Facebook is reportedly planning a much cheaper VR headset for 2018 (FB)

pulse

July 13, 2017 3:03 PM

Facebook's Oculus plans to release a much cheaper virtual reality headset priced at roughly $200 in 2018, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

Facebook-owned Oculus VR plans to release a much cheaper virtual-reality headset priced at roughly $200 in 2018, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

Unlike the high-end Oculus Rift headset that's out now, the device will not require a dedicated PC to function, the report said. It will instead be designed to work without an external power supply. Even the low-end Gear VR headset that Oculus makes in partnership with Samsung requires a phone for power.

Facebook said last year that it's working on a standalone, untethered version of the Oculus Rift, dubbed the "Santa Cruz" prototype. This $200 headset is reportedly codenamed "Pacific," Bloomberg said.

"We don't have a product to unveil at this time, however we can confirm that we're making several significant technology investments in the standalone VR category," a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider in response to a request for comment on the report. "This is in addition to our commitment to high-end VR products like Oculus Rift and mobile phone products like Gear VR.”

The headset will be manufactured by Chinese phone maker Xiaomi, according to Bloomberg. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently hired top Xiaomi executive Hugo Barra to lead all of Facebook's VR efforts.

Facebook has been aggressively cutting the price of its current Oculus Rift headset, which temporarily costs $400 and requires a $1,000 PC to run.

had sold 925,000 units of its PlayStation VR headset, making it the early leader in VR. third-party estimates show

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