Simula One: VR goggles cost a whopping $2,799 - Here are the reasons
The Simula One VR goggles are designed for working in VR and cost a pretty penny. Now the manufacturers explain why.
The VR goggles from the start-up SimulaVR run on Linux and are designed to increase the productivity of software developers. They can work with the device in a distraction-free virtual environment and with any number of digital screens whose size and position in space can be adjusted as desired.
Paul Tomlinson shows that the vision of full-time work in VR is not so far-fetched. The developer has been programming only in VR for almost three years and is thrilled with it.
Why is Simula One so expensive?
The start-up markets the Simula One as a VRC: a VR computer that is supposed to be able to completely replace classic work devices such as desktop PCs and laptops.
Recently, the startup announced the Kickstarter price of the device: $2,799 (the regular version will cost $3,500). In a new blog entry, the start-up justifies the high price.
"We decided early on that it was better to build a premium headset at a high price than a poor headset at a low price," SimulaVR writes. The reason according to SimulaVR is that lower-end VR technology like that of the Meta Quest 2 isn't good enough for developers who want to work in VR for several hours a day.
Simula One: An ambitious Kickstarter goal
Despite its high price, the VR goggles are competitive with premium laptops like the Lenovo X1 Carbon and high-end VR headsets like the Varjo Aero (both devices cost around $2,000), the startup claims.
A direct tabular comparison between the features and technical characteristics of the Simula One on the one hand and premium laptops, wired and standalone VR glasses, and standalone AR glasses, on the other hand, is available in the blog post.
SimulaVR provides a list of manufacturing costs in the Kickstarter campaign announcement. The funding goal is $2.5 million, which equates to just under 900 units sold - an ambitious goal at this price.
However, SimulaVR does not address the biggest problem: that VR technology is currently developing so fast that Simula One will probably be technically obsolete again in two to three years. Another open question is how good the software is. After all, working in virtual reality stands and falls with it. So the start-up still has a lot of convincing to do.
It is not yet known when the Kickstarter campaign will begin.
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