Why is Oculus making four different VR headsets?

Why is Oculus making four different VR headsets?

6 years ago
Anonymous $uquhsGEL_U

https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/13/16464310/oculus-santa-cruz-go-vr-headset-strategy

Earlier this week, Oculus doubled its VR hardware lineup, adding two new headsets alongside the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR. The first is a development kit codenamed Santa Cruz, which features full motion tracking in a wireless headset. The second is Oculus Go, a mobile headset with built-in electronics instead of a phone slot. Facebook’s VR chief Hugo Barra says Go and Santa Cruz are supposed to complement the Rift and Gear VR, not replace them. At a time when virtual reality is a niche pursuit, this is an interesting strategy to expand the market — but also carries the risk of splitting it up.

The existing VR user base is so small that even a game released on several different headsets might not be profitable. Developers broadly tailor their work to either high-end hardware (like the Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR) that lets you walk around and use virtual hands, or low-end products (like Gear VR and Google Daydream) that use point-and-click controls in a stationary position.

Why is Oculus making four different VR headsets?

Oct 13, 2017, 7:23pm UTC
https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/13/16464310/oculus-santa-cruz-go-vr-headset-strategy >Earlier this week, Oculus doubled its VR hardware lineup, adding two new headsets alongside the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR. The first is a development kit codenamed Santa Cruz, which features full motion tracking in a wireless headset. The second is Oculus Go, a mobile headset with built-in electronics instead of a phone slot. Facebook’s VR chief Hugo Barra says Go and Santa Cruz are supposed to complement the Rift and Gear VR, not replace them. At a time when virtual reality is a niche pursuit, this is an interesting strategy to expand the market — but also carries the risk of splitting it up. >The existing VR user base is so small that even a game released on several different headsets might not be profitable. Developers broadly tailor their work to either high-end hardware (like the Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR) that lets you walk around and use virtual hands, or low-end products (like Gear VR and Google Daydream) that use point-and-click controls in a stationary position.