Vuzix may best be known for its enterprise focused heads-up displays but the pioneer in head mounted wearables was showcasing a consumer pair of smartglasses at CES last week that are meant for gaming and entertainment. The device, which combines a set of headphones with a pair of video glasses, is scheduled to launch in Q2 of this year and will retail for around $500.
Called IWear Video Headphones, the headgear has a 720p HD display capable of displaying movies and games with a 60-degree field of view. The device was being demoed with an Nvidia Shield at the show but it can be used with any HDMI compatible video source. It also features head tracking and the ability to support 3D, making it capable of more immersive experiences like virtual reality. Vuzix is also considering the ability to remove the front shield of the headset to allow for a see-through experience to make it capable of augmented reality but this is currently a roadmap item.
The design of IWear is very similar to Avegant’s Glyph and some of the other video headsets I saw at the show including Dashbon’s Mask. The device looks like an oversized pair of headphones with video eyewear in the headband. You could technically wear the device as a pair of headphones, but it doesn’t look as natural as when I check out the Glyph, which is explicitly designed to do this. Vuzix has instead opted to make the cans of the headset foldable so that the device is more portable.
The device was surprisingly comfortable but I had to keep lifting it up slightly in order to get the best view of the screen. Vuzix will be updating the device with an adjustable nosepiece to help with this issue and will also be including a head strap to help give it more support when worn. One of the key things I noticed when wearing IWear was that it still allowed for some peripheral vision which came in handy to look down at the controller. The peripheral vision was just enough to let me look down when needed but not so much that it distracted me from a quite immersive experience when looking directly at the screen.
This isn’t the first pair of video glasses for Vuzix. The company currently has a pair of video sunglasses for sale called the Wrap 1200DX. The IWear Video Headphones are the next generation of this product and are launching at a time when video and gaming glasses are gaining some traction and more content for these types of devices are being created.
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