The newly launched Neo 2 & Neo 2 Eye headsets from Pico Interactive are lightweight, untethered, deliver 4K, and look most like a beefed-up Oculus Quest. “Great!” I can hear VR enthusiasts and gamers around the world exclaim, but hold your horses. Closer inspection reveals these headsets are very definitely industry-only, at least for now.

To be fair, Pico never said otherwise, and that doesn’t mean the package doesn’t present a value proposition for developers, and maybe a teaser of what that big consumer headset we are all waiting for will look like.

The newly launched @PicoInteractive Neo 2 & Neo 2 Eye headsets from Pico Interactive are lightweight, untethered, deliver 4K, and look most like a beefed-up Oculus Quest
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Compatible with a wide variety Android peripherals, the Neo 2 features a comfortable and hygienic all-PU facial interface. A unique counterbalanced design allows for extended use, with plenty of room for prescription glasses. There’s also an SD slot for expanding memory and adding additional content.

Pico’s Neo 2 line includes two headsets: the Neo 2 and the Neo 2 Eye. Both are all-in-one (AIO) devices with 6 degrees of freedom (DoF), head and magnetic controller tracking, wireless & wired streaming from a PC, spatial stereo audio, and BT 5.0 compatibility. The slightly more expensive Neo 2 Eye offers integrated Tobii eye-tracking and foveated rendering powered by their Spotlight Technology. This system scans your eyes 90 times a second and uses your own retina position for cursor control.

Quality eye-tracking in an untethered headset is a big deal and enables companies to follow and learn a customer’s in-app behavior, enhance training efficiency, and improve productivity
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Quality eye-tracking in an untethered headset is a big deal and enables companies to follow and learn a customer’s in-app behavior, enhance training efficiency, improve productivity, and possibly increase user safety in busy, shared work environments. Along with the eye-tracking comes dynamic foveated rendering, another big deal for a high resolution untethered headset. This translates into improved battery life through refined graphics performance, reducing shading load in some applications by up to 72% while increasing the possible frame rate by a supposed 66 percent.

“Over the last two years, we have seen Tobii eye-tracking become a foundational technology that makes XR devices better and improves the user experience,” said Anand Srivatsa, Division CEO of Tobii Tech. “It is fantastic to partner closely with Pico on the extraordinary Neo 2 Eye and to enable enterprise and professional users to unlock greater operational efficiency, provide powerful user insights, enhancing training, simulation and product development capabilities.”

Pico Neo 2 Specs:

– Display: 4K resolution, 101 FOV, 75 Refresh.
– Components: 845 Snapdragon, 128 GB Storage, 6GB RAM, Micro SD Card Slot.
– System/SDK: Android8.1/Pico XR SDK/Qualcomm XR SDK.
– Design: 2 Electromagnetic Controllers (6 DoF), Hygienic Replaceable PU Face Inserts.
– Weight: Less than 340g without a headband, Counterweighted Battery for Maximum Comfort.
– Audio: Integrated Spatial stereo speaker, Dual Mic EC/NR, 3.5mm Jack.
– Connectivity: USB-C, BT 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2X2 MIMO Dual Antenna.

Using Qualcomm’s 845 Snapdragon processor with Boundless XR, the Neo 2 also allows content streaming from a VR-ready PC and existing PC VR platforms over wireless 2X2 MIMO 802.11ac 5G link with a common MIMO 5G router. I was also pleased to see they also integrated Firefox Reality and Hubs by Mozilla. Firefox Reality is an open, accessible, and secure browser built specifically for mixed reality (including WebXR support) to create a better immersive web browsing experience. Mozilla’s Hubs allows users to collaborate online around virtual objects, spaces, and tasks – all without leaving their headsets.

Using Qualcomm’s 845 Snapdragon processor with Boundless XR, the @PicoInteractive Neo 2 also allows content streaming from a VR-ready PC over wireless 2X2 MIMO 802.11ac 5G link with a common MIMO 5G router
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Before I get into how the Neo 2 Eye performed during my hands-on, it is important to address the inevitable comparison with the game-changing Oculus Quest as all my feedback – both good and bad  – is framed around that comparison. To be blunt, the Neo 2 feels like a Quest with upgraded hardware and capabilities. However, when you first start it up and are presented with a Quest-like environment and menu system, it quickly becomes apparent that the Neo 2 isn’t the most consumer-friendly headset. But that is only because the available content is not there – yet.

While the Quest may feature less powerful hardware, the content and software are what makes the device so damn user-friendly. It’s incredibly easy to jump in and start having fun. The Neo 2, on the other hand, is marketed as an enterprise headset, and while I have no doubt it would serve as a fantastic platform to build 4K resolution apps that can make the most of its impressive eye-tracking, rendering, and connectivity, the low-quality software and demos that are now available make the headset feel like a letdown when compared to the Quest. Most of the Neo 2 apps aren’t even in 4K, so apart from the menus, most of the content looked visually underwhelming.

the @PicoInteractive Neo 2 Eye is a very exciting, professionally supported, blank slate. It's an evolutionary step forward in untethered VR headsets on to which companies can build their own technology.
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I was disappointed that Pico sent this for a review missing any preloaded software, links, or instructions to demo apps that might have exposed the true capabilities of this impressive headset. But that frustration aside, the Neo 2 Eye is nothing to be dismissed, as it is clearly a very exciting, professionally supported, blank slate. Essentially, it’s an impressive evolutionary step forward in untethered enterprise VR headsets on to which companies can build their own technology.

“Few non-tethered headsets offer this level of visual quality, design and support,” said Henry Zhou, CEO of Pico Interactive. “We’re focused on ‘user first’ in all sense of the term and are constantly looking for ways to improve our product offering,” he added.

I did come across a few hardware niggles in my testing that might present an issue for some. For instance, there is no manual IPD adjustment, and I could not find the digital one in the settings. This was a persistent annoyance and it made me feel a bit like my head was stuck inside a glass jar, with my vision compressed slightly on both sides. If IPD adjustment is digital, however, this issue could be addressed by software updates so might not be a deal-breaker as the product rolls out.

Both the controllers and the headset are ‘functionally’ designed, which means they are bulky and practical while not being ugly. They are hard-wearing and meant for constant heavy use, but it is worth noting that after 30 minutes I did start to feel some discomfort, specifically in my cheeks and ears.

The battery is part of the adjustment strap, and the fact the weight is at the back of the head counterbalances the screen at the front nicely. I didn’t notice any neck strain at all while using the @PicoInteractive Neo 2 Eye
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On the plus side, the battery is part of the adjustment strap, and the fact the weight is at the back of the head counterbalances the screen at the front nicely. I didn’t notice any neck strain at all while using the Neo 2 Eye. The padding is also composed of a super hygienic design that is comfortable, easy to clean, and replaceable.

USB-C charging ports on the controllers and headset are practical and the firmware updates were quick and easy to install. The easy-access SD card slot will be a real time-saver for software testing or the quick swapping of demo content in a sales environment. All around the Neo 2 Eye is a practical solution for businesses, not a toy or gaming device.

When you consider that the Oculus Quest for business platform costs roughly $1000, the @PicoInteractive Neo 2 models actually offer more bang for your buck
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I have read some criticism of the high cost of the Neo 2 and the Neo 2 Eye, but as an enterprise solution, they offer great value for companies seeking a sturdy, visually-impressive headset that’s easy to use in a busy work environment – from a shop floor to an architectural office. When you consider that the Oculus Quest for business platform costs roughly $1000, the Neo 2 models actually offer more bang for your buck.

The Neo 2 is now available for purchase at $699 USD and the Neo 2 Eye for $899 USD. More information on both headsets is available here. As Pico focuses on enterprise, these headsets are only sold directly to companies via a dedicated sales team spread across the globe, including offices in San Francisco and Barcelona. For more information visit Pico Interactive.

This article originally appeared on VRScout.

Pico Neo 2 Eye Review: Untethered 4K VR In A Tidy Little Package via @R3Digital https://t.co/5qrpKKpQea pic.twitter.com/zhBOFywT7L

— VRScout (@VRScout) August 5, 2020

Tech Trends offers a broad range of Digital Consultancy services to guide companies, individuals, and brands in effectively leveraging existing and emerging technologies in their business strategy.

Tom Atkinson is Reviews & Dep. Editor at Tech Trends. Follow him on Twitter @techtrends_tech

The post Pico Neo 2 Eye Review: Untethered 4K VR In A Tidy Little Package appeared first on Tech Trends.

I love covering this industry, the pace of innovation is awesome, and watching companies large and small vie for market share with powerful and revolutionary tech is inspiring. We have come a long way. Better, lighter, untethered HMDs: Check. Cheaper, easier to use VR solutions: Check. Better access to good VR content: Check (mostly).

And now we have high-resolution VR with hand and eye-tracking which is an important step towards breaking down a barrier that has been holding VR back from broader adoption in some industries. Low-resolution VR might be fine for games and low interaction immersion, but when you are training for one of the most complicated and dangerous missions mankind has ever faced, every detail matters.

Low res VR might be fine for games and low interaction immersion, but when you are training for one of the most complicated and dangerous missions mankind has ever faced @BoeingSpace know every detail matters
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The latest HMD launched by Finnish company Varjo steps into that gap by offering industrial-grade “human-eye resolution” plus hand and eye-tracking. The company has just announced a new partnership with Boeing on a VR training program using its new VR-2 Pro headset for astronauts on the Boeing Starliner program preparing for missions to the International Space Station.

The VR-2 Pro is the latest professional iteration of Varjo’s initial VR-1 model and after extensive development with partner pilot companies including Audi, Volkswagen, and Saab, it features improved Ultraleap hand tracking and 20/20 Eye Tracker tech as well as easy integration with affordable SteamVR content and peripherals as well as the OpenVR development platform from Valve.

“We are proud to be delivering the technology that is pushing industrial training applications to their furthest reaches – even to space,” said Niko Eiden, CEO and co-founder of Varjo. “With our devices, astronauts can see and virtually interact with the switches and control panels inside their Starliner capsule and read the real-time data on their crew displays. Advancements like this have the potential to transform the way any pilot is trained.”

The Boeing Starliner has been developed in partnership with NASA and when the first crewed mission aboard the CST-100 Starliner takes place in 2021, the crew will have banked hundreds of training hours for each phase of the entire mission – including launching, docking, re-entering the atmosphere and landing phases – using Varjo’s human-eye resolution VR devices. Chris Ferguson, the company’s first corporate astronaut, and Starliner commander will soon start using the Varjo VR training system regularly in preparation for the program’s Crew Flight Test, which will be the first Starliner mission with humans on board.

When the first crewed mission aboard the @BoeingSpace CST-100 Starliner takes place in 2021, the crew will have banked hundreds of training hours using @varjodotcom human-eye resolution VR devices
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For the VR training to be effective, astronauts need to be able to read all the displays simultaneously while operating the simulated aircraft with their hands or controllers
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Imagine approaching the ISS in the Starliner spacecraft. Your speed is relatively low, but the ISS weighs about 420,000 kilograms. That’s the equivalent of more than 330 cars. And even though the ISS is weightless in space, it still has mass. And the spacecraft needs to be steered to a fine point at the docking port by following a cone-shaped path. Projecting the display panels and trajectory data precisely is crucial if VR is to be an effective training tool for such a vital operation.

I‘ve recently managed to get some hands-on time with a VR-2 Pro test unit and seen for myself what a huge difference Varjo’s high visual fidelity makes when interacting with control panels and virtual objects. It’s easy to see how this seemingly simple advancement – namely the ability to read text, displays, and buttons as you would in real-life – is crucial in making it possible to train for dangerous and precise procedures such as docking a space ship from inside a complex cockpit.

The spacecraft’s crew console consists of two displays, each about the size of an iPad, which shows mission-critical flight data such as the velocity and trajectory of the aircraft as it moves in space. For the VR training to be effective, astronauts need to be able to read all the displays simultaneously while operating the simulated aircraft with their hands or controllers. With earlier VR headsets, reading the displays in the immersive training environment was only possible when leaning in very close to the displays – but then the astronauts couldn’t see their hands, making it unsuitable for training.

With earlier VR headsets, reading the displays in the immersive training environment was only possible when leaning in very close to the displays but then the astronauts couldn’t see their hands, making it unsuitable for training
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The most important psychological effect of this human-eye resolution, however, is ‘full immersion’ by which I mean how real-life levels of detail better convince the brain it is operating in a real-world situation so that your brain is not wasting any effort suspending disbelief.

It stands to reason that full immersion like this should vastly increase the effectiveness of group practice for unplanned events and working together in simulated dangerous situations, while building the team’s responses and decision-making abilities, without ever putting the astronauts in danger. The Starliner team can thus perform all the routine interactions, voice, and switch commands, while being immersed in the same surroundings they’d see when sitting in the actual spacecraft.

The Varjo VR-2 is the only device to deliver immersive content in pixel-perfect clarity. This allows training for even the most challenging and safety-critical procedures of spaceflight, such as docking to the International Space Station, to be conducted in virtual reality. Further, the system extends the astronaut training program by enabling training through the two week-quarantine period in crew quarters before launch.

The most important effect is ‘full immersion’ by which I mean how real-life levels of detail better convince the brain it is operating in a real-world situation so that your brain is not wasting effort suspending disbelief
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The Varjo VR-2 Pro is the only device to deliver immersive content in pixel-perfect clarity allowing training for the safety-critical procedures of spaceflight, such as docking to the @Space_Station, to be conducted in VR
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Before I dive into my experience of using the headset, let’s look at the device specs for the VR-2 Pro. The HMD features a next-generation Bionic Display with resolution at over 20/20 vision (over 60 PPD / 3000 PPI), flicker-free screen refresh at 60/90 Hz. Combining two 1920 x 1080 low persistence micro-OLEDs and two 1440 x 1600 low persistence AMOLEDs.

Basically this means that each eyepiece uses two screens, one higher resolution in the center and one that covers the peripheral vision. The two are cunningly blended digitally with foveated rendering and optically transmitted through the carefully engineered glass lens in the headset. These combined optics feature a contrast ratio of (over 10,000:1) enabling the deepest blacks and individually calibrated colors, for outstanding accuracy and image quality across an 87-degree field of view. The lens design combines different refractive index lenses for minimal color aberrations, zero ghost rays, and minimal reflections and each surface coating has been designed to maximize the brightness and clarity of the light needed to achieve human-eye resolution.

The real power of the Varjio solution, however, is released when this amazing image quality is combined with their advanced stereo 20/20 Eye Tracker and the integrated Ultraleap hand tracking. Eye-tracking is now faster and more accurate with automatic user calibration – industrial-grade, sub-degree accuracy plus integrated 100hz stereo eye-tracking delivering unmatched accuracy and precision. The hand tracking technology in the VR-2 Pro is especially impactful for interacting with physical controllers and switches as part of their VR training but also makes VR navigation and freehand tasks easy, all together delivering a very natural and intuitive immersive experience.

The real power of the @varjodotcom solution is released when this amazing image quality is combined with their advanced stereo 20x20 Eye Tracker and the integrated @ultraleap hand tracking
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I tried out several demos which were impressive in very different ways and served to highlight various aspects and potential use cases for the tech. And perhaps surprisingly, the sheer impact of the VR-2 Pro’s resolution came across best in some of the most mundane settings. I was able to walk up and down a supermarket aisle checking out the products on the shelves, their prices, and label information while the eye-tracking monitored where my gaze was resting, highlighting which products I was actually examining at any given time.

I was blown away by how immersive that experience felt, perhaps because the setting was so familiar and relatable, as well as so beautifully reconstructed in VR. I could read every brand label and price tag from center aisle and as I approached the shelves it really felt like I could “reach out and touch” the various items level of reality. Tins, packets, and bottles of the familiar products were so crisp and well-lit I was staggered. Somehow even more impressive than this was the rendering of the shelves themselves and the packing crates the sugar was stacked on. The lighting, shadows and textures were so well rendered I spent quite a while pacing up and down just exclaiming “wow.”

The intuitiveness of the interface made the experience feel natural and much more immersive, as if you weren’t in VR at all, leaving you free to concentrate and learn the tasks at hand
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The next demo I tried was set in an airport control tower, where eye and hand tracking played a crucial role. Standing in a control tower you could look around the control center and out through the 360 windows while planes taxied around, took off and landed. Once your eye settled on a plane, terminal or control surface relevant info popped up and control interactions became possible through pinching your fingers. I could look at the computer screen and bring up the weather report, look at a taxiing plane and bring up its flight number and info. I could reach out to switch between feeds on the security monitor and identify parts of the terminal building and related information. The intuitiveness of the interface made the experience feel natural and much more immersive, as if you weren’t in VR at all, leaving you free to concentrate and learn the tasks at hand.

“Being able to see in high fidelity and interact without controllers revolutionizes professional VR. Varjo’s human-eye resolution visual fidelity is unprecedented. So is the accuracy and low latency of Ultraleap’s hand tracking. explained Steve Cliffe, CEO of Ultraleap, “The Varjo VR-2 Pro is the best integration of the two technologies and sets a new standard for natural user experience in VR. We’re very excited about the value it will unlock for demanding use-cases such as training, simulation and industrial design.”

I also got a taste of the astronaut training through a few airplane cockpit experiences, although they didn’t contain any interactive elements. The reason Boeing chose to work with Varjo on the Starliner training program became clear as the level of detail on the control panels was stunning. From a pilot’s seated position I could read every button’s tag and easily perceive the angle and position of flick switches. I could also clearly read the computer screens and the detailed flight info they displayed.

“We have seen first-hand what the power of human-eye resolution in VR can offer in terms of expanding the realm of applications for the enterprise,” said Urho Konttori, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Varjo. “Today we bring the Resolution Revolution overnight to nearly all industrial applications, unlocking the next level of professional VR. With VR-2 and VR-2 Pro, professionals can benefit from the industry’s highest visual fidelity and the most precise eye tracking joining forces with the leading hand tracking technology.”

Overall the quality of the tech was outstanding, also bearing in mind it was running off one Nvidia 2080 Ti GPU in a small but powerful micro PC. However, a few things stood out to me that are worth pointing out. The complex foveated rendering with the multiple screens and lenses was mostly unnoticeable while interacting in VR but when looking at static scenes I became much more aware of the separation between the crystal-clear center of my vision and the peripheral areas, the different resolutions displayed and the joins between these areas.

Today we bring the Resolution Revolution overnight to nearly all industrial applications, said @konttori Urho Konttori, Co Founder and Chief Product Officer of Varjo unlocking the next level of professional VR
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Building on Varjo’s advanced 20/20 Eye Tracker technology, the new products offer even faster and more accurate calibration performance, giving professionals access to precise eye data for applications such as consumer research or safety-critical training while delivering the most natural visual experience needed when designing cars, architectural projects, advanced simulations or research scenarios.

The effect was also noticeable when purposely pushing the boundaries of the eye-tracking but still small when you consider the amount of complex stuff going on and just like everything the next generation will be better. On the plus side, I experienced virtually no eye strain, even after a few hours of use and the HMD itself was cool and comfortable to use. Again considering the amount of tech packed into this headset it felt surprisingly light.

The reason @BoeingSpace chose to work with @varjodotcom on the VR-2 Starliner training program became clear as the level of detail on the astronaut control panels was stunning
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“The highest visual fidelity of Varjo’s HMDs enables a trainee to perform optimally within these safety-critical training simulations in VR. For instance, pilots are able to easily read all the gauges, dials, and switches in a virtual cockpit. With Varjo’s 20/20 Eye Tracker, we are able to accurately track and capture where trainees are looking, allowing us to measure and compare performance over time and across a student population. enthused Scott Schneider, CEO & Co-Founder of HTX Labs, “And with the VR-2’s built-in hand tracking technology, our users can train more naturally and effectively, removing the friction of controllers.”

The sheer improvement in resolution is amazing and enough to put the VR-2 Pro at the top of the list for any mission-critical use case. Yet the main significance of this technical accomplishment is how users will be more deeply immersed in the experience because their eyes and brains won’t be struggling to interpret a pixelated digital environment. The smooth and intuitive implementation of hand and eye tracking will also deepen the felt immersion and therefore improve the outcome for the user. Using both these technologies Varjo has delivered the most natural and intuitive VR UX I have yet experienced. If it looks real and feels real, our minds quite quickly accept that what we’re experiencing is real.

Hand and eye-tracking also deepen the felt immersion and improve the outcome for the user. Using both these technologies Varjo delivers the most natural and intuitive VR UX I have yet experienced
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If it looks real and feels real, our minds quite quickly accept that what we’re experiencing is real. The @varjodotcom VR-2 Pro is a game-changer
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The VR-2 and the VR-2 Pro are available for $4,995 and $5,995 respectively, sold together with Varjo’s software and support services starting at $795. Varjo truly is at the cutting edge of immersive technology and a company to keep an eye on as we all step into an augmented future.

This article originally appeared on VRScout.

The Varjo VR-2 Pro Boldly Goes Where No VR Headset Has Gone Before via @R3Digital https://t.co/fsrV8osRJL pic.twitter.com/X0FR4wKc5f

— VRScout (@VRScout) June 11, 2020

Tech Trends offers a broad range of Digital Consultancy services to guide companies, individuals and brands in effectively leveraging existing and emerging technologies in their business strategy.

Tom Atkinson is Reviews & Dep. Editor at Tech Trends. Follow him on Twitter @techtrends_tech

The post Varjo VR-2 Pro – High Res VR appeared first on Tech Trends.