Unlocked OS build released for Oculus Go VR headsets

While John Carmack and other members of the Oculus team did have plans for an Oculus Go 2, the success of the Oculus Quest forced the company to recalibrate, dropping all other projects to double down on the Quest. As a result, there will be no more updates for the Oculus Go and the entry-level headset has been discontinued. To ensure it doesn’t die out completely though, Oculus has pushed out a ‘future-proofing' update for the headset, unlocking it for developers. 

This move was announced a few weeks ago, with John Carmack explaining that he's been given the greenlight to release an “unlocked OS build” for the Oculus Go headset. This unlocked OS can be side-loaded to gain full root access, meaning developers can play around with the hardware as much as they like and possibly find new uses for the now discontinued headset.

One of the key reasons Carmack wanted to do this is simply to ensure the Oculus Go is still usable in the future. Now, the hardware can be repurposed, and someone that discovers an Oculus Go decades from now will be able to update it to the final software version, long after the official update servers have gone offline.

For now, Oculus is only doing this for the Go, but Carmack hopes it can set a precedent for other devices too. Anyone with an Oculus Go and interest in unlocking it completely can download the new OS build for the headset, HERE.

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KitGuru Says: With this move, Oculus Go headsets won’t turn into VR paperweights years in the future. Better yet, it’ll be interesting to see what developers can do with the headset now that it has been fully unlocked. 

 

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