San Francisco, Oct 12 (IANS): Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced a new virtual reality headset (VR) called "Oculus Go" VR headset at a starting price of $199.

"Our first standalone product is "Oculus Go" -- the easiest way to jump into VR. It ships early next year, starting at $199. It's awesome for watching movies or concerts, playing games, or just hanging out with your friends in VR," Oculus VR wrote in a blog post late on Wednesday.

Unlike its predecessor "Oculus Rift", this VR headset will not require plugging into a smartphone or a personal computer to function.

This is the "most accessible VR headset ever" and is expected to arrive at some point in 2018, the Facebook CEO said at company's annual "Oculus Connect" conference at San Hose, California.

Zuckerberg also wants one billion people to join VR.

According to Hugo Barra, Vice President, VR, at Facebook, the device, "hands-down the easiest way for developers to get involved with VR."

In terms of specifications, the headset features high-resolution fast-switch LCD screen for visual clarity and reducing "screen door effect" (SDE).

There are next-generation lenses for offering a wide field of view with reduced glare.

"Oculus Go" has cameras on the headset and uses computer vision tech to figure out orientational tracking.

The standalone VR headset also ships with integrated spatial audio, Oculus VR added in the blog post.

Speakers are built into the headset, for transporting the user straight into VR and making the headset easy to share with someone else. There is also a 3.5-mm standard headphone jack for personal use.