Facebook is pulling affordable Oculus Go VR headset off the market

Facebook has launched the Oculus Go in 2017 in partnership with Xiaomi.

If you own an Oculus Go you can still keep using it and it will continue to receive bug fixes and security updates through 2022, post that it is going to reach the end-of-life (EOL) status. (Amazon)

When the social media giant purchased the Oculus VR in 2014 and stepped into the VR market, the Oculus Rift was the best VR headset on offer. Almost all VR headsets at that point in time were expensive and also required to be tethered to powerful PC hardware to work.

Thus Facebook's standalone headsets like Oculus Go and the Oculus Quest made a lot of sense when launched. The Snapdragon 821-powered Oculus Go is now being pulled off the market.

Facebook has launched the Oculus Go in 2017 in partnership with Xiaomi. The entry-level standalone VR headset supported only three degrees of freedom (3DoF) and came with a 5.5-inch LCD with 1280X1440 per eye, up to 72Hz refresh rate and a 2,600mAh battery that promised 2 hours of gaming and 2.5 hours of video playback.

The Oculus Go was followed by the Oculus Quest that pretty much had the same specs except for the OLED display, 1440X1600 per eye, the faster Snapdragon 835, active cooling and six degrees of freedom.

A better Oculus Quest model is reportedly in the works and might be launching by the end of the year with a 90Hz refresh rate and a lower price than the current Oculus Quest. Given that, there is little room for the Oculus Go to hang around and Facebook is ending sales this year. Also, the company is not going to release any more headsets with 3DOF.

If you own an Oculus Go you can still keep using it and it will continue to receive bug fixes and security updates through 2022, post that it is going to reach the end-of-life (EOL) status. Developers will also not be able to submit any new apps or updates for the Oculus Go after december 4 this year. And no new apps will be published for the Oculus Go on the store post December 18, 2020.

Post these dates, updates coming to the Oculus Go will only include bug fixes and security updates.

If you are looking to buy a VR headset, you might as well pick the current Oculus Quest or wait out till the end of the year for a new one.