GenBasic (apparently a brand name of the Shenzhen Big Bread Technology Co., Ltd.) is now offering a product called the Quad HD Android All-In-One Virtual Reality Headset – HXSD Edition. The “All-in-One” in the name of the product refers to a type of HMD system that is self-contained and does not need to be tethered to a computer. The headset is illustrated in the figure below.
Quad HD Android All-In-One Virtual Reality Headset – HXSD Edition
The 5.5-inch diagonal LCD in the headset has a resolution of Quad HD (2560×1440). The optical system within the headset has what is describes as extra-large 40mm blue reflective low dispersion aspheric glass lens element. The optical system provides a 110° field of view. The mechanical design of the optical system provides the ability to adjust the interpupillary and focus/display distances. In addition, the optics can compensate for myopia/nearsightedness up to -6.00. Finally, the lens is replaceable.
The hardware specifications of the headset include the following:
- Rockchip RK3288 – Quad Core ARM Cortex-A17 @ 1.8GHz and Mali-T764 @ 600MHz
- 2GB DDR3 RAM
- 16GB eMMC with expandable MicroSD card storage
- 4K H.265, H.264 hardware decoder
- 4GHz 802.11b/g/n WiFi
- Bluetooth 4.0
- HDMI Input (1080P)
- USB 2.0 Type A host port
- 7V 4000mAH battery (2-4 hour battery life)
The headset contains a so-called Integrated Dimensional Audio System which allows users to listen to 3D audio content without the need for a headphone. The system also supports wired and Bluetooth headphones.
The software used by the system is Android Lollipop OS with Nibiru VR System. This makes the headset compatible with apps that can be found in the Google Play Store. The types of content compatible with the headset includes 360° videos, Android games, Google Expeditions as well as content developed for the Cardboard VR.
The headset can switch between 2D/3D and VR content by use of a simple switch. Users can also use HDMI to connect to and view content from a computer, PlayStation 3/4, or Xbox 360/One. The company does not recommend latency sensitive applications for HDMI unless that content is already in VR layout.
A quick search of the Internet showed the headset available from several on-line retailers at a price of about $249.99.
It might be mentioned that the company also offers a smartphone based VR headset product. It is called the GenBasic Folding Virtual Reality Headset and described as a “Light 3D Viewer for Android Cardboard and iPhone VR.” The optical features of this headset are reported as similar to that of the Quad HD headset. The mechanical aspects of the Folding VR headset include folding magnetically locked side panels, a foldable non-porous rubber face pad and spring-eject side-locking lens carriage. The headset is available from several on-line retailers at a price as low as $6.99. -Arthur Berman
