Facebook worked to ramp up enthusiasm for its virtual reality line, unveiling new gear including a lower-end wireless headset prototype. The company's Oculus virtual reality division is set to release in coming months a new "Touch" controller and a more affordable computer for powering virtual experiences using Rift headsets. Oculus has been dealing with a series of setbacks in the rollout of its VR headgear, including shipping mishaps and a higher-than-anticipated price.
To boost excitement for the headsets Zuckerberg donned one while on stage, virtually traveling with a pair of colleagues to the bottom of a sea and the surface of Mars, pausing in the middle to take a Messenger video call from his wife Priscilla. Zuckerberg said that Oculus VR -- which Facebook snapped up in 2014 for $2 billion -- has a prototype of a wireless version of Rift that would not need to be plugged into a computer, though he said it was far from consumer-ready.
Other companies have also announced the development of more affordable headsets that are compatible with smartphones, including Daydream View from Alphabet Inc's Google division.
