Oculus Go VR headset set to launch in May

Oculus is reportedly set to release its new standalone VR headset in May at Facebook's F8 developer conference. The Oculus Go, a virtual reality device that won't need to be tethered to a computer for its content is a lower-price VR gadget — but deliver robust content like the company's earlier devices.

Expected to cost $199, Oculus Go will make it debut at Facebook's event, as first reported by Variety. Facebook is also hinting at its release, with a VR headset image prominently displayed on the F8 web site.

Facebook, which bought Oculus in 2014, announced the new virtual reality device back in October. Since then, competitor Vive has announced its own stand-alone VR headset as well, called the Vive Focus.

Standalone VR devices aren't new. Google Cardboard versions have been available for years, rough boxes that essentially hold a smartphone in place which pushes out the virtual content. But Oculus and HTC have the upper hand (and better known brand names) around VR content that doesn't glitch, is immersive and supports, arguably, some of the better VR titles. The problem? Players using Oculus Rift and HTC Vive have had to be leashed to a computer to push that content to their headsets.

Oculus Go and Vive Focus promise something new — immersive content without computer wires snaking from your head, or a smartphone weighted to the front of your face, as Samsung Gear VR requires.

The first versions of Oculus Go are expected to come in two sizes: a 32 GB version and one that holds 64 GB. Since the VR content will be self-contained on the headset, one with higher storage will presumably hold more content.