cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Oculus Go "stand-alone" requires a mobile phone... pfff....

EarlGrey
Expert Protege
I just go Oculus Go, and now after starting it up first time it says it requires a mobile phone.

I just got this because I didn't want to use my mobile phone for VR.

I'm very confused, it clearly states "STAND ALONE". Which means I should be able to use it without any other device requirements.

I can't. And I won't. I got Go for a reason, to keep it my VR stuff separated from my JOB phone, which is the only one I got.

So I can't bypass this "start by installing the *app* on your phone" without pairing it to a device that I don't have any control over.


108 REPLIES 108

Zenbane
MVP
MVP

EarlGrey said:
With the same reasoning, GearVR could be advertised as "standalone", because so many people have smartphones. Ughh..



Then you clearly don't understand "reasoning."

Alexa (Amazon echo) works the exact same way. Alexa needs a compatible smart device to download the Alexa App. Once done, that app can be uninstalled and Alexa works just fine without the GO.

GearVR requires a phone for not just the setup, but also the VR aspect. Oculus GO doesn't require a phone for the VR aspect, just the setup. So no, you can't reason that it is the same thing.

But you know that. You simply enjoy showing up every so often to cherrypick a complaint, as you've done before:

You're a DK2 owner. You don't have a Rift and pretending that you own a GO aint gonna work. You've complained so much just about the forum itself (it uses Cookies and is tied to Facebook) that I'm surprised you still bother to login for another complaint thread.

Regardless,

Oculus GO is selling quite well globally and has great reviews despite the fact that it requires a phone for general setup. But just like with your silly "Facebook Privacy" thread where you threatened EU law violation, if you feel that false advertising is taking place then contact your lawyer instead of making online forum legal complaints.

Anonymous
Not applicable
... I do have to agree though - what's the point in connecting it to a phone when it says no phone required? That really doesn't make much sense to me either in the way it should be able to be already ready to go without the need? That is a bit of a market lie that you don't need a phone when you do need a phone to sync it... Not saying it's a bad thing - but it is a marking lie to say it doesn't need one when it totally does to set it up.

Zenbane
MVP
MVP

Mradr said:

what's the point in connecting it to a phone when it says no phone required?



...

The same reason Alexa requires a phone. The hardware of both Alexa and GO serve a single person (A.I., VR), whereas their capabilities are extended by the companion app that runs on a full OS.

It's not that hard a concept. And I really don't understand how anyone who has been involved in PCVR (computer-based Virtual Reality) doesn't immediately comprehend this.

It's like asking why the Oculus Rift setup needs the sensors connected via USB Ports. Or why OVR in general needs running Services on Windows.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Zenbane said:


Mradr said:

what's the point in connecting it to a phone when it says no phone required?



It's like asking why the Oculus Rift setup needs the sensors connected via USB Ports. Or why OVR in general needs running Services on Windows.


That makes no sense man. That is a requirement to have it connected va USB. So you are saying it is a requirement if it needs a phone.

It says no phone is required though - why do you need an app on the phone (aka requires a phone) to sync it? What is it really syncing that they couldn't do from the device itself? 

I am sidestepping Alexa here with your example, but only because I can't understand why GO HAS/NEEDs to sync with a phone app. If you can maybe break down the reasoning behind it I might have a better idea - but I really just don't understand the need for it to sync anything with a phone that you only need to do once. What is the point of that?

Zenbane
MVP
MVP

Mradr said:
It says no phone is required though - why do you need an app on the phone (aka requires a phone) to sync it? What is it really syncing that they couldn't do from the device itself? 

I am sidestepping Alexa because this isn't Alexa just so you know I am just trying to understand why GO alone can't do this?



You are sidestepping Alexa because if you understood why Alexa needs an App then you would understand why GO needs an app. You're cherrypicking, just like the OP.

Here's a question:
Do you think that the only reason Oculus GO needs a phone app is for "synchronization"?

Before you answer that, tell me, do you know what an OS is? And do you think that a VR device with a fully functional up-to-date OS should only cost $199?

Anonymous
Not applicable

Zenbane said:


Mradr said:
It says no phone is required though - why do you need an app on the phone (aka requires a phone) to sync it? What is it really syncing that they couldn't do from the device itself? 

I am sidestepping Alexa because this isn't Alexa just so you know I am just trying to understand why GO alone can't do this?



You are sidestepping Alexa because if you understood why Alexa needs an App then you would understand why GO needs an app. You're cherrypicking, just like the OP.

Here's a question:
Do you think that the only reason Oculus GO needs a phone app is for "synchronization"?

Before you answer, that, tell me, do you know what an OS is? And do you think that a device with a fully functional up-to-date OS should only cost $199?


Devices as low as 120$ even less can run Android. Android it self is free from google. There is no cost for the OS other than the linces to use the OS in the first place that is a one time fee at the enterprise level. So you are saying that GO needs another OS to run its OS from? That still makes no sense man =/

And if it's as easy as doing that with anyone phone - why are they not doing that at the factory level? Again - what point is there?

Zenbane
MVP
MVP

Mradr said:
Devices as low as 120$ even less can run Android. Android it self is free from google. There is no cost for the OS other than the linces to use the OS in the first place that is a one time fee at the enterprise level. So you are saying that GO needs another OS to run its OS from? That still makes no sense man =/


Which VR devices that provide the same functionality as GO cost a mere $120? Do you really think that an OS only provides "synchronization"?

If GO only had a dumbed down version of Android (which would exclude on-Android users btw) then what do you think it would be losing in terms of functionality?

What do you think Oculus GO gains by having a companion app on a fully functional Android or iOS device?

How much extra space would Oculus GO need internally to add an Android or iOS operating System? How much more RAM? What about managing OS updates and security... how much overhead would that create for Oculus instead of what they have now, which offsets that to Android and iOS directly?

You can keep saying it makes no sense, but the only thing that doesn't
make sense is your understanding of what an OS entails and provides.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Zenbane said:


Mradr said:
Devices as low as 120$ even less can run Android. Android it self is free from google. There is no cost for the OS other than the linces to use the OS in the first place that is a one time fee at the enterprise level. So you are saying that GO needs another OS to run its OS from? That still makes no sense man =/


Which VR devices that provide the same functionality as GO cost a mere $120? Do you really think that an OS only provides "synchronization"?

If GO only had a dumbed down version of Android (which would exclude on-Android users btw) then what do you think it would be losing in terms of functionality?

What do you think Oculus GO gains by having a companion app on a fully functional Android or iOS device?

You can keep saying it makes no sense, but the only thing that doesn't
make sense is your understanding of what an OS entails and provides.


Do you know what an OS is Zen? Because that is hardware if you are talking about functionality/performance. An OS is just the working layer to integrated all the other software/hardware - and Android is fully customisable. All we are talking about here (not saying it's easy) is a shell design for the menu over the OS. The graphics and it's pipeline are a bit different from the OS, but one they already have work on from GearVR . Granted yes, they put more work into their GPU pipeline - but that still isn't the OS we're talking about here. I mean if Oculus made their own OS - do you think it would be compatible to the GearsVR version at all? They wouldn't be able to sell it at 200$ either I'm sure - so they are using a fully free version of Android as their OS meaning they have a working device even without having to sync with an app.

I never said it was a dumb down version of it 🙂 Even now I said it's a reshell of the menu system witch again would be more software related than OS related as far as what they did do from what we know. That doesn't really answer the question though - why the fuck do we need another device to sync with it? I mean if you are saying it's a dumb down version of Android to require that - sure - but that still silly and pointless meaning it does require a outside source (this case the phone) to start working. What is the point in that? I know you don't know the answer - no one really does other than Oculus - so I already know the answer to my question that is why I never ask before - but it does make my wonder why they still say no phone is required when one does need one to active the thing in the first place.

More or less Oculus just needs to make it clear it does for setup and I think that would fix any and all of these silly threads

Zenbane
MVP
MVP

Mradr said:
An OS is just the working layer to integrated all the other software/hardware




Completely incorrect. Integration happens at the API layer, not the OS layer. In fact, the OS itself is not even a layer. It makes no sense to suggest otherwise. At best, an OS can provide an "abstraction layer" which is just a collection of APIs. But you calling the OS itself a layer just really reveals why you are confused about this whole situation.

Either you're suggesting that Oculus should have built their own OS, and then become responsible for maintaining every aspect of it much the same way Microsoft manages Windows or Apple manages iOS, or you're suggesting that Oculus become a provider of hardware that runs an OS (Windows, iOS, Android) and then manage all udpates/security.

Whichever route you take, they are all bad. The Rift didn't take these routes at all. It uses the Windows OS for all functionality and extensibility. The OP has a DK2 which relies on Windows, and you have a Rift (right?) which also relies on Windows. Yet you are both adamantly confused as to why GO relies on either Android or iOS. It's mind-boggling.

The interesting thing to me is that you use the word "shell" without any idea of what it really means. I say that because it is GO itself that is the shell, and it is the companion app running on a full OS (Android, iOS) that communicates to GO in order to provide extensibility.

The reason I brought up "dumbed down" as a verison of Android was to help your Math ($120) and overall argument make some sense. But now you're refuting even that very boldly lol



Mradr said:
 why the fuck do we need another device to sync with it?


Because an OS provides much more than mere synchronization.

Anonymous
Not applicable
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alternative_shells_for_Windows

Ok you tell that to Windows Bob about how shells are not basically skins\layouts:)

Anyways, your example makes no sense though. Agree - they used windows OS for the OS, but that still doesn't mean that CV1 and DK1-2 didn't need an OS to get their stuff working. How else would they run their code? Windows is a requirement for their software to some level of programming - and that means their headset does as well. The thing is - you are right in that the device itself doesn't need windows for it to work - but it also is a dumb device that can't work outside of it's "home environment" either.

Go on the other hand - can work because it's all in one system. Meaning they are selling you that OS along with their hardware to make this happen. Granted Oculus don't need to worry about the patching because that is google's job, but they do need to worry about compatibility with their hardware with the OS still. That is why you still will see patches from Oculus over this to make sure it works well.