2018: Autarke Virtual-Reality-Brillen in der Übersicht

In diesem Jahr kommen etliche autarke VR-Brillen auf den Markt, einige sind bereits erschienen. Sie zeigen deutliche Unterschiede, vom Preis angefangen bis hin zur technischen Ausstattung. Manche bieten beispielsweise eine hohe Auflösung und eignen sich bestens für VR-Videos, andere wollen durch einen günstigen Preis den Massenmarkt ansprechen. Allen gemeinsam ist aber eines: Autarke Brillen bieten gegenüber beispielsweise PC- und Konsolen-Brillen eine einfachere Handhabung und eine erhöhte Reisetauglichkeit. Wir stellen die bisher angekündigten Headsets vor und wollen einen Überblick verschaffen.

Pico CV VR Brille

Autarke VR-Brillen: Viele Stärken, gemeinsame Schwäche

Allgemein basiert derzeit jede autarke Brille auf einer mobilen Recheneinheit, wie man sie auch in Smartphones findet. Zudem besitzt keines der derzeit offiziell angekündigten VR-Headsets einen Anschluss für den PC – somit ist man auf die Rechenleistung der Brille fixiert und kann diese nicht durch den Anschluss einer externen Recheneinheit erhöhen. Da die Entwicklung gerade bei Smartphone-Prozessoren sehr schnell ist, sitzt man schon bald mit quasi veralteter Hardware da, ohne sie in irgendeiner Form upgraden zu können.

oculus-santa-cruz

Autarkes Headset von Oculus: Santa Cruz

Die treibende Kraft hinter autarken VR-Brillen ist oft der Hersteller Qualcomm, der mit der Top-Linie seiner Snapdragon-Prozessoren auf den VR-Bereich schielt. Die Koreaner arbeiten seit geraumer Zeit an einem Referenzmodell einer autarken VR-Brille, das andere Hersteller als Grundlage für eigene Brillen verwenden können. Allerdings sind die Lösungen der umsetzenden Unternehmen größer als beispielsweise bei den Windows Mixed Reality Headsets, die auf einem Referenzmodell von Microsoft basieren. Eine Sonderstellung bei den autarken Brillen nimmt Oculus ein – die Facebook-Tochter entwickelt ein eigenes Design inklusive Tracking.

Oculus Go ab 200 US-Dollar

Die Oculus Go soll noch im Frühjahr 2018 auf den Markt kommen und VR massenhaft in die Haushalte bringen. Damit das gelingt, siedelt Oculus seine Stand-alone-Brille im unteren Preisbereich an. 200 US-Dollar soll das Modell mit 32 GB Speicher kosten. Die Version mit 64 GB wird teurer, einen Preis nannte die Facebook-Tochter hier allerdings noch nicht.

Oculus Go VR

Der Prozessor ist von allen hier vorgestellten autarken Brillen zwar der schwächste, sollte aber für eine flüssige Erfahrung von mobilen Spielen ausreichend sein. So ist die Oculus Go kompatibel mit der Samsung Gear VR und wird wohl zum Start auch alle Titel erhalten. Ein kürzlich geleaktes Verpackungsbild spricht von über 1000 VR-Erfahrungen und -Filmen. Die Oculus Go bietet kein Roomscale, der Controller wird lediglich mit 3DoF getrackt. Das LC-Display löst mit 2560 x 1440 Bildpunkten auf. Dank neuer Linsen verspricht Oculus allerdings ein sehr klares Bild.

Lenovo Mirage Solo für 400 US-Dollar

Der chinesische Hersteller tanzt mittlerweile auf allen AR- und VR-Hochzeiten und will in diesem Jahr die Lenovo Mirage Solo veröffentlichen. Ein genaues Datum gibt es zwar nicht, ungefähr zur Jahreshälfte soll es aber so weit sein. Als Software-Lieferant dient der Google Daydream Store, womit das Spiele-Angebot sehr viel übersichtlicher ausfallen dürfte als bei der Oculus Go. Dafür glänzt die Mirage mit einem großen Angebot an Erfahrungen. Für die Version für Bildungseinrichtungen verspricht Lenovo über 700 VR-Exkursionen von Google.

Lenovo DaydreamFür den höheren Preis bietet die Mirage Solo einiges mehr als die Oculus Go. Beispielsweise einen microSD-Kartenslot, mit dem sich der 64 GB große interne Speicher erweitern lässt. Vor allem der Transfer von Filmen fällt somit wesentlich leichter. Zudem soll die VR-Brille von Lenovo den Snapdragon 835 besitzen und damit einen leistungsfähigeren Prozessor als die Oculus Go. Hauptunterschied ist allerdings das Tracking, denn die Mirage Solo beherrscht Inside-Out-Tracking und damit Roomscale. Ein Pferdefuß ist hingegen der Controller, der wie bei den anderen mobilen Lösungen lediglich mit 3DoF getrackt wird. Die Auflösung des Displays liegt bei 2560 x 1440 Bildpunkten.

HTC Vive Focus für 635 US-Dollar

Im Gegensatz zu den beiden vorher genannten Headsets ist die Vive Focus schon auf dem Markt. Allerdings bisher nur in China. Ob die autarke Brille auch im Westen erscheint, hängt vom Erfolg im Heimatland des Herstellers ab. Die technischen Daten der Vive Focus sind sehr ähnlich zur Mirage Solo und die Brille basiert ebenfalls auf dem Referenzdesign von Qualcomm. Der Tracking-Bereich ist größer, allerdings besitzt auch die Vive Focus nur einen Controller mit 3DoF. Mit einem Software-Trick soll über die Kameras der Vive Focus zwar auch ein Tracking mit 6DoF möglich sein, man muss aber abwarten, wie gut das funktioniert und wie oft Entwickler die Möglichkeit in ihre VR-Titel einbauen.

Vive Focus von HTC

Wichtigster Unterschied zur Mirage Solo ist das Display, das bei der Vive Focus mit 2880 x 1600 Bildpunkten wesentlich höher auflöst und damit ein hervorragendes Bild liefern sollte. Das würde die Vive Focus zum idealen Abspieler für VR-Filme machen. Ursprünglich sollte die Brille im Westen den Google Daydream Store als Software-Lieferanten erhalten, jedoch hat sich HTC umentschieden. Falls die Brille im Westen erscheinen sollte, wird sie wie das chinesische Original auf den eigenen Vive Wave Store zurückgreifen.

Pico Neo VR für 750 Euro

Von allen autarken VR-Brillen ist die Pico Neo VR die derzeit teuerste – dafür lässt sie sich als einzige technisch höhenwertige Lösung bei uns aktuell vorbestellen. Sie bietet wie die Vive Focus eine Auflösung von 2880 x 1600 Bildpunkten, allerdings punktet die Pico bei der Bildwiederholfrequenz. Als einzige hier genannte Lösung (mit Ausnahme von Santa Cruz) erreicht sie wie PC Headsets flüssige 90 hz.

Das Besondere an der Pico Neo VR: Sie beherrscht nicht nur Inside-Out-Tracking und damit Roomscale, sondern bietet auch zwei Controller mit 6DoF-Tracking. Damit robbt sie von den technischen Möglichkeiten sie relativ dicht an PC-Brillen heran. Allerdings soll nach mehreren Berichten das Tracking der Controller nicht perfekt sein. Ein großes Problem von Pico bei den bisherigen VR Headsets war die Software-Versorgung, die der Hersteller in die eigenen Hände nahm. Das Ergebnis ist bis heute eine sehr übersichtliche Auswahl an VR-Erfahrungen. Mit der Pico Neo VR verabschiedet sich der Hersteller von dem Gedanken einer eigenen Lösung und will auf den Vive Wave Store setzen.

Oculus Santa Cruz

Oculus Project Santa Cruz

Die Oculus Santa Cruz dürfte (fast) alle Wünsche an ein autarkes Headset erfüllen können: In ersten Hands-on auf der Oculus Connect 4 berichten Tester übereinstimmend, dass das Tracking hervorragend arbeite. Dazu setzt die Santa Cruz gleich vier Kameras ein, die Hände und Raum erfassen. Ansonsten bleiben aber viele Fragen offen, sogar der finale Name steht noch nicht fest. Ob das Endprodukt in diesem Jahr noch auf den Markt kommt, steht ebenso in den Sternen wie der Preis und weitere technische Details. Zumindest will Oculus in diesem Jahr erste Entwicklerkits verschicken.

Der Beitrag 2018: Autarke Virtual-Reality-Brillen in der Übersicht zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Pico Interactive Discuss Looking To A Standalone VR Future

There have been many standalone headsets so far announced as coming out in 2018. Names such as the Oculus Go and HTC’s Vive Focus for example, but with the latter only targeting the Chinese market. There is, however, another contender in the field of standalone that people tend to forget – Pico Interactive. Pico managed quite the feat in releasing their standalone head-mounted display (HMD) to the market before anybody else.

Pico Neo CV
Will Winston showcases the Pico Neo CV

The Pico Goblin last was released last summer through Amazon and the company’s own website, retailing at $249 (USD). The 3 Degrees of Freedom (DoF) standalone HMD apparently performing well over the holiday period and like any other standalone headset it makes for a great introduction to virtual reality (VR) if you do not have a VR capable phone or computer.

VRFocus spoke to Pico Interactive’s Communications Manager Will Winston about their VR range of products and how they are looking to grow as a company.

Besides showing VRFocus the Pico Goblin, Winston also showcases the Pico Neo CV. Unveiled at last year’s International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), it returned for CES 2018. It features 6DoF, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon VR SDK, two 1.5K at 90Hz VR displays and built in hi-fi speakers. The Pico Neo CV has dual cameras for the WorldSense inside-out tracking system and can be ordered with either two Bluetooth controllers for $749 (USD) or one Bluetooth controller for $549 (USD).

The SDK will have features such as multi-interaction controller support and inside out 6DoF tracking to allow developers to create videogames, 360-degree video and other immersive experiences. The SDK will also feature a Unity plug-in to allow for the porting of games and other software to the Pico Neo CV from other platforms. At the moment it can be pre-ordered by business customers only, but will be available to consumers late spring.

Both the Pico Goblin and Pico Neo CV will have 60 titles, an open platform to third party developers, 360 videos, games as well as access to Web VR that would enable users to access any 360 videos that are hosted on an internet browser. Both standalone headsets will also be able to get access to Viveport, which means that users are able to download up to 400 titles from the Vive owned platform.  Pico Neo customers will have access to the Vive Wave platform too, and all the Vive Focus compatible software available through that. Meaning customers will have access to videogames purchases from both Viveport and the Pico Store.

Pico Zense

Pico are not only focusing on creating standalone VR HMD’s, but are also bringing to the market Pico Zense high-resolution time-of-flight (TOF) depth-sensing technology to help with providing a solution for machine vision hardware and software. These can be used for machine vehicles or drones, but also for VR developers. Pico interactive provide sample code, development tools, and standard SDK development kits to to help provide with standard and customized reference design support to help quickly integrate 3D vision capabilities into various products. 

Here are some technical specs:

Pico ZenseDcam 100 heat and cold based off how far you are from the camera.

  • TOF sensor module
  • Depth resolution: 640 * 480 @ 30FPS
  • Viewing angle: 69 ° (vertical) 51 ° (horizontal)
  • Operating System Support: Linux / Windows 7/8/10 / Android

Pico Zense Dcam 710Dcam 710 works outside, bigger and more capabilities.

  • TOF + RGB image sensing module
  • Depth resolution: 640 * 480 @ 30FPS
  • RGB resolution: 1920 * 1080 @ 30FPS
  • Viewing angle: 69 ° (vertical) 51 ° (horizontal)
  • Operating System Support: Linux / Windows 7/8/10 / Android

Pico Zense can potentially help VR developers when they want to scan 3D objects and virtual environments and will be coming out in February 2018. It can be pre-ordered on the website here.

To find out more watch the video below.

The Dream VR Brings Hours of Video Content to Pico Devices

With the demand for more video content on virtual reality (VR) devices higher than ever, it’s only natural that head-mounted display (HMD) manufacturers would partner with video streaming services to get their users the biggest possible array of content to enjoy. In case it wasn’t obvious from that intro and the title, that’s exactly what Pico Interactive are doing in a partnership with The Dream VR.

Pico Neo

The Dream VR is a 360 video and VR video distribution platform, and their partnership with Pico Interactive will bring over 150 channels of video content to Pico devices.

Owners of the Pico Goblin and Pico Neo HMDs will be very pleased with the news, and can look forward to hours of content later this Spring 2018.

It wasn’t long ago we found out about uSens partnering with Pico for hand-tracking in mobile VR, and it seems like Pico aren’t done expanding and enhancing the VR experience for both existing and future users.

“We are really excited to continue adding amazing content to our platforms,” said Pico Interactive VP of Business Development, Paul Viglienzone. “With standalone headsets taking over the 2018 market, our lineup of all-in-one headsets is a perfect match to host the Dream VR’s premium original content library.”

The Dream VR platform provides sports, music, food and entertainment and enables viewers to enjoy it all in VR.

Albert Palay in the CEO and Founder of The Dream VR, and is glad their content can be brought ot a whole new audience; “The Dream VR team could not be more thrilled about our global partnership with Pico Interactive, Inc. With Pico’s lineup of world-class all-in-one headsets, it has never been easier to dive into our library of amazing virtual spaces and experiences.”

The Dream VR is available right now for users of the Pico Goblin in the United States and Europe, with users around the world expected to receive The Dream VR at a later date. Pico Neo HMDs, meanwhile, should receive all of the video content The Dream VR has to offer later this Spring.

We can’t wait to see the kinds of content The Dream VR will make available. For all the latest news on what you can expect on your VR HMD, keep reading VRFocus.

The Dream VR Brings Hours of Video Content to Pico Devices

With the demand for more video content on virtual reality (VR) devices higher than ever, it’s only natural that head-mounted display (HMD) manufacturers would partner with video streaming services to get their users the biggest possible array of content to enjoy. In case it wasn’t obvious from that intro and the title, that’s exactly what Pico Interactive are doing in a partnership with The Dream VR.

Pico Neo

The Dream VR is a 360 video and VR video distribution platform, and their partnership with Pico Interactive will bring over 150 channels of video content to Pico devices.

Owners of the Pico Goblin and Pico Neo HMDs will be very pleased with the news, and can look forward to hours of content later this Spring 2018.

It wasn’t long ago we found out about uSens partnering with Pico for hand-tracking in mobile VR, and it seems like Pico aren’t done expanding and enhancing the VR experience for both existing and future users.

“We are really excited to continue adding amazing content to our platforms,” said Pico Interactive VP of Business Development, Paul Viglienzone. “With standalone headsets taking over the 2018 market, our lineup of all-in-one headsets is a perfect match to host the Dream VR’s premium original content library.”

The Dream VR platform provides sports, music, food and entertainment and enables viewers to enjoy it all in VR.

Albert Palay in the CEO and Founder of The Dream VR, and is glad their content can be brought ot a whole new audience; “The Dream VR team could not be more thrilled about our global partnership with Pico Interactive, Inc. With Pico’s lineup of world-class all-in-one headsets, it has never been easier to dive into our library of amazing virtual spaces and experiences.”

The Dream VR is available right now for users of the Pico Goblin in the United States and Europe, with users around the world expected to receive The Dream VR at a later date. Pico Neo HMDs, meanwhile, should receive all of the video content The Dream VR has to offer later this Spring.

We can’t wait to see the kinds of content The Dream VR will make available. For all the latest news on what you can expect on your VR HMD, keep reading VRFocus.

CES 2018: Hands-On With The 6DOF Standalone Pico Neo Headset

CES 2018: Hands-On With The 6DOF Standalone Pico Neo Headset

Companies like Facebook’s Oculus, HTC, and Sony pioneered the realm of powerful consumer-facing VR in 2016 with the launches of the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR (PSVR) respectively. But the one thing that all of these headsets have in common is that they’re connected to a machine such as a PC or PS4 by a wire and they all require external tracking systems. That’s a severely limiting concession for the ability to visit virtual worlds.

Now on the horizon we’ve got solutions like the Vive Focus and Oculus Santa Cruz prototype (and to a lesser extent the Oculus Go) all presenting standalone solutions. This means that you don’t need a wire and you don’t need a smartphone like the Gear VR or Google Daydream because these new headsets are 100% self-contained.  All of the computing, tracking, and power is stored inside the headset itself.

What the Focus and Santa Cruz also both do is they allow full positional tracking with six degrees of freedom (6DOF) which means you can move and walk around while wearing the headset. The Gear VR, Daydream, and Go will only let you rotate your head — you can’t move through space — since they’re only three degrees of freedom (3DOF).

Then there’s this scrappy little company named Pico that’s trying to one-up even Oculus and HTC with their latest product, the Pico Neo (not to be confused with the identically named former Pico Neo.)

Now Pico’s other current headset, the Goblin, is already available and offers standalone 3DOF tracking along with a single motion controller to deliver an experience comparable to the upcoming Oculus Go. And it only costs $250 for the entire package without the need for an expensive smartphone, such as the Gear VR or Daydream. We quite liked it in our review, even if it doesn’t have the massive content stores that prop up its chief competitors.

The Neo will face similar content problems by not having access to the Oculus Home Store or Steam, but it’s got plans for alleviating the lack. In addition to its own content store, the Pico Neo will also have access to Vive Wave (which will receive content from Viveport). Pico also recently announced a partnership with The Dream VR to bring over its large library of over 150 channels of 360-degree video content.

At CES 2018 this week we had the chance to go hands-on with the headset in two different demos. The first experience put us in the middle of a car showroom and using the 6DOF tracked motion controllers I could reach out and touch a control panel to change the car’s colors, back spoiler, and wheel design.

The headset itself tracked wonderfully with full 6DOF movement. I could turn around, walk through the Pico booth, even duck down and quickly move my head around and didn’t notice any real tracking issues at all. The two external facing cameras do a great job of tracking the headset’s movement — similar to how the tracking works in the Windows VR line of PC VR headsets.

What I noticed though is that the controllers were a very different story. A representative from Pico explained that the controllers are tracked in relation to the headset by using “ultra-sonic” technology via tiny little emitters on each. During my demo the tracking for both hands felt very clunky, delayed, and jittery.

As a test to make sure it wasn’t just an isolated thing I slowly waved my hand in front of my face, then did so quickly, and regardless of movement arc or speed it was like the controller was lagging across my headset’s field of view. This made it difficult to do anything at all since accuracy was near impossible without good tracking. During this issue the rest of the environment continued to be tracked just fine so it wasn’t a framerate or platform concern — just the controllers.

However, if I moved my hands out of my field of view, such as behind my back, it kept track of them well, which is great. Even the PC-powered Windows VR headsets struggle with that sometimes.

The second demo I tried was a simple game that had me shooting a laser gun in my right hand at flying baby dragons. When they shot fireballs I could use the shield in my left hand to block. This demo did a great job of showing off the 6DOF tracking because I could sidestep and dodge the fireballs, duck down, reach around with either hand while moving, and enjoyed an incredible sense of freedom.

I still noticed the issue with controller tracking, but it seemed far less pronounced this time. Perhaps the tracking concerns were caused by the previous car app, or are just case-by-case, or maybe it was just signal interference on the show floor of CES. Whatever the cause it wasn’t as bad in my second demo, but it was still noticeable enough to affect the experience.

Hopefully the controllers can get ironed out in time for the headset’s consumer launch. They’re accepting pre-orders now for $749, which includes the full standalone headset and two 6DOF hand controllers all in a single package.

We’ll be keeping an eye on the Pico Neo to see how it shapes up over time. If the controllers can get up to the same quality as the headset’s tracking and they can deliver a solid lineup of content, then Pico will have certainly broken ground in a big way as the first notable VR headset with 6DOF tracking and two 6DOF controllers to hit the market.

Let us know what you think down in the comments below!

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Pico Neo 6DoF Standalone Headset to Bring Viveport Mobile Westward

When the China-based headset manufacturer Pico Interactive announced they were bringing their six degrees of freedom (6DoF) Pico Neo VR headset and 6DoF controllers to the West, it wasn’t clear what content store they’d be drawing from when they released the headset out of China. As it turns out, the company may beat HTC to the punch by being the first to bring Viveport mobile to the rest of the world—at least that’s the way it appears currently, as HTC hasn’t yet released word on a possible Western release for Vive Focus.

Sitting down with Pico’s VP of Business Development Paul Viglienzone, I was told the headset would be launching globally with the Viveport mobile store sometime in “late spring” following its invite-only business-to-business launch coming in a few weeks.

Unable to speak on behalf of HTC, Viglienzone couldn’t tell us if Pico Neo would be the first out of China to ship with Viveport mobile or not, but it’s certainly the first to announce its intentions to do so—meaning HTC’s mobile app store isn’t going to be beheld to the Chinese market as previously thought.

While the headset primarily serves 6DoF content, it can also technically switch into a ‘3DoF mode’ to play games designed for 3DoF input like those created for Vive Focus, giving it the hypothetical ability to have access to greater amount of content. The headset is said to deliver 70 games at launch, with the eventual addition of WebVR to the headset’s roadmap. It’s unclear if these launch day games will all be 6DoF however.

Here’s a quick hands-on with the headset:

Cinching the Neo’s halo strap onto my head, the headset itself proved to be both light and comfortable. In the bright lights of the conventional hall, I noticed minimal light bleed seeping in after I cranked the headset onto my noggin, a simple ratchet system, and pulled the display in closer to my face. Incorporating a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor driving dual 3.5 inch LCD displays, each with 1440x 1600 screen resolution, the visual clarity was impressive. Without a scene with stark visual contrast (like white text on a back background), it wasn’t possible to tell just how good its near-circular fresnel lenses were, but I didn’t notice any overly obnoxious god rays to speak of in the brightly-colored demo.

Like Daydream, Gear VR and now Vive Focus, the Pico Neo controller features a trigger and touchpad. A home button sits below the circular trackpad with a tick-tack-shaped select button above. Ergonomically speaking, the controllers aren’t much to write home about though, as both left and right controllers are seemingly identical.

The demo I tried put a ray gun in one hand and a shield in the other, with a number of cutesy dragons firing lasers at your head. I could deflect the oncoming shots from the adorable baddies or dodge them entirely, using the headset’s 6DoF capabilities to its fullest.

While graphically simple, my experience with the headset wasn’t without its hitches unfortunately. Positional tracking was fairly reliable, although it was clear that latency is still an issue at this point. Walking from one side of the room to the other (both physically and virtually), I could feel the headset struggle to keep up as the ground visibly sloshed to follow my steps.

Motion controller tracking wasn’t comparable with what you’d find on any of the three major VR systems either. There, latency was also a pretty significant issue in maintaining 1:1 parity with my hands’ actual position, although I was reassured the controller latency would see greater polish in the consumer version. Using an ultrasonic solution sourced from Bay Area-based Chirp Microsystems, I had moments when the controllers seemed to follow my hands closely enough to be considered usable, but in its current state I couldn’t imagine using the controllers for fine object interaction like you would on any PC/console-based VR headset.

To track the controllers, which emit inaudible noise, the headset features three ultrasonic receivers embedded within; a small hole on either side of the the headset and a single in the top center. I was told the system’s ultrasonics were computationally cheaper than optical tracking like you might find in Windows ‘Mixed Reality’ VR headsets or more aptly Oculus’ Project Santa Cruz.

At Pico Neo’s $750 price tag and still somewhat squishy-feeling 6DoF-everything, it’s uncertain where the headset will land with consumers when it finally hits this spring. You can bet we’ll be following along though.

– – — – –

We have feet on the ground at CES this year, so check back for more hands-on, previews and all things virtual and augmented.

The post Pico Neo 6DoF Standalone Headset to Bring Viveport Mobile Westward appeared first on Road to VR.

The new Pico Neo Standalone Headset is Vive Wave Compatible

Just before Christmas VRFocus reported on Chinese virtual reality (VR) headset manufacturer Pico finally making its consumer focused Pico Goblin head-mounted display (HMD) available for purchase. The company isn’t stopping there however, as its original Pico Neo headset is getting a makeover for 2018, incorporating the six-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) standalone into the Vive Wave platform.

Pico Neo new

While the Pico Goblin is more your entry-level consumer version, packing a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU, the Pico Neo comes supplied with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835, 4GB High-Speed RAM and SD support to 128 GB. As for screen specs the Pico Neo features 2 x 3.5 inch LCD displays – each with 1440 x 1600 screen resolution – and a 90Hz refresh rate.

Being part of Vive Wave the Pico Neo features some similarities to HTC’s upcoming standalone headset, the Vive Focus. So Pico’s HMD will include dual cameras for the WorldSense inside-out tracking system, so the headset will include 6DoF tracking as well as the controllers, depending on which version so purchase.

HTC’s Alvin Wang Graylin revealed on Twitter that Pico Neo will be sold in a consumer version with a singular 3DoF controller for 3999 RMB. A business version will be sold at 5299 RMB which will include two 6DoF controllers. At present Pico has only confirmed pre-order availability in China, with headsets expected to ship towards the end of January 2018.

In terms of content, unlike the Pico Goblin which developers have to specifically design for, Pico Neo customers will have access to the Vive Wave platform and all the Vive Focus compatible software available. That’ll mean that customers will be able to purchase videogames through Viveport and the Pico Store.

As yet there’s been no confirmation of a western release date but it certainly seems on the cards. On Pico’s website the headset is listed at $749 USD to pre-order, clicking the link brings up a separate window for interested customers to submit their details. As further details on the Pico Neo are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.

Pico Neo VR: Autarke VR-Brille mit 6DOF, 3K und Vive Wave [Update]

Der China-Präsident von ViveAlvin Wang Graylin – bestätigt in einem Tweet die Software-Plattform der Pico Neo VR: Als erster Fremdhersteller setzt Pico auf das offene Vive Wave sowie den Store Viveport. Damit wird das Headset ein ganzes Stück interessanter, denn die Consumer-Brille Pico Goblin setzt noch auf einen eigenen Store. Und der ist mit seinen rund 70 Apps sowohl qualitativ wie quantitativ derzeit nicht besonders gut aufgestellt. Die Neuauflage der Pico Neo erhält mit 3K Auflösung 6DOF-Controllern ein mächtiges Update. Durch die Zusammenarbeit mit HTC wird die VR-Brille auf die gleiche Software-Auswahl wie die Vive Focus zugreifen können.

Originalmeldung vom 17. Dezember 2017:

Pico Technology, ein Hersteller von VR-Brillen aus China, hat nun ein neues Produkt vorgestellt, das er als Pico Neo VR bezeichnet. Die autarke Brille kommt ohne eine Verbindung zu einem PC oder einem Smartphone aus und ist mit zwei 6DoF (6 Freiheitsgrade) Motion Controllern ausgestattet.

Pico Neo VR mit 6DOF

Pico Neo CV 1

Das neue Virtual Reality HMD von Pico besitzt zwei Kameras für das Inside-Out Tracking und ein Snapdragon 835 sorgt für die nötige Rechenleistung. Außerdem sind 4 Gigabyte Arbeitsspeicher verbaut und zwei 3,5 Zoll AMOLED-Displays (Achtung: Auf der Webseite spricht der Hersteller teilweise nur von LCD Panels. Laut unseren Informationen sollen es bei uns aber AMOLED Panels sein), welche jeweils auf eine Auflösung von 1440 x 1600 Pixel bei 90 Hz kommen und somit mt der Vive Focus auf Augenhöhe liegt. Wie die Spezifikationen schon erahnen lassen, handelt es sich bei der Brille um ein hochwertiges Produkt und dementsprechend ist auch der Preis höher angesetzt, als wir es von Pico erwartet hätten. 750 Euro müssen Kunden auf den Tisch legen und aktuell ist noch nicht bekannt, auf welchen Store die Pico Neo VR in den westlichen Regionen setzen wird.

Pico Neo CV 2

Die Pico Neo VR Brille könnt ihr jetzt für 749 Euro auf der Webseite des Herstellers vorbestellen. In China wird Pico auch eine abgespeckte und billigere Version der Brille anbieten, doch diese wird es wohl nicht in weitere Regionen schaffen.

Der Beitrag Pico Neo VR: Autarke VR-Brille mit 6DOF, 3K und Vive Wave [Update] zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

Pico’s New 6DoF Standalone VR Headset is Coming Westward, Including 6DoF Controllers

Pico Technology, the China-based VR headset manufacturer, today unveiled their latest Pico Neo VR headset, a standalone device that offers 6DoF positional tracking and 6DoF motion controllers. Like HTC Vive Focus, Pico Neo will use the Vive Wave open source API and have access to a mobile version of Viveport in China; unlike Vive Focus though, which was previously destined for Western markets using the Daydream platform, Pico Neo is definitely leaving China along with Vive Wave, although it still isn’t certain which app store the headset will use.

The new Pico Neo doesn’t have much to do with the Pico Neo CV we saw earlier this year, which housed a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and a single camera for inside-out tracking.

Now coming closer to Vive Focus in specs, the updated Pico Neo for Western release includes dual-camera inside-out tracking powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835, a three-hour battery life, 4GB RAM, support for 128 GB microSD and dual 90 Hz 1,440 × 1,600 AMOLEDs. Pre-order requests are available on the US-facing site, but the company is only selling both Pico Neo (for $750) and a newly announced depth sensor Pico Zense to business for now.

China’s versions are slightly different, spanning two different options, both of which contain LCDs; a ‘basic version’ including a 3DoF motion controller similar to the ones packaged with the latest generation of mobile VR headsets for 4,000 RMB (~ $610), or a ‘business edition’, which includes the 6DoF controllers, but lacks the Western version’s AMOLED displays for 5,300 RMB (~ $810). Both headsets are currently available for general pre-order in China.

The headset’s controllers are positionally tracked using ultra-sonics technology. While it isn’t clear exactly how this works, the company says it “enables the Neo to deliver high fidelity control without the need for any external cameras, trackers or wires. It also means users are able to get high end VR experiences (6DoF head and hands) typical of an expensive PC solution in a beautifully self contained package.”

When Pico Neo ships in January 2018 in China, the headset will be the second after Vive Focus to adopt HTC’s open source mobile VR API Vive Wave, and also the second to hook into the mobile version of the Viveport app store. When it ships outside of China though, it’s not so certain which app ecosystem it will have access to.

Pico told Road to VR “we are working with HTC to incorporate Vive Wave into the western release of the Pico Neo. We will know more details soon and will update you as soon as we know.” The company didn’t specify which app marketplace the Neo will use, and hasn’t responded yet to further inquiry. We’ll update this article when/if they do.

the China-facing Viveport App Store, image courtesy Pico Interactive

HTC has already signed up twelve hardware partners in China that will support Vive Wave and integrate Viveport content into their future products, including Pico, 360QIKU, Baofengmojing, Coocaa, EmdoorVR, Idealens, iQIYI, Juhaokan, Nubia, Pimax, Quanta and Thundercomm. How many of these will make it out of China isn’t certain at this time, but we’ll be keeping our eyeballs peeled.

The post Pico’s New 6DoF Standalone VR Headset is Coming Westward, Including 6DoF Controllers appeared first on Road to VR.

Pico’s New 6DoF Standalone VR Headset is Coming Westward, Including 6DoF Controllers

Pico Technology, the China-based VR headset manufacturer, today unveiled their latest Pico Neo VR headset, a standalone device that offers 6DoF positional tracking and 6DoF motion controllers. Like HTC Vive Focus, Pico Neo will use the Vive Wave open source API and have access to a mobile version of Viveport in China; unlike Vive Focus though, which was previously destined for Western markets using the Daydream platform, Pico Neo is definitely leaving China along with Vive Wave, although it still isn’t certain which app store the headset will use.

The new Pico Neo doesn’t have much to do with the Pico Neo CV we saw earlier this year, which housed a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and a single camera for inside-out tracking.

Now coming closer to Vive Focus in specs, the updated Pico Neo for Western release includes dual-camera inside-out tracking powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835, a three-hour battery life, 4GB RAM, support for 128 GB microSD and dual 90 Hz 1,440 × 1,600 AMOLEDs. Pre-order requests are available on the US-facing site, but the company is only selling both Pico Neo (for $750) and a newly announced depth sensor Pico Zense to business for now.

China’s versions are slightly different, spanning two different options, both of which contain LCDs; a ‘basic version’ including a 3DoF motion controller similar to the ones packaged with the latest generation of mobile VR headsets for 4,000 RMB (~ $610), or a ‘business edition’, which includes the 6DoF controllers, but lacks the Western version’s AMOLED displays for 5,300 RMB (~ $810). Both headsets are currently available for general pre-order in China.

The headset’s controllers are positionally tracked using ultra-sonics technology. While it isn’t clear exactly how this works, the company says it “enables the Neo to deliver high fidelity control without the need for any external cameras, trackers or wires. It also means users are able to get high end VR experiences (6DoF head and hands) typical of an expensive PC solution in a beautifully self contained package.”

When Pico Neo ships in January 2018 in China, the headset will be the second after Vive Focus to adopt HTC’s open source mobile VR API Vive Wave, and also the second to hook into the mobile version of the Viveport app store. When it ships outside of China though, it’s not so certain which app ecosystem it will have access to.

Pico told Road to VR “we are working with HTC to incorporate Vive Wave into the western release of the Pico Neo. We will know more details soon and will update you as soon as we know.” The company didn’t specify which app marketplace the Neo will use, and hasn’t responded yet to further inquiry. We’ll update this article when/if they do.

the China-facing Viveport App Store, image courtesy Pico Interactive

HTC has already signed up twelve hardware partners in China that will support Vive Wave and integrate Viveport content into their future products, including Pico, 360QIKU, Baofengmojing, Coocaa, EmdoorVR, Idealens, iQIYI, Juhaokan, Nubia, Pimax, Quanta and Thundercomm. How many of these will make it out of China isn’t certain at this time, but we’ll be keeping our eyeballs peeled.

The post Pico’s New 6DoF Standalone VR Headset is Coming Westward, Including 6DoF Controllers appeared first on Road to VR.