Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream Headset hands-on
Those who delved into the world of mobile VR in the past might not have been all sold by the limitless possibilities of the experiences, but Lenovo's upcoming Mirage Solo with Daydream headset might change their stance. That's because it's a fully integrated mobile VR headset that has all the components needed to deliver a rich and engaging experience that makes virtual reality oh-so satisfying! And you know what, it's not that bad at all!
We spent a fair amount of time checking out a few different experiences running on the Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream. Mobile VR experiences for the most part can be regarded as novel in comparison to the immersive experience we find in premium, PC-powered VR headsets like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Sony PlayStation VR. However, Lenovo's offering delivers a convincing change that bridges the gap considerably.
First of all, the design of the headset looks exactly like the one employed by Sony's PlayStation VR – so the similarities between the two are uncanny! Using the same halo styled design, the headset fits comfortably over the head, while adjustments can be easily done to it. Best of all, it's a complete all-in-one, integrated solution that doesn't require any additional components for it to work or cables to connect to it. With a wireless experience in play here, there are no wires inhibiting us from freely moving around.
The headset itself features a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 LCD panel, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM, microSD card slot, 4000 mAh battery, 3.5mm headphone jack, 802.11 ac/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0 + LE. Just like Google's Daydream headset, this one is accompanied with a wireless motion controller that offers 3 degrees of freedom. A pair of tracking cameras on the front of the headset helps to immerse the experience further by going one-step beyond what we've been getting from traditional mobile VR headsets thus far, by allowing the headset to track head movements in more directions.
We checked out a few experiences, and we have to admit we're pleasantly surprised! One of our biggest concern was the graphical performance of the experiences, but after checking out this experience from the movie Blade Runner, we were quite impressed by the realism and quality of the graphics. Best of all, the tracking in the experience was spot on – allowing us to stoop down to inspect things, or even look around corners. Other games like this snowboarding one, which relied on head movements to get our player to move from side-to-side, provide even more evidence that this wireless mobile VR headset can deliver quality stuff.
In terms of pricing, the Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream headset is slated to come in at a price under $400 – while its anticipated release is scheduled for some time in the second quarter of this year. While the price might seem shocking given the significantly lower prices we have with current mobile VR headsets, we have to remind you that this is a complete wireless system that doesn't require additional purchases.
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