Monday, February 13th 2023
Bigscreen Introduces Beyond—the World's Smallest VR Headset
Bigscreen today unveiled Bigscreen Beyond, the world's smallest VR headset. Weighing just 127 grams and measuring less than 1-inch at its thinnest point, Beyond has an unprecedented form factor that is 6X lighter than competing VR devices. Beyond features ultra-high resolution OLED displays, custom pancake optics, and
tethers to a PC for ultimate VR immersion. Each device is custom-built to the shape of a customer's face, providing unparalleled comfort for long duration VR
experiences.
"As passionate VR enthusiasts, we built the VR headset we wanted for ourselves," said Darshan Shankar, Bigscreen's Founder & CEO. "Today's leading VR headsets have doubled in weight compared to headsets from 2016. We built Beyond because we felt VR was too heavy, bulky, and uncomfortable. We invented new technologies to increase comfort, and developed ultra-high-end components like OLED microdisplays and pancake optics to increase immersion. To deliver the best software experience for watching movies in Bigscreen, we also had to build the best hardware with Bigscreen Beyond."
Next-generation displays and optics
Inside Bigscreen Beyond are two OLED displays, each with a resolution of 2560 x 2560 pixels. The combined 5120 x 2560 pixel resolution is 2-3X higher resolution than leading VR headsets. Tiny 7.2-μm wide pixels, RGB stripe subpixels, and an incredible fill factor solves a distracting problem in VR known as the Screen Door Eff
ect. With Beyond, pixels are no longer visible to the eye.
OLED displays provide an unparalleled experience in VR, with vibrant colors and deep blacks. It enables seeing details in shadows that are impossible with LCD
and LED displays, greatly enhancing realism and immersion in VR.
Beyond pairs the OLED displays with custom pancake optics to create a wide field of view and a groundbreaking 28 pixels-per-degree (PPD) image. Beyond features a 3-element optical design composed of glass, plastic polymers, films, and coatings that results in a smaller, lighter form factor and a huge improvement in optical clarity compared to older-generation single-element Fresnel lenses.
Personalized, for optimal comfort
Typical VR headsets require large amounts of weight and complex electro-mechanical adjustment mechanisms to make a one-size-fits-all headset fit the enormous diversity of eyes and faces across billions of human beings. It's also a frustrating user experience, as each person must adjust interpupillary distance (IPD), eye relief, diopter settings, and various tilting mechanisms in order to see virtual reality with clarity.
"Instead of one-size-fits-all consumer electronics, we believe VR headsets should be a custom-fit wearable device more like prescription eyewear," said Philip Krejov, Bigscreen's Head of Hardware. After ordering a Beyond, each customer will receive an email to scan themselves using Bigscreen's iPhone application. Each Beyond is custom-made based on the 3D face scan, which measures the shape of the customer's face and the position of their eyes. An iPhone XR or newer is required for the one-time 3D face scan, and is not required to use the Beyond.
With each customer having a headset built to their face shape and their IPD, significant weight can be saved while also improving comfort and clarity in VR. The moment a customer wears a Beyond with their own custom face cushion, the Beyond rests at the correct angle. The custom face cushion provides even weight distribution, zero light leakage, and aligns the eyes and optics correctly. The custom face cushion can be hand-washed with soap for improved hygiene. Customers that need corrective vision can purchase custom prescription lenses that magnetically fit into Beyond, as glasses do not fit inside the small form factor.
To further enhance comfort and customize their experience, customers can choose from the included Soft Strap or upgrade to the Audio Strap. The Soft Strap is ultra-lightweight, weighing just 28 grams, and is especially comfortable to wear laying down or while wearing headphones. The Audio Strap improves ergonomics further by cupping the top and back of the head, enabling the Beyond to float on the face. The Audio Strap also provides Beyond with built-in high-end audio and powerful bass from on-ear headphones.
SteamVR tracking
Beyond determines its position and orientation in 3D space with built-in SteamVR tracking. 6-DoF tracking requires at least one SteamVR Base Station (not included). Beyond supports SteamVR Tracking V1.0 and V2.0 Base Stations. Seated and room-scale experiences are supported.
Beyond is SteamVR compatible, and supports hundreds of VR games and applications on Steam. To use Beyond and play games, customers must download the free Steam client and SteamVR on a compatible Windows PC.
Beyond works with the SteamVR ecosystem of controllers and accessories, such as the Valve Index controllers and HTC Vive controllers (not included). Customers can achieve Full-Body Tracking (FBT) using trackers such as HTC Vive Trackers or Tundra Trackers.
Pricing and availability
Beyond is available for pre-order today, February 13, starting at US$999. Pre-orders are fully refundable reservations. The customer can cancel their pre-order and
request a full refund at any time until their device ships. Terms and conditions apply.
Source:
Bigscreen
tethers to a PC for ultimate VR immersion. Each device is custom-built to the shape of a customer's face, providing unparalleled comfort for long duration VR
experiences.
"As passionate VR enthusiasts, we built the VR headset we wanted for ourselves," said Darshan Shankar, Bigscreen's Founder & CEO. "Today's leading VR headsets have doubled in weight compared to headsets from 2016. We built Beyond because we felt VR was too heavy, bulky, and uncomfortable. We invented new technologies to increase comfort, and developed ultra-high-end components like OLED microdisplays and pancake optics to increase immersion. To deliver the best software experience for watching movies in Bigscreen, we also had to build the best hardware with Bigscreen Beyond."
Inside Bigscreen Beyond are two OLED displays, each with a resolution of 2560 x 2560 pixels. The combined 5120 x 2560 pixel resolution is 2-3X higher resolution than leading VR headsets. Tiny 7.2-μm wide pixels, RGB stripe subpixels, and an incredible fill factor solves a distracting problem in VR known as the Screen Door Eff
ect. With Beyond, pixels are no longer visible to the eye.
OLED displays provide an unparalleled experience in VR, with vibrant colors and deep blacks. It enables seeing details in shadows that are impossible with LCD
and LED displays, greatly enhancing realism and immersion in VR.
Beyond pairs the OLED displays with custom pancake optics to create a wide field of view and a groundbreaking 28 pixels-per-degree (PPD) image. Beyond features a 3-element optical design composed of glass, plastic polymers, films, and coatings that results in a smaller, lighter form factor and a huge improvement in optical clarity compared to older-generation single-element Fresnel lenses.
Typical VR headsets require large amounts of weight and complex electro-mechanical adjustment mechanisms to make a one-size-fits-all headset fit the enormous diversity of eyes and faces across billions of human beings. It's also a frustrating user experience, as each person must adjust interpupillary distance (IPD), eye relief, diopter settings, and various tilting mechanisms in order to see virtual reality with clarity.
"Instead of one-size-fits-all consumer electronics, we believe VR headsets should be a custom-fit wearable device more like prescription eyewear," said Philip Krejov, Bigscreen's Head of Hardware. After ordering a Beyond, each customer will receive an email to scan themselves using Bigscreen's iPhone application. Each Beyond is custom-made based on the 3D face scan, which measures the shape of the customer's face and the position of their eyes. An iPhone XR or newer is required for the one-time 3D face scan, and is not required to use the Beyond.
With each customer having a headset built to their face shape and their IPD, significant weight can be saved while also improving comfort and clarity in VR. The moment a customer wears a Beyond with their own custom face cushion, the Beyond rests at the correct angle. The custom face cushion provides even weight distribution, zero light leakage, and aligns the eyes and optics correctly. The custom face cushion can be hand-washed with soap for improved hygiene. Customers that need corrective vision can purchase custom prescription lenses that magnetically fit into Beyond, as glasses do not fit inside the small form factor.
To further enhance comfort and customize their experience, customers can choose from the included Soft Strap or upgrade to the Audio Strap. The Soft Strap is ultra-lightweight, weighing just 28 grams, and is especially comfortable to wear laying down or while wearing headphones. The Audio Strap improves ergonomics further by cupping the top and back of the head, enabling the Beyond to float on the face. The Audio Strap also provides Beyond with built-in high-end audio and powerful bass from on-ear headphones.
SteamVR tracking
Beyond determines its position and orientation in 3D space with built-in SteamVR tracking. 6-DoF tracking requires at least one SteamVR Base Station (not included). Beyond supports SteamVR Tracking V1.0 and V2.0 Base Stations. Seated and room-scale experiences are supported.
Beyond is SteamVR compatible, and supports hundreds of VR games and applications on Steam. To use Beyond and play games, customers must download the free Steam client and SteamVR on a compatible Windows PC.
Beyond works with the SteamVR ecosystem of controllers and accessories, such as the Valve Index controllers and HTC Vive controllers (not included). Customers can achieve Full-Body Tracking (FBT) using trackers such as HTC Vive Trackers or Tundra Trackers.
Pricing and availability
Beyond is available for pre-order today, February 13, starting at US$999. Pre-orders are fully refundable reservations. The customer can cancel their pre-order and
request a full refund at any time until their device ships. Terms and conditions apply.
19 Comments on Bigscreen Introduces Beyond—the World's Smallest VR Headset
i might get it once the price of used units hits ~$300
right now hp reverb is wayyyyyy cheaper than this new headset
For context, the Oddyssey I have was $499 and while that cost is for OLED, it's only 1600x1440 per eye instead of 2560x2560 and it weighs almost 4x as much.
Lighter, better, custom-fit for less than twice the price? It's not bad.
But it is disappointing when my country isn't on the shipping list.
Its good there's a bunch of early adopters thinking otherwise. Keep pulling that train. Maybe we'll arrive at the above at some point. Not holding my breath ;)
:roll:
It's good to see HMDs tech going forward in terms of size, weight, comfort and optics, but all the new headsets are priced well outside the consumer market. It's only for enthusiast with disposable income even after more than 6 years of development since the Oculus CV1. Hell, even the CV1 was $600 in 2016.
The only affordable headsets are the Quest 2 and Pico 4, both heavily subsidized and with several tradeoffs for PCVR, and meanwhile HP left the VR market and will be no Reverb G3. Add the high prices for the GPU to the hardware combo, no good games in the horizon, and you can understand why PCVR is not growing at all.
I didn't say it was good, or good value, I just meant that it's not priced badly enough to be an instant failure. There are plenty of VERY expensive high-resolution VR headsets available, and at 2560x2560 per eye, it's the actually the cheapest.
vr-compare.com/pcpowered
There's one that's (on paper) 2560x2560 for $599 - the Arpara VR from 2019 - but when you check the specs it's unusable at that resolution because of the 30Hz restriction. Realistically its 1080x1080 upscaled per eye at 120Hz with the added benefits of reduced SDE from the higher native resolution. The 1080x1080 is why it's cheap.
None of the latest headsets revealed and/or launched are doing nothing to help PCVR grow. All of them are launched for the super enthusiast niche.
I didn't buy my Oddyssey new, I like VR but it's not important enough to me to justify more than the £300 I paid for it. Even the Meta Quest 2's price hike from $300 to $400 hurt VR, I think.
These high-end headsets aren't aiming to grow PC VR though. They're catering to the existing VR users who want (and can afford) better than mainstream options.
As I wrote earlier, what VR needs is a "modern tech CV1" to help grow the market, while still you can sell higher profit products to enthusiast the same. It's the only way to attract devs to start investing in high budget games and apps. Indie devs alone will not be making VR grow anytime soon.
I'm sorry, seems like I derailed the thread for this new headset :-(
Inside-out tracking on cheap headsets is something you can pick up new for $250 and used for even less. Outside of Valve and Oculus, all of these WMR headsets are burdened by the catastrophically pointless and parasitic "Cliff House"
Yes, once you've spent some time installing the WMR extensions for Steam and edited all your shortcuts to bypass the Cliff House, WMR headsets are basically good proxies for the official Steam/Valve headsets. It just completely sucks that Microsoft don't create a more streamlined, non-parasitic, intuitive interface for managing HMDs in Windows. NOBODY uses Cliff House, it's clunky, poorly-designed, cumbersome, and uh, embarassing. (The 90's called, they want their virtual reality back). We just want a simple, fuss-free launcher and hardware config/calibration menu. Not an "experience" that becomes a chore to deal with the second time we ever experience it.
If you haven't watched the Tested review then it's worth a watch. Either way this is going to be an exciting year for VR/XR/MR hardware. I just hope we get just as good for Software to use with them. I think at this point I'm waiting on the Deckard and Quest 3.