Does the idea of having a 5K 300-inch virtual screen to watch movies excite you? Then GodView may have the product for you: the innovative new 5K Super Waveguide MR glasses available now on Kickstarter, with $160,432 pledged of a $5,000 goal, and two more weeks to go before the end of the crowdfunding campaign.
The 5K Super Waveguide MR Glasses from GodView – named GodView Light V5 – aims to redefine the portable media visual experience. While much attention has been centered on VR headsets, which come in tethered and untethered versions and offer access to everything from games and experiences to cinema experience with apps like BigScreen, glasses that are mostly designed to watch movies and some “lighter” experiences have been introduced, either as prototypes or products you can get in some markets.
Recent examples are the world’s first HDR capable UHD VR eyeglasses presented by Panasonic at CES 2020, last January. As ProVideo Coalition noted then, the world’s first High Dynamic Range (HDR) capable ultra-high definition (UHD) virtual reality (VR) eyeglasses developed by Panasonic in cooperation with Kopin Corporation “boasts a comfortable fit that makes users feel as if they were wearing eyeglasses”, and are different from VR headsets, which are usually big in size and require users to strap them to their head with a headband, which could cause wearer discomfort.
Panasonic’s offer is not a substitute to regular VR headsets, but another option being added to the number of solutions available, as the entertainment industry finds new ways to distribute and show content. Panasonic believes that the forthcoming full-fledged commercial services of the fifth generation (5G) mobile communications system will create the market for VR, and the product shown at CES 2020 is presented as an ideal solution for VR sports viewing and engaging virtual travel experiences.
Panasonic has not revealed when their VR glasses will be made available and at CES 2020 only added that the company will continue to further develop the new VR glasses so that they can be used in a variety of applications, thereby creating new customer value.
Another example of new viewing solutions is the Huawei VR Glass, an IMAX certified headset for video and games announced in September 2019. Available in China, the VR Glass offers 1600 x 1600 per eye, with a pixel density of 1058 ppi, and is adequate for watching movies in style, pairing a virtual IMAX cinema giant screen silver screen with built-in dual speaker for sound, offering a 3D soundscape adequate for the IMAX experience.
If you wear glasses, you’ll discover that you’ll have no problem to use the Huawei VR Glass, without your glasses on. If you’re shortsighted, there is no need to buy prescription lens adapters, like users have to do for other headsets, as these sci-fi looking glasses include a 0-700 degrees diopter adjustment, with left and right eye independent adjustment.
Huawei, that is already looking at the potential 6G can offer, believes that with 5G as the next big thing for content transfer and streaming, VR will be even more appealing to wider audiences, and VR headsets can become the “third screen”, along with the smartphone and TV. The company also believes that VR, due to its characteristics, offers an experience that will attract more people, especially with headsets like the VR Glass. The problem may be getting your hands on one, as the Huawei VR Glass may not be distributed internationally.
Now, another solution enters the market, the 5K Super Waveguide MR glasses from GodView, which the company says will be available to backers December 2020. GodView’s glasses, now on Kickstarter, aims to deliver a totally immersive portable multimedia visual experience. With Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, 300-inch virtual screen, and an incredibly lightweight design, according to the team that developed the product, these glasses are a revolutionary solution that delivers an extradimensional experience for multimedia.
According to GodView, “these 5K MR glasses connect wirelessly via 5G to cast any content onto a stunning high definition 300-inch virtual screen without ghosting, graininess, or optical grating, allowing visual details that can’t be seen with typical displays or headsets. The virtual display features binocular 110-degree wide field of view (FOV) that naturally merges virtual enhancements into the real-world for incredibly immersive multimedia, gaming, and productivity that is compatible with smartphones, laptops, desktops, and game consoles.”
“Our team has been passionate about innovation in the field of near eyes display devices for years but we quickly recognized that two factors were limiting AR/MR products from wide-spread adoption. The first generation devices were heavy, bulky designs that were impractical for portability and daily use. Second, the devices were cost prohibitive to most people” says Zhengfang Qian, CEO, founder & creator at GodView.
Godviews CEO also noted that “Using the latest technologies such as Wi-Fi 6 and 5G we were finally able to break these barriers. GodView is a next-generation innovation that puts a 300-inch virtual screen into a regular sized pair of glasses. The experience has to be seen to be believed, a virtual 5K super high definition screen that transforms multimedia and goes with you anywhere.”
The proof is in the pudding, so only a real test of the solution can confirm, but the concept is, no doubt interesting. One example: like the Huawei VR Glass, the glasses are also capable of myopia adaptability and can self-tune clarity for myopia of -8~0D, which means near-sighted users can see clearly and comfortably without wearing contact lenses or their everyday glasses. That’s a big plus for eyeglass users, who sometimes have problems to fit their glasses inside VR headsets.
There is also a Full HD version, the GodView Light 1
With a weight of just 55g, achieved by eliminating the heavy on-board battery and processor of typical headsets and by utilizing the Super Waveguide optical solution made of lightweight resin, the GodView design is like no other augmented reality headsets or glasses available on the market.
The company says that “they resemble stylish sunglasses in size and weight while providing a totally private cinematic experience. The glasses use a compact Wi-Fi 6 bridge power supply that can work continuously for over 4 hours, to wirelessly cast multimedia to the virtual display for the ultimate high definition visual experience at home or on the go.”
If they work as promised, the GodView 5K Super Waveguide MR Glasses can transform the way users experience visual multimedia. They are, says the company “a game-changer for personal mobile cinema, gaming and productivity and are stylish and ultra-portable”.
Having your own 300-inch virtual silver screen to watch films at home is, no doubt, an exciting idea, especially when the announced price during the Kickstarter campaign for the GodView Light 5 is $399. There is also a Full HD version, the GodView Light 1, for $199, which weighs only 28g, in case you want to go for the less expensive version. But check the Kickstarter campaign page and decide. Prices will be higher afterwards, $699 and $499 respectively.