The standalone Oculus Go headset has gained access to the Oculus TV app, which offers access to a host of flatscreen video content.
Rather than serve up 360-degree video, the free Oculus TV app puts you into a virtual living room with the equivalent of a 180-inch TV screen. Whether this proves a good experience considering the 2560 x 1440 display on the Oculus Go will be subject to testing.
The app delivers content from free and subscription video services like Showtime, Red Bull TV and Pluto. Naturally, there’s plenty of Facebook Watch content available from within the app too.
The app joins the likes of Netflix and Hulu as standalone apps for the Oculus Go headset, which work on a similar premise.
The app was announced at Facebook’s F8 expo this spring and is the first first-party app geared towards watching television. It joins fully VR content from the likes of Discovery, CNN, Fox Sports, BBC, Disney and Facebook 360. Content from ESPN is coming too.
Related: Best VR games
These apps are part of efforts to broaden VR’s appeal beyond gaming experiences, of which there are plenty on the Oculus Go.
The $199/£199 headset arrived in March as an answer to the Google Daydream and an alternative to the Oculus-made Samsung Gear VR. It also offers a more affordable entry into VR for those who don’t wish to splash the cash on the Oculus Rift headset and necessary PC.
In our review we awarded the Oculus Go an 8/10 score praising the decent resolution and refresh rate. We also remarked on the accurate tracking, decent array of launch software and bundled-in motion controller.
In his verdict Jon Porter wrote: “There’s a very solid foundation here for a great VR experience, with good motion tracking and a decent screen, but the Oculus Go doesn’t quite have itself a killer app at launch.”
Can Oculus TV be that killer app?
Have you bought the Oculus Go? Would you recommend it to your fellow tech fans? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
