Facebook to sell portable headset for virtual reality

Facebook Inc is launching a new virtual reality headset that does not require a separate computer to operate, allowing more mobile uses than the company's existing Oculus Rift product.

Zuckerberg, speaking at a conference for virtual reality developers, said the “Oculus Go” device would cost $199 and ship early next year, too late for this year’s holiday shopping season but likely ahead of rivals.

“A lot of the most important tech don’t start off mainstream,” Zuckerberg said. “Some people say VR is isolating and antisocial, I actually think it’s the opposite.”

Facebook has invested heavily in virtual reality hardware in hopes the technology, which offers a 360-degree panoramic view of faraway or imaginary spaces, will move from a niche interest to a widely used platform for gaming, communication and business applications.

In 2014, Facebook paid $3 billion to acquire Oculus and retain its employees.

The Oculus Go is billed as simpler than the Rift, which went on sale last year, or the Vive system made by HTC Corp. Both of those require desktop computers to operate.

“I think you’re going to see these a lot on airplanes, because it’s way better than the back-of-the-seat monitor or my phone,” Mike Schroepfer, Facebook’s chief technology officer, said in an interview.

Zuckerberg also said the device would be a “sweet spot” between high-end but bulky headsets that require users to invest thousands in PCs and accessories, and cheaper ones, which plug into smartphones but whose performance pale in comparison.

On Wednesday, the company said it was releasing technology to create better, customized facial images, or avatars, and would soon add the ability to use playing cards in Facebook Spaces, in addition to the dice it already has.