Varjo XR-3 and Varjo VR-3
I was in a private world with a few of my friends when I first heard about Varjo. Some of you may have heard about it, and if you haven’t, Varjo is a VR company whose product focuses on the business side of the world of VR.
If you want to watch their introductory video, a link to their website for information will be at the end of this article. To summarize, Varjo’s new VR Headset, Varjo VR, is the future for VR users everywhere. This headset’s focal point is that it has Human Eye Resolution, which means that the screen has so many pixels it simulates the same amount of detail the human eye can pick up in the waking world, and with high quality eye tracking makes sure you stay immersed.
Let's take a look at the different options Varjo has for their product. Currently they are promoting only two models, the Varjo XR-3 and the Varjo VR-3. Both of these models come with integrated hand and eye tracking at an average of 200 Hz. Now, I wasn’t sure what Hz was, because although I love playing games, I never take the time to learn all the technical stuff. And to dumb it down really easily, it looked like Hz was pretty much just your FPS, or Frames per second. To put that in perspective, a lot of people will consider 60 or 120 FPS as “ideal”, and the Index, which according to my research has the highest Hz compared to its competitors, still maxes out at 144 Hz. We’ll cover the reason why they need so many frames in their headset later but I’m sure that helps in making things seem so much smoother and easy on the eyes.
Varjo XR-3
Next is the field of view, or FOV. Your field of view is one of the most important components regarding your VR headset, because it can heavily impact gameplay and immersion. Everyone should know about this, but in case you don’t your eyes have something known as peripherals, which is the ability to see objects and movement outside of the direct line of vision. When you just see darkness in the corner of your view, it can be a little unnerving and take you out of the gameplay and simulation. Both models have a FOV of 115 degrees, while a human's field of view is 135 degrees. Comparing it to the other top selling VR headsets I will say that this isn’t as impressive as some, like the PIMAX 8K and even the Valve Index. I also want to just take a moment and comment on the site I was using as a reference for all different stats for VR headsets. It clearly states on Varjo’s own site that both headsets run at 200Hz, but then using this comparison chart they state the headset runs at 90Hz. I wanted to bring this up because I’m unsure which site to believe, since the specs site did match with other headsets I looked at.
Getting back on track, both of these headsets seemed pretty similar, with the XR model being a bit more technologically advanced than the VR model. I want to now go into what you’ll need on your computer to be able to handle each of these headsets. Both of these headsets do need a pretty sturdy computer to handle, which means buying one will be a decent investment, considering the VR-3 costs €3195 ($3784.13), and the XR-3 is €5495 ($6508.23).
Varjo's VR-3 Prices
The kind of technology being put into this tiny little headset is absolutely crazy, and what they’re promoting it can do is not only have vision that is just as good as the human eye, but also that you can take it and use it anywhere, known as the Varjo Cloud. For businesses this is a fantastic way to get those who are in charge but also far away to have an up close and personal interaction with the project that needs to be done. Especially if you are able to use the headset standalone, no more worrying about if an event is being decorated properly and being surprised last minute when your manager learns they completely fluffed up. NOW you can see exactly where you’re going and what you’re working with.
Before you start reaching for your wallets, just know this headset is currently unavailable for consumer use. So why talk about it? Well, I’ve spoken before that VR is the future not just for gaming, but for our world in general. In an interview I did a few months ago I talked about how VR can be used to train professionals how to respond to certain problems in their field, without putting them in actual danger. This is where Varjo excels. With the simulation feeling all too real, and being thrown into a test of your skills, users can get even closer to accurate training that they’ll need to succeed. Some of the examples that are shown are for Astronauts, Pilots, and First Responders. I wanted to talk about this, because I love virtual reality as a whole, not just VRChat. VR is going to do both amazing and terrifying things in our future, and because this headset is so far out there compared to our own, its only logical to expect that maybe we’ll be seeing some copied technology for the consumer.
Varjo's Belief in the Ultraleap
We may not get use out of the headset personally, because we realistically don’t need VR that proficient to play this game. If anything, the real kicker is making sure your computer can handle it. But just like most things here, it all comes back to VRChat eventually. Varjo was told that the level of quality and realism they went for wouldn’t be available technology for at least another ten years, but they refused to take no for an answer and made it work anyways. Their product is still in development, and only getting more advanced as time goes by, so with this almost speed run of technology it's only a matter of time before companies like Oculus, Vive, and Valve also jump on the train and start taking notes on what Varjo is doing right. I think Oculus Quest will be specifically interested in this because they are promoting such high quality through a headset that seemingly doesn’t need to use a computer to show live feed. The reason I wanted to cover this originally was because I thought maybe we’d see Varjo’s VR Headset on the public market one day, but after taking the time to learn about the different products and their purposes, I don’t think that will happen any time soon if at all. Varjo focuses on the business, not entertainment, and that does make a huge difference when comparing how the VR is made to others like the Index or Quest.
I was surprised with how much I learned these past few days looking up information about not only this headset, but VR gear in general. Technology is just growing at a rapid pace and I feel like I can’t fully keep up. When I was still in middle school, Runescape was the rage. I had a computer that sometimes would lag when we’d play. But now you can play the exact same game on your PHONE. It's not new information either, one of the most popular fun facts people like to spew is that our phones have more power to them compared to the Apollo computer for NASA. That is CRAZY, and I still can’t fully wrap my head around how we managed to get from point A to point G so quickly. Just think another 20, 40 years from now how different our world could be if we managed to continue to preserve our earth and grow our technology.
Original Video:
Reference Links:
https://benchmarks.ul.com/compare/best-vr-headsets