Facebook's Oculus Setting Sight On Cheaper Headgear Launch In 2018

In what could bring about a major upheaval in the virtual reality arena, Facebook Inc FB is working on an economy Oculus VR headset, which could hit the market as early as next year, Bloomberg said, quoting people familiar with the matter.

The proposed gadget priced at $200 is aimed at the mass market, given its affordability.

The product is supposed to be a hybrid between the affordable cheap headsets that transform smartphones into VR players and the high-end ones meant for gaming and work while being plugged to desktop computers.

Samsung Electronic SSNLF's Gear VR, priced at $100 is an example of the former, while Facebook's Oculus Rift VR, priced at $400, belongs to the latter category.

The hybrid product planned by Facebook is priced at $200 and obviates the need to be plugged to the PCs. It would begin shipping in 2018.

The product, code-named Pacific, is supposed to be a more compact version of the Rift and is lighter than Samsung's Gear VR, according to the Bloomberg report.

"The device's design and features aren't finalized and could still change, but the idea is that someone will be able to pull the headset out of their bag and watch movies on a flight just the way you can now with a phone or tablet," the report said.

If the planned headset strikes a chord with users, it could help Facebook gain market share in the VR market, which is currently being led by Samsung. Sony Corp (ADR) SNE and HTC Corporation HTCKF are ranked second and third, respectively, with Facebook settling down into the fourth spot.

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For Microsoft, The VR Game Is Still Afoot ________ Image Credit: "Oculus chief scientists Michael Abrash on stage at Facebook's F8 2015" By Maurizio Pesce from Milan, Italia [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons