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Oculus Go "stand-alone" requires a mobile phone... pfff....

EarlGrey
Expert Protege
I just go Oculus Go, and now after starting it up first time it says it requires a mobile phone.

I just got this because I didn't want to use my mobile phone for VR.

I'm very confused, it clearly states "STAND ALONE". Which means I should be able to use it without any other device requirements.

I can't. And I won't. I got Go for a reason, to keep it my VR stuff separated from my JOB phone, which is the only one I got.

So I can't bypass this "start by installing the *app* on your phone" without pairing it to a device that I don't have any control over.


108 REPLIES 108

Zenbane
MVP
MVP

Mradr said:
What's your point about owning a GO and not owning a GO? Are you saying no one should have a right to post their thoughts on about a product from an outside source?




You have a very strong opinion about something that you have no direct experience with. Not only that, but you are intentionally ignoring the benefits of an external dedicated OS as well as the fact that other mainstream hardware devices function the exact same way. You are arguing for arguments sake.



Mradr said:
Seem like you are trying to be a closed minded person Zen:)



I have first hand experience, so this is not about being either closed-minded nor open-minded in my case. I'm simply being knowledgeable. Your ongoing attempt to ignore the purpose of an external OS and other mainstream devices that function the same way sure does sound a lot more like "close-mindedness."


Mradr said: it doesn't make much sense to pair it with an app for setup.



Yet Alexa, Google Home, and Amazon Kindle require external apps for setup. Keep spamming lol



Mradr said:
You clearly don't understand GO still runs android at the end of the day even if the app runs on IOS or Android. 


What you clearly don't understand is that GO's extensibility comes from both the Android and iOS operating systems. You also clearly don't understand much about GO; which is expected since you don't own it. You're just here to cheerlead the OP.

Zenbane
MVP
MVP

Eispfogel said:
Alexa has no GUI so i understand why it needs a phone app to setup - but the Go?
Why do i have to use a phone with that device? i have a GUI inside the Headset so i could setup wifi and everything there. Why can't i pair a controller using the Go? Is Bluetooth tethered through the phone?

There are other TRUE standalone Headsets(and with more than 2 hour battery life....) out there - like the Mirage Solo. When HTC and Lenovo could get that right...why not a Company which is dedicated to VR?





A few counter-points:
  • Alexa doesn't need a GUI because she works with the sound of your voice. Technically, you could perform the entire setup - including logging in to your Amazon Account and local Wifi - purely through speech. Alexa doesn't technically need a companion App, but it's required anyway.
  • Mirage Solo costs $400 and Oculus GO costs $200. A part of that price difference comes from the hardware resources required to operate. If Oculus GO was deploying a fully functional OS that went beyond providing straight VR functionality, then GO would require more resources and cost more.
  • Mirage Solo uses the Daydream OS, which is Google's Dedicated VR operating system. Oculus doesn't have its own operating system.

The free to download companion App to Oculus GO does play a role in the low price-point.

I would argue that maybe we could at least use our Oculus.com account and Sync GO to it that way, instead of needing an Android or iOS App. But at the end of the day, we still need an external computing device to provide go with full OS extensibilty while keeping the price so low.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Zenbane said:


Mradr said:
What's your point about owning a GO and not owning a GO? Are you saying no one should have a right to post their thoughts on about a product from an outside source?




You have a very strong opinion about something that you have no direct experience with. Not only that, but you are intentionally ignoring the benefits of an external dedicated OS as well as the fact that other mainstream hardware devices function the exact same way. You are arguing for arguments sake.



Mradr said:
Seem like you are trying to be a closed minded person Zen:)



I have first hand experience, so this is not about being either closed-minded nor open-minded in my case. I'm simply being knowledgeable. Your ongoing attempt to ignore the purpose of an external OS and other mainstream devices that function the same way sure does sound a lot more like "close-mindedness."


Mradr said: it doesn't make much sense to pair it with an app for setup.



Yet Alexa, Google Home, and Amazon Kindle require external apps for setup. Keep spamming lol



Mradr said:
You clearly don't understand GO still runs android at the end of the day even if the app runs on IOS or Android. 


What you clearly don't understand is that GO's extensibility comes from both the Android and iOS operating systems. You also clearly don't understand much about GO; which is expected since you don't own it. You're just here to cheerlead the OP.


LOL, I can have whatever opinion I want:) What does owning a device have to do with anything in this case? I'm not talking bad about the opinion related features, so I have as much right to talk about design as anyone on this matter:) None of this has to do with owning a device to know how it works or if it is bad or good. It's all design lay out. Just because a phone can touch water - doesn't mean you should be throwing your phone into the sea for funnizes either. Or do you do that as well because yours live getting wash:)?

*rolls eyes* they are still running their own OS though - they get new updates and everything else along with their hardware. All this means is that they copy the code with a key so that it only runs what it needs in a secure manner. Seems like something they can do without having to have a phone like device in the first place.

LOL how much cheaper can you get from FREE? You keep throwing around that it is to keep cost low they had to do this - but android OS is FREE. Plus they already have the code for it from GearsVR - not like they had to rework the wheel here. Sure maybe cost in the menu layout - but over all - the code was already there for creating VR in the first place (from their work in GearsVR).

Yes I am side tracking them because you are promoting that those devices are doing well because of the fact they get set up by a phone  - when in fact they are doing well for other reasons and services they provide. No different than GO is doing well because of the VR experience it provides.

I have no real problem with the idea of setting it up with a phone. I keep telling you this:) but you ignore it every time. I keep asking the same thing because you didn't answer my question, but you do to others:) In the fact it really doesn't need this step to active. You said it yourself - they could do it without having to - that is my only point. 

Zenbane
MVP
MVP

Mradr said:
What does owning a device have to do with anything in this case?


Informed vs uninformed opinion. Your lack of ownership means that you don't understand the capabilities the companion App provides GO. Which is why in all of your spam you keep saying that the Apps purpose is merely to "sync," which simply isn't true. There's a lot more that can be done with the App, but you don't own it thus don't know it. So all we have is you providing bad information.



Mradr said:
Yes I am side tracking them because you are promoting that those devices are doing well because of the fact they get set up by a phone  - when in fact they are doing well for other reasons and services they provide. No different than GO is doing well because of the VR experience it provides.



Completely false. And your lack of insight in to what the extended applications provide Alexa, Google Home, and Amazon Kindle tells me that you don't own any of those either. The number of things that can be done with the Alexa mobile App is quite vast; far beyond what can be done with the hardware alone.

One of Alexa's capabilities is to play custom games, like RPG's. Which can only be done with the extended App. Integrating Alexa in to your home (home security, lights, televisions, coffee makers, etc) can only be done with the extended App. The same is true for Google Home. So you are 100% wrong to argue that the extended App has nothing to do with with their success.

Every aspect of your opinion in this discussion comes from a total and complete lack of information and understanding of some extremely simple and basic observable concepts. But you don't actually own anything that you're trying to have an opinion about. Hilarious.

nosys70
Expert Protege

Well we all all know that when zenbane as his head stuck in his own ass, there is nothing you can do to change it.

so please stop that silly conversation.

facts are FB is advertising the GO as standalone and it is not.

it requires additional help (and even worse, specific since ANY smartphone will not necessarily work) to get it work, whatever the task or reason is.


Congratulations
Adventurer
The best answer to this, is buy a smart phone they are very cheap now or send back the oculus go?

desiv
Expert Protege

nosys70 said:

facts are FB is advertising the GO as standalone and it is not.



Facts depend on context.
Does the Go allow for a standalone and wireless VR experience that doesn't require a PC or your smartphone while you are in VR?
Yes, it is standalone in that context.  As the point, IMHO, is to differentiate it as a product from the Gear VR cases and PC based VR solutions, I find that valid and accurate.

Is the Go 100% standalone over it's entire existence in that you never need a PC or Phone to use it?
Nope.  You currently need a phone for initial setup and the odd bluetooth pairing function.

If Facebook advertising it falsely?  Here we leave facts and it is more to opinion.  As they mention on their website and the box (and is information easily available in reviews), a phone is required.
What you are saying is, "When I only read the larger text in the information, it uses the word Standalone, which I choose to understand as never needing a phone.  Therefor it is false advertising."
What I am saying is, "I read all of the text and they clearly stated, in the perfectly common and legal smaller text method that almost every product uses, that I needed a phone and the Product is standalone."  When I did the math, that made perfect sense to me.

IANAL, but I think it is pretty obvious that the text stating a phone is required available in the multiple places that it is means it is not false advertising in the legal sense.

Is it possible that the wording is fine?
Yeah, that is possible.
Is it possible that some people complaining don't really care about this and are just trolling?
That is possible.
Is it actually not clear enough and confusing for a certain percentage of the population?
That is possible.
Is that the fault of the company or the person who didn't read the whole box (or webpage ordering screen)?
My guess is that it is a small enough (yet vocal) minority and they are 100% within their rights to complain to the company and/or return the product. 

So I think this is a fun internet discussion/trolling/whatever, but a non-issue in the larger scheme of things.

(Note:  I do think a discussion about whether or not Oculus should actually remove the requirement for a phone for setup and bluetooth is valid and I'd agree with that.  I am 100% sure they could and should (and probably will when they write a facebook enabled Go App for the device; no information to base that on.  I think it just makes sense) do that.  But that is a totally different discussion from this thread.)

Anonymous
Not applicable

Zenbane said:


Mradr said:
What does owning a device have to do with anything in this case?


Informed vs uninformed opinion. Your lack of ownership means that you don't understand the capabilities the companion App provides GO. Which is why in all of your spam you keep saying that the Apps purpose is merely to "sync," which simply isn't true. There's a lot more that can be done with the App, but you don't own it thus don't know it. So all we have is you providing bad information.



Mradr said:
Yes I am side tracking them because you are promoting that those devices are doing well because of the fact they get set up by a phone  - when in fact they are doing well for other reasons and services they provide. No different than GO is doing well because of the VR experience it provides.



Completely false. And your lack of insight in to what the extended applications provide Alexa, Google Home, and Amazon Kindle tells me that you don't own any of those either. The number of things that can be done with the Alexa mobile App is quite vast; far beyond what can be done with the hardware alone.

One of Alexa's capabilities is to play custom games, like RPG's. Which can only be done with the extended App. Integrating Alexa in to your home (home security, lights, televisions, coffee makers, etc) can only be done with the extended App. The same is true for Google Home. So you are 100% wrong to argue that the extended App has nothing to do with with their success.

Every aspect of your opinion in this discussion comes from a total and complete lack of information and understanding of some extremely simple and basic observable concepts. But you don't actually own anything that you're trying to have an opinion about. Hilarious.



LMAO you really think I didn't know it didn't do more than just sync? How silly are you? I know for a fact it does more than just sync, but the fact is that it needed to sync is the silly design. See you made my point - you think I don't know anything about how it all works - you are simply trying to out my right to my opinion on the act of saying the sync is pointless. HAHAH that makes me laugh soo hard. You really thought I didn't know that information HAHAHAHHAHAHA You make me laugh soo hard Zen:) You forget who I am sometimes I swear. Anyways I think you are totally silly:) You should take a nap man. 

You are Hilarious as well:) You are mixing different ideologies together about how it all works. I like how you keep making my point though:) Keep talking Zen I will just sit here agreeing and disagreeing because you are wrong in one section and right in others - doesn't mean you are totally right about it all:) 

LZoltowski
Champion
Im closing this thread it is not useful for any purpose any longer. Cheers.
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