Somnium VR1 Sept Headset Update

[evanswillo]

Couple of VR1 updates this evening

Orders update:

Prices to be revealed and orders open in next 2 / 3 weeks

Deliveries

First half June for those who were early in the orders

 

[Gun Jam]

Yeah I was watching that too.

No price update on the the 2 levels above the basic.

Reading between the lines it appears that the hardware solution for totally removing chromatic aberration does not yield results beyond what can be accomplished with software alone and will be abandoned. (this was implied but not stated so the above is just speculation)

it does not come with audio solution for first orders... perhaps never

It will not come with base stations or controllers

reading between the lines again. Orders are going to be slow to fill at least at first with likley less than 100 units being produced in the first month it will likley take a year to fill orders not on the wait list.  Someone who ordered in the first week of reservation will likley receive their unit by august.  (again not an official statement its based on the live reaction in answering the question)

No answers / questions on if it's even going to have a head strap....I should have asked this. I know they were working on one but it never appeared to get finished.

You'll pay tax based on your region so that's cool

Im sure there are a few other things I missed.

 

 

[evanswillo]

I think you have provided a good  rundown of the talking points.

I have just taken delivery of two new Base Stations.

Hopefully I will get an opportunity to purchase with my low 38 reservation place.  

 

[eFirehawk]

19 minutes ago, evanswillo said:

I think you have provided a good  rundown of the talking points.

I have just taken delivery of two new Base Stations.

Hopefully I will get an opportunity to purchase with my low 38 reservation place.  

 

Where do you find your reservation number? I made one in October last year and there is no 'spot' number anywhere in the confirmation email.

[evanswillo]

Reservation numbers were only passed out to the first 100 who submitted requests on 5th October 2023.

[Phantom711]

Does anybody know if the upgrades like eyetracking etc.. are just additional licenses one can buy or if they are in fact different hardware?

In any case, I find 1900€ a bit „ambitious“ for a headset without eye-tracking. Also I don‘t like the lowest refresh rate to be 90Hz. Pimax Crystal (Super) seems to be the better option to me in almost every aspect.

[Vullcan]

Yep, once you add the features and have to come up with your own audio solution, base stations this is getting into varjo (before the aero) territory.

While one could purchase it, it would be a poor allocation of funds considering how fast it could get outdated and with all the other things on the horizon that have been proven to be needed to keep DCS running like a top in VR multiplayer (I'm looking at you 5090 and 15900k).

the quest 3 has shown us you don't need base stations or even wires to have a good looking playable DCS experience. A $2000+ pcvr headset needs to bring that level of quality and ease of use to the table and double it.

• WiFi 7 and fiber optic display port
• inside out tracking
• Valve index speakers
• eye tracking
• clarity+fov that makes the quest3 look bad

Edited April 27, 2024 by Vullcan

[evanswillo]

I do agree with you Quest 3 does provide excellent value, it is all about the marginal gains and the price you are prepared to pay.

The original price of the aero is comparable and when you add in Eye Tracking and the High calibre Pass Through cameras I can understand how the unit price is going to move beyond some people's exceptionable limits.

Add in the cost of Base Stations as well.

Somnium VR1 is not for everyone, we have understood this from the very beginning.

I personally held off from purchasing the aero or crystal as I have been tracking this headset from its first appearance.

For me the move will be from the  HP G2 to the Somnium VR1.

[eFirehawk]

44 minutes ago, evanswillo said:

I do agree with you Quest 3 does provide excellent value, it is all about the marginal gains and the price you are prepared to pay.

The original price of the aero is comparable and when you add in Eye Tracking and the High calibre Pass Through cameras I can understand how the unit price is going to move beyond some people's exceptionable limits.

Add in the cost of Base Stations as well.

Somnium VR1 is not for everyone, we have understood this from the very beginning.

I personally held off from purchasing the aero or crystal as I have been tracking this headset from its first appearance.

For me the move will be from the  HP G2 to the Somnium VR1.

I went from the G2 to the Crystal... of course the Crystal was a considerable upgrade but it's so crap to deal with that DCS became a chore, so I'll happily pay the price of the VR1 if it means I get the clarify of the Crystal but in a decent, reliable product. I think (and hope) that by waiting for the VR1 you are making the right choice, unlike the choice I made.

[Gun Jam]

6 hours ago, Phantom711 said:

Does anybody know if the upgrades like eyetracking etc.. are just additional licenses one can buy or if they are in fact different hardware?

In any case, I find 1900€ a bit „ambitious“ for a headset without eye-tracking. Also I don‘t like the lowest refresh rate to be 90Hz. Pimax Crystal (Super) seems to be the better option to me in almost every aspect.

Its my understanding that an upgrade from any unit to the next level above is not easy, is not recommended and will not be supported by Somnium but technically the parts would be available to you.  It was mentioned several times that you should buy the unit you think you'll need as upgrading will be beyond the range of almost all users from a technical stand point.

[evanswillo]

I do not think it would be possible to upgrade, but you should be able to configure the exact requirements you need.

You may be able to add an Ultra Leap Module yourself like Varjo have done with the XR4.

The VR1 hand tracking Ultra Leap solution is built into headset.

Talked today about possibility of changing the faceplate, even this was not recommended.

 Suggest you join us on the Somnium Discord

 

Edited April 27, 2024 by evanswillo

[darkman222]

On 4/27/2024 at 12:01 PM, evanswillo said:

Reservation numbers were only passed out to the first 100 who submitted requests on 5th October 2023.

What youre saying is that the first units are already shipping? I placed my reservation in Febuary ... But if they started shipping its a good sign.

[evanswillo]

No sorry if I confused anyone, ordering hopefully in a couple of weeks we will be able to place our orders with limited numbers of first units shipping first half of june.

[Dogmanbird]

Do we know the approximate weight of the headset?

[evanswillo]

No weight details have been released yet, but its important to take into account the full MR version will be the heaviest due to the quality of the cameras, the non MR versions will therefore be less weight, I'm sure in a couple of weeks all details will be public.

[Gun Jam]

I believe the base unit was like 800g or about 2 pounds.

It was subjectively described as "Heavy"

Edited May 6, 2024 by Gun Jam

[Gun Jam]

Sounds like orders are going to open for these on Thursday for those who are pre registered on the wait list. It looks like public orders will take place about a month or so later. The Vr1 looks like its going to be excellent for sims and should excel at dcs with eye tracking and perhaps can utilize hand tracking as well. Its main competitor seems to be Varjo...the Xr4 because of its price range.

The VR1 should be well received by those who enter into the deal expecting to spend a lot of money on the headset and then expect to spend a lot of money and time modding the headset to make it work as that individual envisions it working (mod it to fit your expectations)

The VR1 will likely be poorly received by those who think because they spent a lot of money they should receive a hassle free device that is ready to go and meet their expectations and needs right out of the box. This is because it appears that it ships with no controllers, no base stations, no audio solutions and a sub par head strap that never got enough dev time and will likely be considered mostly useless for any duration exceeding a few minutes. 

Expect really good software pretty early on that allows you to customize just about anything with really good hardware that provides just about the best visuals on ANY Vr headset right now with perhaps the XR4 beating it in a few categories but I expect the VR1 to beat it in more categories and almost match the XR4 in all other categories.

Its going to be a 90% headset that is going to require the end user to come up with the last 10% on their own I suspect.   I still think im getting one and have a pretty low reg number perhaps ill have it in a month or less. But the price is still unknown still expecting XR4 price range of about 4k.

[eFirehawk]

Prices are out....

[motoadve]

On 6/18/2024 at 7:32 AM, Gun Jam said:

Sounds like orders are going to open for these on Thursday for those who are pre registered on the wait list. It looks like public orders will take place about a month or so later. The Vr1 looks like its going to be excellent for sims and should excel at dcs with eye tracking and perhaps can utilize hand tracking as well. Its main competitor seems to be Varjo...the Xr4 because of its price range.

The VR1 should be well received by those who enter into the deal expecting to spend a lot of money on the headset and then expect to spend a lot of money and time modding the headset to make it work as that individual envisions it working (mod it to fit your expectations)

The VR1 will likely be poorly received by those who think because they spent a lot of money they should receive a hassle free device that is ready to go and meet their expectations and needs right out of the box. This is because it appears that it ships with no controllers, no base stations, no audio solutions and a sub par head strap that never got enough dev time and will likely be considered mostly useless for any duration exceeding a few minutes. 

Expect really good software pretty early on that allows you to customize just about anything with really good hardware that provides just about the best visuals on ANY Vr headset right now with perhaps the XR4 beating it in a few categories but I expect the VR1 to beat it in more categories and almost match the XR4 in all other categories.

Its going to be a 90% headset that is going to require the end user to come up with the last 10% on their own I suspect.   I still think im getting one and have a pretty low reg number perhaps ill have it in a month or less. But the price is still unknown still expecting XR4 price range of about 4k.

I agree with you 100%, but worried about the weight, for MS Flight Simulator might be ok, but for dogfighting , if its too heavy will be tiring and might move around your head, a squad member tried the XR4 and was impressed with how crisp it was , it had a few glitches , but the weight was the big issue. I have seen a YouTuber reviewing the VR1 and  complained about the weight , and he is just flying a GA plane, dogfighting would be an issue.

[Buckeye]

Ordered a Visionary (Eye Tracking) yesterday. Looking forward to trying it out. 

[darkman222]

If someone gets one, please let us know how the weight distribution is. Also in terms of how it fits on the face, or if it falls off if you have to do a quick check six glance

[Gun Jam]

On 6/23/2024 at 11:55 AM, Buckeye said:

Ordered a Visionary (Eye Tracking) yesterday. Looking forward to trying it out. 

When (date) did you get on the wait list? I haven't got an email yet and I was on like day 2 or 3 I think.

[Buckeye]

39 minutes ago, Gun Jam said:

When (date) did you get on the wait list? I haven't got an email yet and I was on like day 2 or 3 I think.

Signed up the day it went live (October 5th), but did not make the first 100 list....but got my notice for ordering on Saturday still, so likely wasn't too far behind.

[Gun Jam]

Ohh okay it looks like I was actually 6 days later. might be a fat minute here.

[Waxer]

EUR 2,500 exc tax with eye tracking. Track this: 

That is £2,532 inc. VAT exc. any shipping fees. It's not like this is a stable technology where advances are incremental, but every 2 years we seem to get major generational changes in VR. Yeah, I know people are going to say "this isn't for everyone" and I suppose you are right. And I suppose that you can make the same kind of arguments about cutting edge graphics cards like the RTX4090 and the RTX5090. But even so I don't thing GPU advances are anything like as big as those generation on generation changes in VR.

Edited June 26, 2024 by Waxer
GPU comment.