What They Say
Skyworth has introduced new VR headset that use, as you would guess from the name, pancake optics instead of fresnel lenses so that the weight is just 189gms.
The Pancake 1Pro headset uses a Qualcomm XR2 platform and has the firm’s own 6DoF VSLAM technology. The displays are miniLED LCDs with 2280 x 2280 resolution and 90Hz refresh. FOV is 95° according to VR-Compare.com. Pricing is not released yet.
The Pancake 1 has a similar specification, but does not use miniLED, according to the data we found, and omits the handtracking in the Pro version. It will cost 4,000 yuan ($595)
The Pancake 1C has the same specification again, but with 1600 x 1600 per eye LCD displays
The 1C will sell in China for 3000 yuan ($445). Pandaily reports that by October 2021, Skyworth had shipped more than 100K units of headsets.
What We Think
The reduction in weight from pancake optics should really help with moving the COG closer to the face as well as reducing the absolute weight. MiniLED BLUs should help with performance and brightness to overcome the higher optical loss. (BR)
