Varjo to Tempt High-end VR Users With the $1,990 “Aero”

Finnish virtual reality (VR) headset maker Varjo is known for one thing, making high-end, enterprise-only headsets with crystal clear “Bionic Displays”. Today, after initial teasing earlier this month, the company has revealed its latest headset, the Varjo Aero, its attempt at creating a device that can be adopted by a much wider audience, it’ll even run SteamVR titles.

Now, this isn’t Varjo suddenly announcing a consumer product as the Aero will retail for $1,990 USD/€1,990, far outside the normal price range of most other PC VR headsets. And for that price, you only get the headset, no controllers or tracking system, as it’s compatible with Steam base stations and controllers like those from Valve or HTC Vive. Marketed towards those VR gamers who want the very best visuals companies looking for a slightly cheaper alternative to Varjo’s own VR-3, the Varjo Aero is all about clarity.

Featuring a 115-degrees field of view (FoV), the headset packs a Dual Mini LED LCD offering 2880 x 2720 px per eye – a resolution of 35 pixels per degree. In front of that screen are custom-made variable resolution aspheric lenses – no Fresnal lenses here – mounted onto an automatic IPD mechanism, using the built-in eye-tracking to adjust between 57–73 mm. Unusually, there are no headphones/speakers built onto the headset, Varjo supplies in-ear headphones in the box for that.

“We’ve heard the demand from leading-edge VR users such as aviators, creators and racing simulation enthusiasts to bring our highest-fidelity devices to everyone, not just enterprises,” said Urho Konttori, founder and CTO of Varjo. “As a result, we are proud to bring to market Varjo Aero, the best VR headset that anyone can get. This device, together with our Reality Cloud platform, continues our mission to make a true-to-life metaverse accessible for all.”

”The new Varjo Aero headset turbocharges the high-quality graphics and authentic immersion of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Our community of passionate flyers just unlocked access to the leading visual fidelity experience on the market. Varjo Aero and Microsoft Flight Simulator are a powerful combination for ambitious aviators everywhere,” adds Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator at Microsoft.

To compliment the hardware Varjo Aero integrates with the company’s latest service Varjo Reality Cloud, designed around universal collaboration and real-time reality sharing. You can place orders for the Varjo Aero today, with the first shipments going out by the end of 2021. For further updates from Varjo, keep reading VRFocus.

Source: https://www.vrfocus.com/2021/10/varjo-to-tempt-high-end-vr-users-with-the-1990-aero/