Category: MeganeX

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The first VR Headset from CES 2022 is the Lightweight, microOLED MeganeX

MeganeX header

CES 2022 officially starts tomorrow (5th Jan) holding both an in-person and online event – CES 2021 was purely online – showcasing the very latest gadgets and gizmos due to arrive over the next 12 months. Today sees the arrival of a new virtual reality (VR) headset from Japanese tech company Shiftall Inc. The MeganeX is an ultra-lightweight 5.2K device that’s SteamVR compatible and slated to arrive this Spring.

MeganeX

A subsidiary of Panasonic, up to now Shiftall is best known for the HaritoraX, a motion-tracking device compatible with SteamVR. The MeganeX takes those VR ambitions up a notch, promising a device that’s not only light but also packs 1.3inch OLED Microdisplays with a 2,560×2,560 per eye resolution at a 120Hz refresh rate. The displays come by way of the Kopin Corporation, which Panasonic previously partnered with for the VR Glasses shown at CES 2020 followed by an update the following year. In fact, MeganeX looks very similar albeit with those extra handles on the side.

Another feature that Kopin might be helping Shiftall with is the lenses. MeganeX features pancake lenses, optics designed to slim down headsets. Kopin revealed last year its latest all-plastic Pancake optics to further reduce weight. Shiftall says its device should weigh in at approximately 250g (8.8oz), slightly heavier than the Vive Flow which also utilises a pancake system.

With its glasses style design the MeganeX features a foldable frame with built-in speakers and because it supports SteamVR, the device has 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) head tracking. This is all powered by Qualcomm’s older Snapdragon XR1 platform – Meta Quest uses the XR2 platform for reference. It’ll also come with its own controller says Shiftall, although no further details were given regarding its capabilities.

Panasonic VR Glasses CES2021
Panasonic VR Glasses from CES 2021

MeganeX Specifications

  • Display – 1.3inch Micro OLED 5.2K (2,560×2,560 per eye) 10bit HDR/120Hz
  • Weight – Approx. 250g (8.8oz)
  • Tracking system – 6DoF, camera based inside-out head tracking
  • Platform – SteamVR and more (future update)
  • Connection – Display Port Alternate Mode on USB-C or Display Port + USB2.0

YouTuber and tech analyst Brad Lynch is at CES 2022 and got an early look at the prototype, offering some positive feedback on the new headset in the video below.

But there shouldn’t be too long to wait to see the final product in action as Shiftall has said the MeganeX will be released in Spring 2022 for under $900 USD – no details just yet on whether that’s worldwide or region-specific. For continued updates on the MeganeX and CES 2022 in general, keep reading VRFocus.

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CES 2022 VR: What To Expect From The Show

CES finally returns to a physical, if somewhat muted show this week. Here’s what to expect on the VR side.

CES was once one of the key events in the VR calendar, but its impact on the industry has waned over time. Meta has its own events for Quest announcements, Sony saves gaming reveals for other showcases, HTC Vive hasn’t held a press conference in a number of years and, as VR has become less and less of a buzzword, we’ve seen fewer big players flaunt the tech on the show floor.

But the Vegas showcase does remain a fascinating display of VR oddities, underdogs and the occasional juggernaut. Here’s just a few things to expect from CES this year. We’re at the show so we’ll be offering full coverage.

CES 2022 VR: What To Expect

bHaptics’ Quest 2 Gloves

Last week the company behind one of Quest’s most popular haptic vests revealed its own haptic gloves, named TactGlove. They use the headset’s hand-tracking with motors at the tips of your fingers to provide a sense of feedback when touching objects in VR. But will they offer a compelling enough experience to justify a $299 price point? Hopefully we’ll get an answer during the show.

Panasonic’s Lightweight VR Returns

MeganeX

As announced earlier today, Panasonic subsidiary Shiftall seems to be working on the first consumer version of the company’s lightweight SteamVR headset, named MeganeX. It’s a bit of a puzzle, given the light form factor is somewhat negated by being attached to a PC via USB, but if it offers a comfortable, high-fidelity experience then it could be a strong new contender for the PC VR market. We’ll look to bring you more as the week goes on.

A First Look At Pimax Reality?

Pimax is one of the many companies to have pulled out of CES proper, with no presence on the show floor. But, as the company confirmed in an update last week, there will still be some media meetings available. Hopefully, then, we’ll be able to bring you a first look at the recently-announced Pimax Reality series, a hybrid, modular headset that promises to spare no expense.

Sony, LG And Beyond?

Everything We Know About PSVR 2 2021

Some of the highlights of every CES include the conferences from big tech companies announcing their range of products for the year to come. Usually it’s all about fridges that can tell your car what you need to buy and robots that can take your bags to the airport. But we do occasionally get a glimpse of surprising new VR announcements here and there. With that in mind, we’ll be watching a lot of shows today, January 4th, including LG’s show at 8am PT, Nvidia also at 8am PT, Intel at 10am PT, Qualcomm at 11am PT, Sony at 5pm PT and Samsung at 6:30pm PT. Again, we don’t expect anything to be revealed at these shows, but each of these companies has dabbled with the VR market to some degree in the past, so we’ll keep an eye out.

As for a potential PSVR 2 sighting? Well, Sony does like to announce some PlayStation news at these shows, like the 2013 introduction of PlayStation Now or, in 2020, the PS5 logo, but it’s not likely. We’d settle for confirmation the headset is definitely coming this year, though.

And that’s what’s happening with VR at CES 2022! What are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!

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MeganeX Announced: Lightweight SteamVR Headset From Panasonic-Owned Shiftall – CES 2022

Shiftall, a subsidiary of Panasonic, today announced lightweight VR glasses known as MeganeX at CES 2022.

At CES 2020, Panasonic debuted ultra-compact VR glasses that used OLED microdisplays and pancake lenses to deliver a form factor closer to sunglasses than many other VR headsets. Then, in 2021, the company introduced a revised form factor with support for six degrees of freedom (6DOF) movement. The MeganeX appears to be the first consumer iteration of this device, with a twist.

MeganeX SteamVR Headset Announced

MeganeX

Many of the specs are identical to those of Panasonic’s prototypes. MeganeX employs 1.3-inch microdisplays offering 2,560×2,560 resolution per eye at 120Hz. It houses Snapdragon’s XR1 chip and weighs in at 250g on its own with foldable frames.

However, despite featuring the XR1, no standalone support for MeganeX has yet been mentioned. Instead, the headset supports SteamVR via USB connection (and the 250g weight doesn’t account for the wire). A compatible controller hasn’t been revealed, but the company says information on that will be coming soon. Shiftall does say there will be support for other platforms in future updates, but doesn’t specify as to what this means.

In a 2020 video, Shiftall CEO Takuma Iwasa described the company’s specialty for Panasonic as a “very short time development and a small quantity of mass production” so that the company can then “trial and error on the market.” It’s quite possible, then, that we see a very limited rollout of MeganeX as the company prepares more advanced standalone capabilities for the future.

As for release, the company says the glasses will ship “to global markets” this spring for “less than $900”.

We are seeing increasingly compact VR headsets begin to hit the market. In late 2021 HTC released the Vive Flow, which needs to be tethered to a power source and is mainly intended for media-viewing via phone mirroring, with some limited games and apps also available.

Elsewhere, Shiftall also announced a “personal air conditioner” for VR called the Pebble Feel that aims to simulate heat in VR environments and a bluetooth microphone designed to suppress leaked sound.

We’ll have plenty more from CES 2022, so stay with us.