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Oculus Go is the furthest thing from a standalone device imaginable. Total false advertising.

ryancarmichael3
Honored Guest
Oculus Go is the furthest thing from a standalone device imaginable.

The Oculus Go requires you to also buy a very new smartphone.  At minimum, it should be ready to download content straight from the web in order to be a standalone device.  All over the web it's being sold as a standalone device.  How is Oculus getting away with this scam? 

23 REPLIES 23

Anonymous
Not applicable
You don't have to own a smartphone, just borrow one from a friend or family member. Job done.

kevinw729
Honored Visionary
We only used the Dev version that plugged into a PC - does the consumer one need to sync with a mobile??
https://vrawards.aixr.org/ "The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Home-Immersive-Entertainment-Frontier/dp/1472426959

LZoltowski
Champion

kevinw729 said:

We only used the Dev version that plugged into a PC - does the consumer one need to sync with a mobile??


 A phone is required for initial setup yes. It is mentioned on the Oculus website at the time of purchase, it is also clearly marked on Amazon. BestBuy etc. The language states "No additional devices are required WHILE in VR. I have friends with 4-year-old phones, quite obscure android ones and it worked fine. As long as the Android version is 6 or above. 
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kojack
MVP
MVP

kevinw729 said:

We only used the Dev version that plugged into a PC - does the consumer one need to sync with a mobile??


You need to use a mobile app to initially tell the Go which oculus account to connect to and wifi settings.







Author: Oculus Monitor,  Auto Oculus Touch,  Forum Dark Mode, Phantom Touch Remover,  X-Plane Fixer
Hardware: Threadripper 1950x, MSI Gaming Trio 2080TI, Asrock X399 Taich
Headsets: Wrap 1200VR, DK1, DK2, CV1, Rift-S, GearVR, Go, Quest, Quest 2, Reverb G2

bill911stone
Explorer
I've had to refresh the Go, pair a new controller and repair the Go controller over the course of a few months. Those were one-time rare events. Each time I performed one of those 3 tasks, I had to use the phone. Maybe there's another way to do it without the phone but if there isn't, you have to re-borrow a phone if you don't have one. So technically, a consumer may buy the Go without knowing that a phone is required at least during initial setup. If so, technically, the consumer could say the Go is not a standalone device if the consumer buys the headset, goes to a remote location where there is no phone and tries to start using the Go.

But in the grand scheme of things, I consider the Go as a standalone device from a "using it" point of view. The Gear VR, on the other hand is not a stand-alone device because you always have to use something else to make the headset work: a phone. We can move on up the ladder to the HTC Vive which is the opposite of stand-alone.

Side Note: I didn't read the details before I bought the Go so I was surprised to find that I needed a phone to do the setup. If you look at the Go box, it says "requires a phone" right there on the box. But those letters are the smallest letters on the box. I didn't find them until just now when I checked the box to see if the box mentioned "phone required."

kevinw729
Honored Visionary
Interesting, thanks guys - well if it is only a (onetime) pairing thing as you are stating, this is no biggy - right?
I know that the HTC Focus and PICO don't need to do this, but they favour a PC hock-up.
https://vrawards.aixr.org/ "The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Home-Immersive-Entertainment-Frontier/dp/1472426959

TwoHedWlf
Expert Trustee
At this point, smart phones are so common it's about on par with buying Ikea furniture and complaining that it doesn't tell you that it may also require a hammer.  It's just a basic tool practically everyone has.  Even little kids have them.  I might even be able to set up the Go using my TV since it's running Android.

kojack
MVP
MVP
Yep, you only need the mobile around if you want to re-pair the controller, toggle developer mode on/off (in developer mode, a usb cable is used for the android adb program, in non developer mode usb is for using the go as a portable drive) and start a factory reset if you can't remember the button combo (power and volume down for a bit to get into Go's menu).
I can't think of anything else I've done with it once set up (apart from check battery level without putting on the headset), and I spent 13 weeks with 5 Go's managing 4 student VR dev teams.

About the only every day thing you can't do through the headset without a phone is send friend requests. You can answer them, just not send them. Everything else is on the headset (add new wifi, buy from the store, etc).

Author: Oculus Monitor,  Auto Oculus Touch,  Forum Dark Mode, Phantom Touch Remover,  X-Plane Fixer
Hardware: Threadripper 1950x, MSI Gaming Trio 2080TI, Asrock X399 Taich
Headsets: Wrap 1200VR, DK1, DK2, CV1, Rift-S, GearVR, Go, Quest, Quest 2, Reverb G2

CrashFu
Consultant
You could literally walk into your nearest drug store or grocery store, buy a cheap prepaid phone (IE a 'burner') and use that.  Don't even need to maintain active service on it, I don't think, as long as it can do a bluetooth connection and you have a WiFi source.
It's hard being the voice of reason when you're surrounded by unreasonable people.