Virtual Reality(VR) is getting popular, and we will soon be witnessing many VR headsets releasing this year apart from the same old Rift, Vive, and the PlayStation VR. This technology has a lot to offer, and it could possibly change the way we communicate over the Internet. It will allow us to be virtually present with somebody, at a real place or a virtual place without physically being present there.
Lenovo is getting ready to enter the VR space, and it is working on an inexpensive VR headset for Windows. Lenovo has announced that the headset will cost less than $400 when it is released as quoted by Engadget.
You can expect a PC-powered comfortable VR headset that weighs around 350 grams. It is lighter than many existing headsets such as Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. For minimizing the fatigue and make the headset usable for long immersive sessions, the weight of the device sits on the forehead instead of the nose’s bridge. The VR headset does not have specific motion controllers coupled with it and hence you can use any controllers with the Lenovo VR headset.
Features
– Looks and Design
The headset looks similar to the PlayStation VR. The front side of the headset is little curvaceous with two cameras installed on the right and the left side. The central part is made of plastic, and it has a thin metallic outline.
– Tracking
Lenovo has a built-in head position tracking system. Most headset manufacturers use the external base stations for head position tracking. Lenovo headset has two cameras on the front panel to scan the room. RoomScale VR technology tracks the position of your head using the front panel cameras.
– Ergonomics
Besides being lightweight and designed to shift weight on the forehead, the headset is easy to wear and take out. You don’t even need to take off the entire headset to free your eyes to look around. You just need to swing the main part up, and you are out of virtual reality. Once you are done, just flip down the central part back to its place and continue your journey in the virtual reality space.
– Display
The Lenovo headset’s display uses two 1440×1440 OLED panels. It has a resolution higher than the Oculus Rift and Vive.
– Platform
The device will run the Windows Holographic platform. Lenovo is not producing motion controllers for the headset. It will rely upon on the third-party options manufactured according to the Windows Holographic specification.
Lenovo is addressing the critical issue of price and quality while making the VR headset.
There are a lot of smartphone powered VR headsets that are pretty affordable, but they are not designed to give the high-quality VR experience we anticipate. PC or Console powered VR headsets offer a truly immersive VR experience, but they don’t come cheap. Lenovo has addressed this issue and aims to bring a truly immersive VR experience at an affordable price.
It is not yet confirmed, but the likely name for the device is ‘The Lenovo Mirage.’ It will work primarily as a Virtual Reality headset, but the front-facing stereo cameras will allow the users to enjoy MR(Mixed Reality) experience with the device. Similar HP and Acer devices are priced around $300-330, and Lenovo is expected to price the device in the same range for competing with its counterparts.
The shipments of PC-powered VR headsets is projected to reach 1.4 million in 2017 from 1.2 million in 2016. They are expected to grow at an annual rate of 42% and reach 8.3 million by the year, 2022 according to a Business Insider reports.
VR Market is highly fragmented today, and it is expected to mature and grow in the near future. It is slowly getting ready for the transformation with Developers, Investors and Hardware manufacturers are rolling their sleeves up to make an impact with their strengths.
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