Sensics SmartGoggles

[brantlew]

Why onboard CPU and Android? Just seems like a strange design decision to me. I mean it is obviously targeted as a gaming device, yet they immediately cut out all the PC content and are hedging their bets on the fledgling Android technology and content. Why not just do a HDMI transmitter type thing, save some weight and money, and support tons of existing content?

[STRZ]

Isn't their device designed to connect to a PC as display device as well? Other than that would make this device useless with android tech updating so quick. You'd pay several k$ for a device wich in a year nobody would develop software for..lol

[Okta]

But it would only takes some simple android app to wirelessly send the helmets sensor data to a PC. From the demo is seems the cameras can even track movement. So put on this HMD and a backpack laptop and head to the park/gym.

[Bishop51]

I really wish Scensics would approach Razer or another major PC peripheral maker with this tech. They need a company with solid marketing & manufacturing experience in the PC gaming arena to get this tech out to the people who would appreciate it most. Android is a great show floor "hook" given the popularity of tablets but lets get real...PC gaming (or even console based gaming) is what everyone wants to happen here. I'm not dumping $1500 on a tablet based VR helmet.

[PalmerTech]

Looks good, shame he didn't mention the FOV, or show any shots through the googgles tho.

Are those optics segmented? Its hard to tell because they are in conventional lens shapes unlike Sensics other goggles.

The optics are not segmented, they look very similar to the Z-Sight, just a single lens. I am 99% certain they are using the new Emagin SXGA OLED panels, which run about $6,000 USD each at the moment.

Using Android was a good choice, I think. Their SmartGoggles tech diagrams say that it can be used with HDMI input from a PC as well, so that is no problem. A decent SOC (system-on-a-chip) based unit capable of running Android well runs less than $100 for them to make, cheaper than most Android phones since you don't need an LCD or cellular radio. If you are buying a (hypothetically) $1500 HMD, an extra $100-$200 is a small price to pay for the ability to run standalone. Besides, this way, they have something onboard to process all the motion and hand tracking stuff, resulting in a smaller CPU load for PC use.

And call me a VR nerd, but I love the overkill size.

[brantlew]

@Palmer: I'm not too good at math, but how do you sell a $1500 device with components that cost $6000 each?

[PalmerTech]

That is why I said "hypothetically", I was just riffing on what Bishop51 said, assuming that it achieved mass production at a price point of $1500. Not going to happen anytime soon, sadly.

[brantlew]

And call me a VR nerd, but I love the overkill size.

And we thought the Sony was big. This design is completely and unabashedly, no-holds-barred, lock your doors and hide in your room with some Cheetos - dorky. Personally I would prefer just a teensy bit more subtlety.

[android78]

...I am 99% certain they are using the new Emagin SXGA OLED panels, which run about $6,000 USD each at the moment. ...

Really??? Where did you get this figure from? It seems unrealistic given the price of the sony HMZ which has only slightly lower resolution OLED displays then this (1280*720 vs 1280*1024 means not much difference to me, at least not a 10*price difference).
Maybe if you are buying them on an individual basis, rather then in the range of 10-100k units, they will rip you off like that, but usually it's only sample for prototype.

[PalmerTech]

...I am 99% certain they are using the new Emagin SXGA OLED panels, which run about $6,000 USD each at the moment. ...

Really??? Where did you get this figure from? It seems unrealistic given the price of the sony HMZ which has only slightly lower resolution OLED displays then this (1280*720 vs 1280*1024 means not much difference to me, at least not a 10*price difference).
Maybe if you are buying them on an individual basis, rather then in the range of 10-100k units, they will rip you off like that, but usually it's only sample for prototype.

I got the figure from someone who is buying several of the panels for a research project. You are correct, if you were to buy thousands of units, they would probably be a lot cheaper! Sensics is not making SmartGoggles in large quantities themselves, so lower prices will only happen if a large OEM steps in and picks up their reference design.

Even in large quantities, though, Sony can probably beat them price wise. Sony has a lot more money than Emagin, and the main reason they are making OLED microdisplays is NOT for HMDs. They have a much larger market in terms of high end camera viewfinders, and the HMZ-T1 only exists as a result of the money they have poured into that market. Emagin will have a hard time competing.

[cybereality]

I don't mind the size. Was always partial to the helmet style VR from the 90's. I mean, I'd love a pair of sun-glasses style specs like from Mission Impossible, but I also love the LawnmowerMan style stuff too. So the size is no problem, as long as its comfortable.

However, I think Android is a mistake. Just look at the 3D Android phones they've brought out and the total lack of content for them. This thing is way more niche than those phones. So we would be lucky if we even got more than a couple of tech demos for this unit. Lets be real.

[WiredEarp]

I dont really see a problem with android as long as you can pass through signals to/from your PC. I think they are trying to build a whole new market here for amusement parks, arcades etc, and they seem to have put some thought into it.

I dont have a problem with the size of it either, people wear motorcycle helmets for long periods and they are comfortable due to being balanced correctly. Its the balance thats most important.

[3dpmaster]

Very complicated technology and all these hardware components on your head. Result: much weight and the FOV is still not high enough, 64 deg (same as zSight)
Disappointing

I will make some ellips mirrors and buy a sony personal 3d viewer. Disassembly the sony and kick up the FOV with the mirrors like Nagahara did. (and resolve the vignette problem).

[Bishop51]

I'll say it again; they need to team up with someone like Razer. Razer understands the hardware wants and needs of the hardcore PC market, they've got global distribution and they make sexy hardware. Razer would no doubt trim down the formfactor and present something pretty stunning. Won't happen of course.

What blows me away is how "marketblind" some of these companies truly are. That's not an outright criticism, I just think they've had their heads in the private contractor, education, research, government sphere for so long that they've lost sight of who would actually care about VR in the public sector.

This HMD can succeed but it won't if their big bet is to throw a line out to tablet and phone makers. The general public still isn't savvy enough for this level of VR. They'll need to be slowly acclimated (slow-cooked) with light, non-invasive AR devices. Hardcore PC gamers on the other hand have the mental framework to embrace VR in its purest form. If that's not your target audience in todays market, then your product will languish.

If I was Scensics, I'd be banging on Razer's door (or another comparable company with a hard focus on PC gaming peripherals).

[ERP]

I'll say it again; they need to team up with someone like Razer. Razer understands the hardware wants and needs of the hardcore PC market, they've got global distribution and they make sexy hardware. Razer would no doubt trim down the formfactor and present something pretty stunning. Won't happen of course.

What blows me away is how "marketblind" some of these companies truly are. That's not an outright criticism, I just think they've had their heads in the private contractor, education, research, government sphere for so long that they've lost sight of who would actually care about VR in the public sector.

This HMD can succeed but it won't if their big bet is to throw a line out to tablet and phone makers. The general public still isn't savvy enough for this level of VR. They'll need to be slowly acclimated (slow-cooked) with light, non-invasive AR devices. Hardcore PC gamers on the other hand have the mental framework to embrace VR in its purest form. If that's not your target audience in todays market, then your product will languish.

If I was Scensics, I'd be banging on Razer's door (or another comparable company with a hard focus on PC gaming peripherals).

Oh I would be surprised if Sensics hadn't already had conversations with the larger PC gaming peripheral vendors, they are clearly positioning the new HMD in that space.
I would also suspect they met with a luke warm reception, and I base this entirely on the marketing push on their website, they are clearly looking to demonstrate a response from potential customers to help convince potential OEM's it's worth the risk.

The cost to set up manufacturing on something that complex would require pretty significant projected sales.

Interestingly John Carmack has been posting a lot on twitter recently that implies he's playing with wide FOV HMDs and head tracking, so there may well be a major player contemplating entering the PC gaming space.

[Bishop51]

I guess what I'm saying is that Sensics is making a bit of a misstep in that they are focusing on low resource apps and the tablet/phone demographic as their target audience. This style of unavoidably oppressive VR (giant, bulky helmet but with awesome immersive qualities) is the polar opposite of what that market wants. If anything, they want their hardware, their devices to disappear into an AR like experience or at very least to become enmeshed with commonplace day-to-day tools. They want sleek, thin, small and they want it tied to their social lives and practical applications (or to play Angry Birds in the bathroom during their work break).

On the other hand hardcore PC gamers are more than willing to sacrifice their good looks (and even their comfort) if the device gets them closer to their game. The PC gaming sphere (and console market) is increasingly about immersive interaction and the only real game changer left is a solid VR helmet. That's where Scensics should be focusing 100% of their marketing and partnership thrust. This isn't a phone, its not a tablet, its not a "theater on your head", its not a 100k research tool, its a gaming helmet pure and simple. Sure, make it do all of those things but don't kid yourself about who your target demographic is currently with a gunshy VR public.

Manufacturing is just a ratio of commitment. Razer for example (I use them because they take significant hardware risks) is launching all kinds of bizarre hardcore gaming hardware and to a global market. Their recently announced Project Fiona is a good example of the kind of hardware commitment these guys are willing to gamble with. If they brought a solid HMD to market I think they'd seriously blow some minds.

Interestingly John Carmack has been posting a lot on twitter recently that implies he's playing with wide FOV HMDs and head tracking, so there may well be a major player contemplating entering the PC gaming space.

I've been paying very close attention to that development. When someone like Carmack, who spends hundreds of millions on Armadillo Aerospace, says he's taken an active interest in VR "as the next logical step in gaming" you can damn well bet he's talking to higher ups about hardware potentials. If anyone can push industry buttons its him. Scensics should be banging down his door too.

Speaking of which, here's John wearing his current hardware though I believe he's in the process of trying to hack the Sony HMZ-T1