Google might be launching a line of major standalone virtual reality headsets later this year but Pico Interactive has beaten it to the punch.
As of this week the Pico Goblin, an all-in-one VR headset, is available to buy. This is a VR device that doesn’t need a phone, PC or console to get up and running; everything you need is already embedded inside the kit. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor that’s used in many top-end smartphones, so you can still expect mobile VR-like experiences on the kit. It’s also got a 2.5K display and comes bundled with a Bluetooth controller.
Pico doesn’t use Google’s Daydream ecosystem, nor Oculus’ Gear VR platform. It will have over 50 apps available in the launch window, though, including Pico’s own PC streaming app, Fly Screen.
We haven’t tried the headset for ourselves yet, but it sounds like a promising piece of tech. Standalone VR headsets are receiving a lot of attention right now as the industry looks at ways to bring in a wider audience by removing the barriers of expensive PCs and mobile phones as a pre-requisite to being VR-ready. A Daydream or Gear VR-ready phone will cost you around $600, for example, and then the headset will be at least another $70 on top.
The Goblin, meanwhile, costs $269. That’s not a bad price at all, but the jury’s still out on the hardware itself.
Both Google and Oculus will have their own alternatives in the coming months and years, though. Can we expect them to match the Goblin’s price tag?
