Chinese company Pico releases a new standalone VR headset

The Goblin 2 will face competition from Facebook and Xiaomi

Virtual reality and augmented reality (VR and AR)

Andrew Barclay

Published: 6:16pm, 7 Aug 2018

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This article originally appeared on ABACUS

There’s a new VR headset in town and it’s got the Oculus Go -- and by extension Xiaomi -- in its sights.

Released by Chinese company Pico, the Goblin 2 looks pretty much the same as the Xiaomi and Facebook headset that was announced at CES this year: a no-frills rectangular headset, straps to hold it in place and a small handheld controller.

Despite small cosmetic differences such as the Goblin 2’s slightly darker shade of grey, they’re designed to deliver essentially the same experience. That is, an affordable and self-contained mobile VR experience without the need for a smartphone.

That’s funny because the specs read like a smartphone. It runs on Android 8.1 Oreo and is powered by the Snapdragon 835, which is also found in the Google Pixel 2 and Samsung Galaxy S8.

It also comes with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage.

Display wise, it actually features two 3.5-inch displays that offer a combined resolution of 3K -- a shift from other similar headsets, which usually have a single display. (The original Goblin had a single 5.5-inch display).

Price wise, it costs just under US$300 -- making it an affordable option for those customers who are just dipping their toes in the VR headset market.

The Goblin 2 will go on sale for about US$300. (Picture: Pico)

But that price does make it about $80 more than the Mi VR Standalone.

But it’s not just the Facebook/Xiaomi device that the Goblin 2 is competing against -- at least in the Chinese market.

There’s also the HTC Vive Focus, a slightly more premium headset that starts at about US $600. But unlike the Xiaomi and Pico models, the Vive Focus lets users freely move around virtual environments while wearing the device.

Chinese VR startup Pimax flexes its muscles with an 8K VR headset

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