One of the most exciting mixed reality (MR) headsets coming to market in 2022 is the Lynx-R1, first revealed by creator Stan Larroque a couple of years ago. Like much of the tech sector chip shortages have led to delays with the launch now expected this summer. Even with that still to come the team has already begun work on the next generation of Lynx headset.
Hardware takes years to develop and quite often the big tech companies like Meta plan several iterations years in advance. For a small startup like Lynx which held a successful Kickstarter last year to gauge customer interest and production numbers, it’s not as easy, especially considering its first product hasn’t even arrived yet. But the features of the Lynx-R1 had to be locked in a while ago, which then naturally leads to the possibilities of what can be achieved next.
Gmw3 caught up with Larroque during the recent Virtuality 2022 event in Paris, France, where he spoke frankly about the issues the team has faced whilst also looking at where they were headed, confirming a second version is in development. “So the complexity of this product is, you know, what I say every time is all the headsets on the market, including Lynx, they are compromises, they are a product of a compromise. And I’m happy with the compromises we make with this version while we’re working already on version two, to make things better, of course, on all the metrics you can imagine for headsets,” Larroque explained.
“We are working on that I can share that we’re working on it,” he continues. “Because when you make hardware, you put on the paper, something that goes out on the market, maybe two years, two years and a half to do. So, Lynx, Lynx-R2, yeah, we’re working on that.”
As the focus is on the Lynx-R1 at the moment Larroque didn’t go into any specifics but he did say further details would be shared before the end of the year.
And this is because Lynx wants to build a solid ecosystem combining its hardware with software currently being built worldwide. “We have a lot of people that are building applications, they want to make sure that we are going to be around, we are going to have a v1, a v2 that the software will be compatible, you know, we have to reassure people and not just be a one time use. You know, we had to show that we know what we’re doing. We know where we’re going.”
Currently, the Lynx-R1 is expected to begin shipping to Kickstarter backers and those who pre-ordered the headset in June/July. The standard retail edition is priced at $599 USD while the Enterprise Edition jumps up to $1,099. For continued updates, keep reading gmw3.