Sina Science and Technology News Beijing time on August 6 morning newsFacebook IncIt was previously announced that it would cooperate with XIAOMI to develop a $200 virtual reality Touxian Oculus Go (called Mi VR in XIAOMI's version). But XIAOMI has disbanded the product's development team, according to US technology media VentureBeat, citing people familiar with the matter. Facebook Inc said that he has not given up this one-year-old platform.
Anthony Vitello (Antony Vitillo), a virtual reality technology enthusiast, said on his blog The Ghost Howls that XIAOMI had fired the development teams of Mi VR and Oculus Go. The team includes more than a dozen employees who are responsible for the maintenance and development of the platform. Vitillo said the news came from "very reliable" sources and was consistent with other sources. However, he also said that this may just be a rumor, because XIAOMI did not respond to it.
Facebook Inc did not comment on the partner's business decisions. Facebook Inc spokesman said: "We will not comment on the future product roadmap, but Oculus Go is still the best way to get an immersive entertainment experience." This is an excellent device for anyone who is new to virtual reality. We are still producing and selling Oculu Go. As always, we will keep the community informed of any updates to our product line. "
Mr Vitello believes that XIAOMI fired the Mi VR team for several reasons, including "disappointing sales and use", relatively low hardware profit margins and relatively little content in the Mi VR version of the product. Although Mi VR and Oculus Go hardware can run almost the same software, Facebook Inc can authenticate and distribute Go applications through the Oculus Store, and developers need to recompile and submit them to make them suitable for Mi VR.
Before the news came out, the development of Oculus Go and Mi VR had reached a dead end. The headset, released last year, is somewhere between high-end wired virtual reality headsets and smartphone-based virtual reality accessories. With a price of less than $200, such products rely on older generation smartphone components and three-degree-of-freedom tracking technology (3DoF), while Facebook Inc is already developing a more advanced platform, using more advanced components and six-degree-of-freedom tracking technology (6DoF). The latter product, launched this year under the name Oculus Quest, is priced at $400. This makes people in the industry wonder whether there is a future for the technologically simpler Oculus Go.
Mi VR and Oculus Go are still in stock in the store. As Facebook Inc said, Go will continue to be sold as an entry-level product until the product line is officially updated. The company's next virtual reality-related event, Oculus Connect 6, is expected to be held in San Jose on September 25 and 26, and some Go-enabled apps will also support Quest later this year. (Weijin)