An Austin-based startup known for VR and mixed reality workspace program other companies now have their own hardware for their headsets. The Immersed Visor seems to sit somewhere between the Vision Pro Lite and the Xreal Plus: an inexpensive (well, relatively speaking) lightweight headset that creates a high-quality spatial computing environment.
Teased to death for months, Immersed founder Renji Bijoy finally did opened Visor at Thursday’s Austin event. A little more than glasses but less than a full headset, the device puts the equivalent of a 4K OLED screen into each eye. It has a solid 100 degree field of view. It supports 6DoF tracking (responds to movement along multiple axes, not just simple head rotations) and offers hand and eye tracking and support for more than five screens in a virtual or mixed reality environment.
At the launch, Bijoy revealed that the Dipped Visor weighs only 186 grams. iPhone 16 Pro. It is 64 percent lighter Meta Quest 3 (515 g) and about 70 percent lighter Apple Vision Pro (600 – 650 g). Weight and ergonomics have been drawbacks for many early adopters of VR and mixed reality technology. (This includes Some customers of the $3,500 Vision Pro.) So reducing the Visor’s weight to the same level as a high-end smartphone would, in theory, help them succeed where competitors struggle. Part of that (borrowing a trick from Apple) comes from the wired battery pack you keep in your pocket.
But unlike those devices, the Immersed Visor doesn’t include onboard experiences like an app store or games. Instead, it’s tailored for work: connect it to your Windows, macOS, or Linux PC (wireless or wired) and get things done on its array of immersive virtual screens. Its 6DoF tracking means you can stand up, crouch or twist, and the virtual screens will stay planted where you put them instead of following you awkwardly through space.
Like the company’s workspace software for Meta Quest and Vision Pro, you can work in either a transition view of your space or a completely virtual view. (This includes pleasant virtual environments like a ski resort on the mountain by a cozy fire.) You can also work with others in a shared space.
It works on the device Qualcomm XR2+ Gen 2 chipdebutant CES 2024. The chip supports up to 4.3K resolution per eye and can handle content up to 90fps.
Immersed chose an unconventional pricing scheme. It starts at $1,050 to buy the device outright. But if you agree to the subscription model, you can get it up front for $400: $40 per month for 24 months or $60 per month for 12 months. Oh, and that the model doesn’t ship until “six months after October,” meaning April 2025. If you want the device that starts shipping next month — the Founder’s Edition — that’s $1,350 outright, or $700 plus a monthly subscription (same prices as the later shipping version).
In theory, the Immersed Visor could be a sweet spot for people who want something cheaper than Vision Pro with a higher resolution than Meta Quest 3 and (perhaps) are interested in a lot of spatial computing that doesn’t look like a beta product. Xreal’s AR glasses. Whether or not it succeeds on those points, we won’t have a clue until we get some hands-on time. As far as I can see, no major media outlets (including Engadget) have shared hands-on demos of the device. Like this year’s wave absurdly incited AI gadgets reminded us that big promises mean nothing if you end up with a $1,000 paperweight.
You can watch the presentation below and pre-order if you like it Immersed website.
