With VR headsets and VR technology taking off in a big way costly as well as low-end VR headsets are being launched like the Google Cardboard which requires your phone to function as a VR headset at an affordable price. Pockulus is another portable gaming console or VR Headset which lets you play 3D games with the help of its palm-sized computer and it requires a 3D-printed face mask making it a DIY VR headset.
A product of Next Thing Co., Pockulus has its own tiny computer called the CHIP which has a hacker-friendly circuit board. With this $9 circuit board, the Pockulus is one of the cheapest standalone VR headsets available in the market. Dave Rauchwerk, one of CHIP’s creators, said “It’s kind of classic for companies in the Bay Area to do something for April Fools’ Day,” he added “And we thought, is there some way we can make light of how funny it is that people strap these things onto their face? Everyone is trying to make this kind of standalone VR style headset. What if we made one with CHIP?”
There is a catch to the Pockulus, it does not come out of the box as a standalone VR headset or Gaming console. It comes out of the box as a handheld device that resembles a DIY GameBoy. To turn it into a VR headset, you have to 3D print the bezel that fits the display onto your face. The Pockulus comes with a 4.3-inch screen along with a button-style QWERTY keypad, it runs on Linux and comes with Wi-Fi, storage, and a battery as well. The Linux OS comes with a web browser, word processor, and programs which help in making music, games which can be played on the device.
With Pockulus users can play homemade 3D games along with the 3D games created for Nintendo Virtual Boy way back in 1990 along with games like Super Mario and Tetris blocks which now get a depth and dimension to make them fit for VR use. There are numerous games which can be found in the Virtual Boy games community which is still active and all these are compatible with Pockulus.
Pockulus is available for pre-order at pockulus.getchips.com which is priced at $49 and make note that it does not include the headset which needs to be 3D printed by the user.
