If I develop and release an app for Oculus Go can I be assured it will be compatible with Santa Cruz

Good question. Interested as well. Regarding 'on the horizon' - any news (rumors) on the launch date?

Santa Cruz is also Android based and will afaik uses the same software platform (Home) as Go. Any app you make for Go will be easily ported to work with Santa Cruz - It's just a matter of modifying the controls. Not sure how the native sdk works, but if you're Unity or Unreal based I imagine it's almost as easy as a couple of drag and drops. 

Yes.

If you use the Avatars SDK for your controller/hands, it'll even work for the Santa Cruz controllers on launch. It's the same platform.

Thanks, I asked because after looking at some articles on Santa Cruz on-line where the reviewer was able to play with and photograph early versions of the hardware, you can see the Santa Cruz controller looks like it has all the Go controller features (two top buttons + round track pad + front-trigger on bottom) but with an additional side trigger and the ring for additional tracking features... If all the features of the Go controller are already built into the Santa Cruz controllers, as a developer I'm hoping Go apps will just work on Santa Cruz without the need to port anything at all. As a consumer/user of the Go platform I think I hope this default compatibility will exist even more as if true it would make all the existing Go titles compatible without developers having to take extra steps and it will make my existing library of titles work on the Cruz hardware. I guess time will reveal these details :)
  

They actually decided to use a thumbstick and 2 buttons instead of touchpad now, so input will be slightly different.

https://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-to-scrap-trackpads-on-santa-cruz-controllers-in-favor-of-buttons-sticks/

So it's now essentially identical to the Oculus Rift's Touch controllers (because it's oriented for gaming).

But if you're using OVRInput it should be relatively simple to port. Only the controls will need to be different, and you'll need to be aware that the user can physically move around now (change the Tracking Type to "Floor Level" in OVRCameraRig's OVRManager!).

DarkNuclear said:

They actually decided to use a thumbstick and 2 buttons instead of touchpad now, so input will be slightly different.

https://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-to-scrap-trackpads-on-santa-cruz-controllers-in-favor-of-buttons-sticks/

So it's now essentially identical to the Oculus Rift's Touch controllers (because it's oriented for gaming).

But if you're using OVRInput it should be relatively simple to port. Only the controls will need to be different, and you'll need to be aware that the user can physically move around now (change the Tracking Type to "Floor Level" in OVRCameraRig's OVRManager!).

Interesting, well that all makes sense. Still hoping Oculus sees the value in bringing in Go compatibility for the Santa Cruz. Assuming as you have said there will not be inherent compatibility and that developers will have to take some action to create special builds for Santa Cruz, modify controller and camera code at minimum I really am not a fan of that approach. if I want to upgrade to Santa Cruz from Go hardware, as a customer I'd be having to leave behind my Go catalog of games and many of them are perfect for long flights/travel. I'd probably end up keeping the Go for that purpose and having the product.... If Santa Cruz is Android based as it's been reported, it seems a simple API differentiation. Apps built with the Go SDK would have one API version stamp and new Santa Cruz apps could have another, my point being they could easily make it so the new more featured Santa Cruz detects that it's running a app/gmae built for Go and automatically sets certain defaults... If the controllers are different one way to deal with that is just to support sync of the Go controller as an optional alternative to the Santa Cruz default controllers. "Buy a Go controller and get full backwards compatibility of all Go titles on you Santa Cruz" that would take a huge burden off all the Go app developers and something that seems rather trivial for Oculus to do that would add immediate value to the product. 

It would also keep a unified base so Go developers don't feel isolated and made obsolete by new hardware. There will also be an interesting split, if developers have to manually port the code they will be inclined to add new features to make apps support the additional controller features and degrees of freedom. I think you would see a lot of Go apps that provide experiences now that are perfectly suited for seated next to someone on a bus or in a car, etc.. would be modified for Santa Cruz just to capitalize on the new hardware tracking features and that would make them less useful for the intended mobile purposes. If the Santa Cruz is just inherently backwards compatible and capable of transition to "Go mode" when it runs Go apps (given the customer buys a Go controller, etc..) this whole problem goes away. 

I really hope the team at Oculus has put some thought into this.