Varjo announces powerful new 3rd generation XR and VR headsets

Mixed consumerReality headsets have come a long way since the first Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, thanks to the majorhigher resolution displays, faster refresh rates, improved motiontracking and more. However, it can be argued that professional grade headphones have made even greater strides, and with thems new 3rd gen HMD VR and XR, Varjo could give us normal people an overview of the types updates we can expect in consumer virtual reality in the next two years.

Available today, the new Varjo VR-3 and XR-3 have a number of advantages over the best mainstream headphones today. First of all, the VR-3 and the XR-3 have a 115-degree of field of view, which Varjo says is one of the widest fields of view of any headset on the market and a significant leap from headphones like the 88 degree field of view of the HP Reverb G2.

On top of that, the VR-3 and XR-3 (which feature the same custom optics designed by Varjo) offerhigh resolution of 2800 x 4290 pixels per eye, which is four times the resolution obtained at a tube index and twice the resolution of the HP Reverb G2. And in case that wasn’t enough, Varjo’s optics are also based on displays similar to those Samsung used on the Galaxy S10, delivering strong color reproduction that covers 99% and 93% of sRGB spectra. and Adobe RGB. In short, Varjo isFramed “bionic displays” could potentially deliver the best picture quality of any headset available today.

Better specs aren’t the only updates since latest-gen headset, OK, because the VR-3 and XR-3 also come with a redesigned three-point precision headband to better accommodate a wide range of head shapes while being 40% lighter than before, with support Fully automatic IPD tuning, 200Hz eye tracking and new mask design that makes it happen easier to clean and disinfect between uses. Varjo also added new stereo pass-through cameras so you don’t have to constantly grab your headphones when you need to tune into the meat space.

But for me the biggest upgrade to the VR-3 and XR-3 (aside from the optics) might be their new active cooling fans, which should keep the headphones from getting uncomfortably wet like many others do. headphones after prolonged sessions.

Meanwhile, for companies that need headphones Able to handle both VR and XR applications, the XR-3 features LiDAR sensors that can use depth information to merge the real world with 3D renderings.

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I haven’t had the chance to see any of Varjo’s new headphones in person, however, based on some of the comparison examples released by Varjo, the optics of their new headphones they are quite impressive. In a screenshot from a flight simulator, the increased resolution of the VR-3 and XR-3 makes it possible to actually see the instrument panel in the aircraft cockpit, meaning that instead of fumbling around To try to squint at multiple readings, a potential pilot could gain training that would translate more easily into the real world. And with Varjo’s increased field of view (which is 40% better than the company’s previous headphones), Improved immersion in VR or XR should also get a big boost.

Finally, although the $ 3,200 VR-3 and $ 5,500 The XR-3s are still quite expensive, especially compared to your average mainstream headphones (and that doesn’t include the $ 800- $ 1,500 subscription fee), Varjo’s new headphones cost around half the price of their previous headphones. Either way, if this is the kind of optics and image quality we can expect in future mainstream headsets, I can’t wait for this technology to leak and become more affordable.