On January 4, 2022, Shiftall announced three products for Metaverse, including the VR headset "MeganeX". In this article, we will deliver a report of "MeganeX" experienced at the private booth of CES 2022 being held in Las Vegas, USA.
According to the press release, MeganeX's specs are as follows. Two years ago, at the timing of CES 2020, Panasonic exhibited a reference exhibit of "the world's first HDR-compatible glasses-type VR glasses".
Let's take a look at the actual machine. The exterior design follows the VR glasses announced two years ago, and cameras for inside-out tracking are added on both sides. In addition, both sides of the camera have downward projections like a stand, but according to Mr. Iwasa, the representative of Shiftall, who responded to the interview, "I can't say what these are at this time." I wonder if it has something to do with the controller that was not shown this time. I look forward to hearing more from you.
In addition, sliders have been added at the bottom of the main unit to adjust the focus of the right and left eyes. The method is to close one eye, look at the display with the open eye, and use the slider to adjust the focus. It can be expected to be used by spectacle users with the naked eye.
The model exhibited two years ago had a system that supports the weight of the main body with a part that corresponds to a "nose pad", just like normal glasses, and the weight on the nose is supported. I was curious. The model announced this time is similar to the VR goggles made by other companies, and the system has been changed to fix the main body around the eyes and fix the main body on the entire face, which greatly improves the feeling of wearing.
In this demo, we were able to experience SteamVR Home with MeganeX. The inside-out tracking using the Snapdragon XR1 is still being adjusted, and the tracking accuracy was not good enough, but I felt that the 5.2K resolution could be experienced with this lightness. I would like to expect a tune-up for commercialization.
Mr. Iwasa also demonstrated "mutalk" at this demonstration. The silicon cover that covers the mouth has a high degree of adhesion, and the appearance of muting even if you shout quite loudly is similar to playing with a special mute on a trumpet. It can also be used in situations where it would be difficult to pick up the voice of the person next to you with a microphone.
So far, we have provided a brief overview of the usability of the actual Megane X. The price is announced to be less than 100,000 yen including tax, but the release date is spring 2022 (summer for mutalk), so it seems that the release date will be fixed a little later. I look forward to the official launch of a domestic VR headset that allows you to enjoy Steam's rich VR content library.
(TEXT by Nishikawa)
●Related links ・Shiftall press release