Magicast Technology Co., Ltd. (Beijing, China) is moving towards production of the MagicpicoVR, the company’s all-in-one virtual reality headset. The principle features claimed for the headset are that it is physically compact, lightweight and that it will sell at a “favorable price.”
A video illustrating the MagicpicoVR headset in operation can be found at the end of this article. A photograph of the MagicpicoVR headset is presented in the figure below.
The MagicpicoVR headset.
The MagicpicoVR headset operates without cables or connection to any external device such as a computer or a game console. The specifications and features of the MagicpicoVR headset include the following:
- 100º field of view.
- 5.5″ full HD display.
- The 4000mAh Li-ion battery that allows the MagicpicoVR headset to play VR videos for over 3 hours.
- Octa-Core CPU built on the ARM-Cotex platform.
- A high performance 3D graphic processing unit.
- Audio is produced by built in left and right speakers. The headset also connects to earphones by way of the 3.5mm audio jack.
- WI-FI and Bluetooth.
- HDMI and USB.
- Micro SD card slot.
- Supports FHD 1080P (1920 x 1080), HD 720P (1280 x 720), 1080i / 720i / 480P, H.265 / H.264 / MPEG-4 / MPEG-2.
The MagicpicoVR headset can play 2D, 3D and 360 degree panoramic videos. In addition, the MagicpicoVR headset supports a variety of VR games and provides the wearer with a first person view for interaction with images and information.
Regarding this last point, the wearer is able to interact with VR imagery by several means.
- Head motion which is automatically tracked by inertial measurement units and gyroscope sensors.
- Control buttons on the MagicpicoVR headset that can be used to operate the user menu.
- A remote control unit that can be connected to the headset by way of Bluetooth.
The MagicpicoVR headset support structure is designed to fit snuggly to the wearer’s forehead. By this means, the weight of the headset is distributed such that some of it is directed onto the nose of the wearer.
To minimize light leakage that may degrade the user’s viewing experience, soft silicone was chosen as a cushion material and serves to seal the headset to the wearer’s face. The cushion also “buffers” the pressure on the wearer’s face caused by the weight of the MagicpicoVR headset.
The headset includes a mechanical means to adjust the binocular pupil distance.
In order to save the energy, the MagicpicoVR will automatically turn on when the MagicpicoVR headset is put into use. It will transition into a sleep mode when the user takes off the headset.
At this point in the headset product development process, the company reports that three generations of prototype have been produced and tested. Based, in part, on this track record, the company has expressed confidence that the MagicpicoVR headset is ready to transition into production.
The company has chosen to fund the transition of the MagicpicoVR headset into production through the use of a Kickstarter campaign. The campaign can be found here. At the time this article is written, the campaign has just started. None-the-less, 10 backers have pledged $992 towards a very modest goal of $7,629. The project will only be funded if the full funding goal is reached by June 1st.
Assuming that the funding campaign is successful, the company projects shipping headsets to backers in May and to general customers by June. On the web site, the selling price of the MagicpicoVR headset is listed as ¥1499 (or $238.89). -Arthur Berman
Magicast Technology, Yun Ma, 010-8646 4512, [email protected]
