 for six weeks. It was noted that VR technology has not yet taken off among consumers and there’s a need to cut down the price for the same.

Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014 for about $2 billion.

At Oculus’s developer conference last year, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg described a “sweet spot” for a device that sits between the Gear VR and Rift. “This is the kind of thing that we believe will exist,” he said.

The new device yet to be unveiled by the firm will begin shipping next year, sources told Bloomberg.