During Qualcomm’s 2018 CES press conference today, the chip manufacturer confirmed that the Oculus Go, a $199 USD (about $225 CAD) standalone virtual reality headset, is powered by the company’s Snapdragon 821 processor — the same silicon found in the LG G6 and the first-generation Google Pixel.
Hugo Barra, Facebook virtual reality vice president, also revealed that his former employer, Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi, is manufacturing the Oculus Go. Xiaomi is also working on a China-specific variant called the Mi VR Standalone, which is set to feature similar hardware.
While the Snapdragon 821 was one of the first mobile processors designed with virtual reality in mind, Oculus Go being powered by last year’s mobile silicon means that the headset likely won’t be capable of running high-end virtual reality experiences. There’s no word on a release date yet for the headset but it’s expected to be unveiled in early 2018.
HTC, Oculus’ main competitor in the virtual reality space, revealed an upgraded version of its high-end VR headset, the HTC Vive Pro. This new, upgraded version of the original Vive features a higher resolution display and built-in headphones.
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