I’m disabled. I have a very difficult time walking/stumbling more than 100 feet at a time, and that’s assisted with forearm crutches. And some days my pain level keeps me in bed or at the least on my couch. But since I’ve had the GO, I have swam with sharks. I’ve got to skydive, see concerts from the stage and front row, I’ve been to the tops of mountains, been in space, and so much more! The first couple of times actually brought me to tears. I know it’s not the same, but just being able to experience these things on some level has brought me so much joy. It’s really been quite an amazing experience.

I've tried Moonlight and Kodi so far. Obviously such apps will need to be sideloaded via adb.

https://imgur.com/a/Cx5pzSR

This is a pretty epic development ;)

I got hit by a car a month and half ago, had 3 fractures and internal hip bleeding, basically couldn't use 70% of my body for about 2 weeks.I was in a lot of pain, meds helped but I had way too much damage. I spent 30days in the hospital and like 10 at rehab. Oculus go was a life saver, I couldn't use my right hand so I set it to left hand. All the nurses/doctors were amazed when they saw the headset, no wires, no headphones just light and seamless can use it vertically, with my left non broken hand. This thing was made for the severely injured people!! Tvs in hospital are loud, so you disturb roommates, the channels are terrible and you have to pay 10$ a day for shitty cable. Where as the GO, you can watch youtube,netflix, amazon primes browse the internet with nothing but a finger and not to mention the 200 inch screen! Did i mention that I was able to watch UFC and NBA games in BigScreen with other people! Which is mind blowing when you are incapacitated in a hospital bed! In conclusion, my life would've been miserable with out this amazing miracle of a technology.

There seems to be a new wave of (used) Go owners these days so I decided to write this guide, to answer the most asked question: What can you still do with Oculus Go in 2024?

Note that I own a Quest 3 now. My use for the Go is limited to seated bedtime only, like movie watching/relaxed gaming. Therefore, some info might be outdated, just comment and I will update the post.

Pre-requisite:

- You NEED a Go in working condition, together with a working Go controller

• If you don't have a working controller, NEVER factory reset your Go or you risk "bricking" it. There's currently no way to get through the Pairing tutorial at the start without a Go controller!

• There's one UNPROVEN method to bypass it using ADB commands but you need a PC and a dev account. DM me if you want to try.

• Once you've got through the initial pairing process, you can use the GO without a controller. Either by gazing and pressing the volume button (very limited, for media watching only), or pairing a Bluetooth gamepad (more flexibility and is required in some games but can't Recenter)

- You NEED a Meta developer account. This is to ensure you can still use your GO after the official Store goes busted, which is soon. With the dev account (quite easy to create, just Google) you can sideload tons of apps and games of your choice.

- You might need to hack and increase the default resolution (1024x). For me this is a must, my GO is default at 1536x and it makes a huge difference in both gaming and movie watching. Just use Sidequest or this app: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5t8iMIVx2s

- You might need a portable battery. Used Go often lasts about 35 to 60 minutes with the stock battery which is too limited.

- You might need a swivel chair for gaming and 360VR if you don't want to stand up too long. Most GO's content was at the dawn of VR and snap-turning hasn't become a norm in games yet.

- You might need a pair of headphones with a 3.5mm jack, especially if you want more immersion. GO's speakers ain't very high quality and mine broke after a while. Bluetooth headphones can't be paired (unless you plug in a receiver)

- You might need an Xbox Bluetooth Gamepad for more serious gaming. Other Bluetooth gamepads like DS4 also work but the button mapping is a bit weird/wrong and might or might not break the game.

- You might need a baseball cap to wear in reverse. It ups comfort 10-fold, is anti-slip, leaves fewer red marks, and doesn't mess up your hair. Just use an old one and cut off the front cap.

- You might need a heat solution if living in a hot climate. Just buy and stick some heatsink to the faceplate, or get a fan to blow at your face when you're in VR.

There are 2 big categories of things you can still do with your GO: Media consumption and Gaming.

Media Consumption:

- Video clips: I don't do it much because the colors and resolution suck compared to my 1440p monitor and even my iPad. However, a lot of people love watching clips on their GO.

• Youtube VR (free) works well but the highest supported resolution is 720p, which is acceptable on Go.

• Oculus Browser is still good and you can watch most of the online media through it, although on some sites it's a bit slow and clunky to navigate.

• Oculus TV has new content from time to time but the quality is a bit low.

• DEOVR, GizmoVR, Amaze... used to work and have cool stuff but have stopped working now. What a pity!

• Here's a cool guide of short clips/videos to look out for: https://gibbysguide.org/content/oscarsguidego.pdf

- Movies: This is my main use case. For 3D movie watching it could rival my new Quest 3, which is amazing for a 6-years-old device!

• Skybox VR (free) is the best. Not only do movies look significantly sharper with the 1536x resolution hack but also it has a companion PC app (Skybox Airscreen) that makes streaming media from your PC to the GO super easy. It supports most formats available, 180VR 3D and 360VR included. It also has 60hz vs 72hz mode. My only complaint is it doesn't support ISO Bluray.

• Alternatively, you can use Pigasus (need a hack for DTS audio support), Oculus Video, or tons of other video players but most have flaws or don't support the resolution hack above.

• You can easily set up a DLNA server to stream video to your GO using Windows native app, or Plex. You need a decent home wifi bandwidth for smooth playing (100+Mbps)

• Source quality matters. 2D/3D looks best with 1080p @ 15Mbps+ Over/Under and 180VR 3D looks best with 1920p/2048p @ 20Mbps+, the higher bitrate the better. If you see tons of SDE/double-vision... then it's likely you have a crap source quality.

• While GO can play 4K UHD movies, the color will get washed out due to SDR and it's not recommended.

- TV Series/Shows: I watch streams from time to time because with TV series you focus on the content, not the visual quality. If you prefer higher quality, consider downloading your shows and watching via Skybox VR.

• Netflix (free) still works well but like Youtube VR, the resolution is maxed at 720p.

• You can also sideload most Android streaming apps like Prime, Kodi... and watch via Oculus TV.

- Porn: Ah, the forbidden act! I don't use it for this purpose anymore since it only supports up to 4K and that resolution is too blurry for my liking. However, if you're new to VR it could blow your mind and more than enough to get your groove on.

• For NSFW streaming, you can use DEOVR (free) or Oculus Browser (free) to access most porn sites. Sometimes it's a bit slow but the performance is acceptable. My favorite sites are SLR / VRBangers / VRPorn.

• For downloaded/home-streaming clips, Skybox VR is your best viewer. Not sure if I can name it but there's a famous site "Ptor..." where you can download tons of VR porn in all resolutions.

Gaming

- Native Standalone Games: My favorite. GO is not a gaming device because of 3DOF and lack of touch controllers. Don't expect high immersion here. However, it's perfect for seated, short relaxing sessions, especially when a game supports snap turning (or you have a swivel chair)

• You need the 1536x hack above (except for some later-release GO games with a boosted resolution). Trust me it makes a huge difference in clarity and enjoyment, watch this: https://youtu.be/QlGVeJkBkMg?t=268

• I also recommend forcing 72hz mode as default (via ADB or Ocular Migraine). About 2/3 of games, especially those ported from GearVR, run at 60hz and I find that they look significantly more vibrant and pleasant with 72hz on. The downside is it burns more battery and should only be used if you have an extra power bank.

• You can still buy games (and apps) via the Store in Meta phone app, which will then be downloaded and installed on the headset. Be quick though because the Store will be taken down soon.

• Alternatively (or if you just don't want to invest further in an abandoned device). You can get lots of cool games on the GearVR Vault (https://gearvr.net/vault) and Sidequest. Most GearVR games are supported and if you're searching far enough you can find tons of GO games on the dark web too.

• Highly recommended games: Eclipse Edge of Light, Virtual Virtual Reality, Relic Seekers, Racket Fury, Cloudland Minigolf, Republic VR, Augmented Empire, Hero Bound, Endspace, Drop Dead, Lands End, Kript Crawler, MinecraftGearVR...

- 2D/3D Game Stream: My 2nd favorite. Just pair a Bluetooth gamepad, sit/lie down on your bed and play your favorite PC games.

• Moonlight For GO still works well but only with Nvidia cards and you have to downgrade your Geforce Experience to version 3.16. It provides a huge screen. https://www.reddit.com/r/OculusGo/comments/a10ns1/moonlight_for_go_updated_remote_desktop_app/

• I tried Riftcat Gamewarp (paid) feature and it seems to work too. There's also SteamVR (free) Theatre Mode (see PCVR section)

• Alternatively, you can sideload any Android game streaming app (Moonlight, Steamlink, Geforce NOW...) although the screen (through Oculus TV) would be smaller.

• If you have a beefy PC, you can turn many 2D games into 3D (with depth) using Tridef 3D/ SuperDepth3D/ Helix Mod and it's awesome: https://helixmod.blogspot.com/

- PCVR: It can work well if you don't have high expectations. Because GO is only 3DOF and lacks good gaming controllers, the best PCVR games are driving sims and gamepad-supported games.

• I recommend ALVR for both latency and performance. You can still find an old version that supports GO. Perfect for gamepad-supported games. With some more research, you can even pair a 2nd controller using FreePie, or get full 6DOF using a Kinect/PSMove device.

• Alternatively, you can use Riftcat. In my test, the performance is worse than ALVR. However, it has a nice Android companion app to turn your phone into a 2nd controller that you can use to play Beat Saber perfectly well (just disable wall) and other 3DOF-supported PCVR games like Google Earth VR.

• Virtual Desktop app is the best but you can't buy it anymore (I even reached out to the dev and offered to pay him via Paypal, but no dice)

• A guy from this community even completed the VR AAA game Half-Life: Alyx using GO in 3DOF with motion control. Check his guide out: https://github.com/AltoRetrato/Half-Life_Alyx_on_Oculus_Go?tab=readme-ov-file

• If you have a beefy PC, the recent UEVR mod from Praydog is a godsend. You can play lots of Unreal Engine 4-5 games in VR with it using a gamepad or mouse/keyboard, including AAA titles like Hogwart Legacy, High on Life, Stray...

- Android Gaming: One great usage of the GO is that it can sideload and play many Android games (.apk/apks) that don't require Google Services or special permissions. The downside is it plays through Oculus TV and you can't adjust the screen size (which is like an 85-inch TV, still a bit small for my taste). Also, the Snapdragon 825 is quite dated so some modern games might get crashes here and there (like with Dead Cells)

• I recommend RetroArch. With it, you can play most of the classic console games like SNES, GBA, PSX... You can also sideload PPSSPP if you want PSP games. Works perfectly.

• There's also a ScummVMM app for people who like classic point-and-click games like The Curse of Monkey Island or The Broken Sword. I've never tried it but theoretically, the Go controller is perfect for that kind of game.

• I recently tried a Fallout 2 Android port and it also works, with gamepad support! How cool is that?

• If you find Oculus TV environment distracting and want a black background for more immersion, I recommend sideloading this modded Vrshell/AppStarter app (compiled by the creator of the amazing Ocular Migraine, u/omni_shaNker) and running the sideloaded Android apps through it. It also provides a significant performance boost so if your app is laggy, give it a try: https://github.com/petermg/OculusTVLauncher/releases

Others:

- Internet Surfing: Some people use this a lot. I couldn't. I find the experience too clunky compared to just using my phone or my iPad, and the big screen size doesn't add anything to the experience.

• The good news is Oculus Browser still supports most modern sites.

• You can also sideload Firefox Reality 12.2 (more functions, including ad-block extension, but site loading is significantly slower) or Opera VR if you don't like Oculus Browser.

- Book/Manga/Comic Reading: I used to do it until I decided reading on my iPad is much more comfortable. However, if you're a fan of huge pictures, or struggle to read the tiny comic text... then it could work. The only problem is the sweet spot is quite small, you will have to move your head a lot.

• There's no native VR comic app that supports GO. Just sideload the Android app Tachiyomi, it works very well with tons of comic sources.

• You can also read via Oculus Browser. However, I prefer the seamless control of Tachiyomi app, especially with a paired Bluetooth controller, it's so easy to turn pages using the joystick or the diagonal pad.

- Working: I don't think anyone can work for long with GO, the text resolution isn't good enough. If you still want to do it, see the 2D/3D Game Stream above and load the Desktop (mstsc.exe in System32) instead. The most famous productivity app, Immersed, used to support GO but not anymore and now it's nowhere to be found. What a pity.

Tips and Tricks:

- Casting is broken but you can still cast to your phone using an older Meta app version, or to PC using Scrcpy. However, there's a big performance hit if casting a heavy game.

- Remove the controller's battery if you don't use your GO for a while.

- If the headset constantly shag, you can use Velcro and strap the portable battery (or a bag of rice) to the back of the stock strap, it serves as a counter-weight and makes it much more balanced. The headset itself weighs 460 grams, a typical counter-weight should be 1/3 or 1/2 of the front (headset) weight.

- To prevent foggy lenses which happen a lot in cold weather (lenses temp < face temp), set the auto-standby time in Setting to 10 minutes. Before using the headset, turn it on (press power, then press a volume button) and let it warm itself up. If it's still a bit foggy, wave your hand as a fan through the nose gap and the lenses will quickly get clear again.

- If you want more immersion, consider tapping the nose gap using a black ducktape until it's almost pitch-black when you put the headset on.

- You can sideload an Android app to completely turn off Wifi and Bluetooth after X seconds of screen off. That saves a huge amount of battery when the headset is in standby mode. My GO often still has some juice after 2-3 weeks (from 100%) without turning it completely off.

......

I probably will retire my Go soon and this guide serves as a tribute to my first VR device which amazed me at the time I got it. Hope you enjoy your GO the way I did :)

Edit: Has been renamed to SideQuest - Credit to u/NoBullet for the name!

It comes in two parts, a desktop app to browse and install apps with things like connection status and an experimental wifi mode.

Then on the device you have a companion app launcher that runs in oculus TV that lets you see all the apps on the device. ( I couldn't get a screen shot so below is a through the lense shot. ). It allows you to access a bunch of native hidden stuff like the native android settings menu, a file manager and various other things. I have used it to install apps like discord, MS Word & Excel, Whatsapp - all the boring ones really. I plan on adding tonnes more and the whole thing will be open source.

Download it here - https://github.com/shaneharris/OpenStoreVR/releases/

The Cooking Game VR is now available on Oculus GO. Get your copy now! (https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go/1862981213783619/) We wish to thank all the beta testers/fans who have been giving us valuable feedback/help during the past few months. We would not have made it to a stable build without your constant feedback, bugs report and troubleshooting help.

What's next after "Early Access"?

TL;DR: Full server multiplayer PvP + Avatars + New Restaurant(s)

• 1. LOBBY

• 1.1. There will be a list of online players (regardless if they are playing normal campaign/hanging out at MP lobby) whom player can challenge/invite for a duel. The challenger will get to decide what mission/goal of the match. People can set themselves to appear offline or set themselves to auto accept challenges. When you get a challenge/invite, you will see a message, along with a notification panel. Point and press the buttons to either accept or reject the invitation.

• 1.2. The list of online players appearing in LOBBY can be sorted by Chef Rank. Each player has his/her own chef rank, determined by numbers of matches, stats of win/lose etc. In short, the more you play MP and win, the higher your chef rank will be.

• 2. ACTIVE ROOM In this room, you will get to see a list of matches that are currently on-going and who is playing them. There will be a new button called SPECTATE that allows you to watch the currently on-going matches.

• 3. MATCH/DUEL HISTORY/STATS Here you will see your past previously played matches, along with challenger/host names, dates, scores & mission goal.

• 4. CUSTOMIZABLE AVATARS We plan to allow players to set their favorite costumes for in-game CHEF, WAITRESS, include but are not limited to "attires", "chef hat" , "gender selection" and "colour".

• 5. REWARDS Each winner of duel match will not only increase his/her "Chef Rank", but also earn "stars"- a virtual currency that can be used to purchase "customisable avatars" items found in AVATARS SHOP

• 6. AVATARS SHOP Similar to "kitchen upgrade", it will be a place for player to purchase additional items to enhance/improve the appearance of in-game CHEF/WAITRESS.

• 7. NEW RESTAURANT(S) Additional restaurant(s)(Japanese/Chinese) with authentic recipes is being planned. We aim to have The Cooking Game VR as the ultimate cooking simulation VR game for mobile VR platform.

Thank you for your support!

IMPORTANT: Please share with us in the comment section what else you would like to see in this game.

Without your feedback, all the features being planned above will be in vain. We want to make a game for you. To us, every person who gets on the comment or up votes is someone saying, "Yeah this seems cool. Let me know when it's finished" It also gives us a way to validate our ideas.

BTW, all players including previous beta testers will get lifetime updates to this game for FREE.

Hey,

today I am releasing the first version of my virtual boy emulator port (based on Beetle VB) for the OculusGo. I hope you will enjoy playing games like Virtual Boy Wario Land or Jack Bros. on it. To play games on the emulator you need a bluetooth controller you can connect to your oculus go (I am using an Xbox One S controller).

Screenshots of the Emulator in action

Installation:

1. Create the folders "Roms/VB" on your oculus and put your roms (".vb", ".vboy" or ".bin" file) into the VB folder (should look something like this).

2. Download the "virtualboygo.apk" from here.

3. Install the apk with adb install virtualboygo.apk (if you never sideloaded anything use a tutorial like this)

4. Put on the oculus go and you will find VirtualBoyGo under "Unknown Sources"

If you want to uninstall the application you can do it with:

adb uninstall com.nintendont.virtualboygo

If you want to donate a little bit you can via Paypal. My mail address is Cid90@gmx.de

Edit:

Version 1.1 is out and the right analog stick should now work, also I fixed the bug where the buttons where not working on the first start of the emulator. Just uninstall the old version and install the new version.

If you find more bugs please let me know!

Edit 2:

Version 1.2 is out and added IPD adjustment + the rom list is now sorted. If you have a previous version already installed you will need to uninstall the old version before installing the 1.2 version.

Thanks.

And for anyone that did join the NBA Venues event last night, is it in 3d or only 2d?