Xiaomi Mi VR Standalone: Oculus makes the next generation of Xiaomi virtual glasses

Yesterday at CES 2018, Hugo Barra, who joined Facebook's Oculus team from Xiaomi, announced a new partnership between Oculus and Xiaomi to work on the next generation Xiaomi Mi VR Standalone virtual reality glasses.

Oculus Go and Mi VR Standalone deliver the virtual experience with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Mobile VR platform. Both devices share the same design and also support the Oculus Mobile SDK, which allows Oculus to bring its content to the Mi VR platform.

The Mi VR standalone headset will be available exclusively in China. Oculus Go, first announced in October 2017 on Oculus Connect, will be available in the rest of the world. This new standalone hardware category aims to provide greater freedom and access for virtual world enthusiasts without the need for cables, external sensors or mobile phones. Standalone headsets represent an exciting new phase in VR hardware.

The Mi VR Standalone has the same basic specifications as the Oculus Go. Both devices feature the same technology, including 2K resolution LCD screens, next-generation lenses and integrated surround sound systems. This is supported by a wide range of movie content, 360° video and interactive games available through the Mi VR Store. The Mi VR Standalone features an integrated surround audio technology developed by Oculus, with speakers built directly into the headset, making the VR experience better and easier to share with others, but with the 3.5″ jack jack, you can personalise the experience with your favourite headset.

The Mi VR standalone system, based on Oculus technology, meets the needs of Chinese consumers. The Mi VR Standalone supports both the Oculus Mobile SDK and the Mi VR SDK, making it easier for Chinese developers to produce content and for existing Oculus marketing developers to bring the Mi VR platform to market. Xiaomi is working with a number of developers to bring popular games, videos and apps from the Oculus Store to the Mi VR Store in China, giving consumers in China access to high-quality mobile VR content.

It is legitimate to ask why Oculus does not simply bring Go to China. The reason is not a complicated issue, Facebook's services are censored in China, but the Chinese market is needed to reach 1 billion VR users. In order to avoid having to deal with censorship issues, Xiaomi is partnering with them to create a new device made in China.

The release and price of the Xiaomi Mi VR Standalone is not yet public, but we can assume it will be priced similarly to the Oculus, which is $199. As soon as we have more info on the new Mi VR headset, we'll be back with more details!