Facebook Inc. today announced it’s discontinuing the development and sale of its Oculus Go virtual reality headset just two years after it launched.

Announced in October 2017, Oculus Go was Facebook’s first standalone VR headset — standalone in that it didn’t need to be tethered to a personal computer like the original Oculus headset did. The Go was pitched as game-changer in that it didn’t require a smartphone to use and was offered at $199, a welcome price at a time when existing tethered headsets cost far more.

While arguably innovative in offering a low-end entry into VR, the cheapness of the price was matched in its specs. Notably, Oculus Go used three degrees of freedom — head tracking that could only track the rotation of a user’s head — versus six degrees of freedom, the full head tracking found on other VR devices. The latter delivers an improved user experience and it’s required to play some VR titles.

Facebook followed on from the Oculus Go with the Oculus Quest, a headset with a more powerful processor, a lightweight form factor and the ability to track 6DOF head movements and gestures one year later. The Oculus Quest was twice the price of the Go coming in at $399 but with the added features also offered a vastly improved user experience as well as VR software titles.

Oculus Quest is where Facebook will now focus its efforts at the lower-end of the VR market.

“Just past the one-year anniversary of Quest, we’re humbled by its continued success,” Oculus said in a blog post. “The community response has been overwhelmingly positive and you’ve told us loud and clear that 6DOF feels like the future of VR. That’s why we’re going all-in and we won’t be shipping any more 3DOF VR products.”

Along with the announcement that it was discontinuing the Oculus Go, Facebook also announced that the Oculus Quest would be opened to more apps and software in 2021, including experimental projects and support for apps outside the official Oculus store. Until now, Facebook has strictly controlled what’s available for the Oculus Quest in a similar fashion to Apple Inc. with its App Store.

Oculus Go users will still be able to use their devices. Facebook committed to maintaining the system software with bug and security patches through 2022. That said, there will be no feature updates for the device, with new apps and updates for the headset ending in December.

Photo: Facebook