Oculus THRIFT: Budget £25 virtual reality headset revealed - but you have to strap a smartphone to your face
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Virtual reality is on the brink of being mainstream, but for some the cost of systems like Oculus Rift is still too much too bear - a development kit at the moment costs £220 ($350).
But now French electronics company Archos is planning to release a budget headset that costs only £25 - albeit with the help of a smartphone.
The VR glasses require you to strap a phone before your eyes, providing an apparently immersive virtual reality experience akin to Oculus Rift.
French electronic company Archos has unveiled a budget VR headset (show). It will cost just £25 ($30) and goes on sale in November. The product straps to your head and a phone slides in the front. Two eyepieces then allow stereoscopic views of the phone. Various 3D-enabled software can then be used with the device
The Archos VR Glasses will be available in November starting at £24.99 ($30).
While other comparable products exist on the market, including Carl Zeiss' £60 ($100) VR One and Samsung's £125 ($300) ear VR, Archos' gadget is by far the cheapest.
It works by strapping a headset around your head and then slotting your phone into a gap in front of your eyes.
Virtual reality-enabled software can then be loaded on the phone and viewed through the headset.
It supports any phone up to six inches (15.2cm) in length, although it's recommended to use one with a 1080p display and quad-core processor.
And any operating system - Android, iOS or Windows - is compatible.
The Archos VR Glasses (shown folded up) will be available in November starting at £24.99 ($30). While other comparable products exist on the market, including Carl Zeiss' £60 ($100) VR One and Samsung's £125 ($300) ear VR, Archos' gadget is by far the cheapest
The device works by providing a stereoscopic view of your phone.
There are two eyepieces, one for each eye, and when looking at 3D-enabled software such as movies and video games, the effect will appear 3D to the user.
While exactly specifications have not yet been revealed, it is apparently 'lightweight yet robust' according to Archos.
'Consuming digital content has gone through lots of revolutions lately,' says Loïc Poirier, CEO of Archos.
'Virtual Reality is another one that we help sharing with people by providing high quality yet attainable devices.'
Oculus Rift (shown) is the current leader in the virtual reality market. The firm was acquired earlier this year by Facebook for £1.2 billion ($2 billion), and gamers are waiting for a consumer version of the virtual reality headset to be launched next year
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