Prague-based startup VRgineers focuses solely on producing high-quality head-mounted displays (HMDs) for enterprise customers. The company introduced the first generation of its flagship high-quality virtual reality headset XTAL two years ago. It recently showcased the next-generation XTAL at CES 2020.
The new generation XTAL features 8K resolution in LCDs with high pixel density. The field of view (FoV) is up to 180 degrees. The headset now also includes an AR mixed reality module add-on. This gives product designers an opportunity to overlay their digital prototypes on the physical world. XTAL users navigate their 3D software with embedded Ultraleap hand tracking.
Who Is VRgineers Targeting?
The XTAL’s targeted end users within the enterprise market are designers, engineers and architects interested in moving beyond 2D display screens and into a high-quality virtual reality ecosystem—one that supports their preferred 3D software. Industrial XTAL customers use the VR headset for virtual prototyping, surgeon training, pilot and ship simulations, and virtual product configurations.
In the automotive and aerospace sectors, technology like XTAL that provides enough power to simulate complex 3D environments helps streamline the product design lifecycle, extending decision-making further along the virtual realm prior to physical prototyping. The more accurately a digital prototype reacts in simulations that mimic the eventual physical product’s real environment, the more cost-effective a VR implementation becomes for a company or organization.
Who Is Using XTAL?
The U.S. Department of Defense is using the new generation XTAL. A few major automobile manufacturers are using it as well. The previous generation of XTAL headsets are already set up at a few different U.S. Air Force airbases for pilot training. Vance Air Force Base just ordered a bunch of the new generation XTAL headsets for its training center. VRgineers will continue to work closely with U.S.Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and the U.S. Navy to tune and tweak the next generation of headsets. The partnership will meet the needs of research and development objectives created to explore new and more effective simulation training for warfighters.
An End to Multiple Cable Tethering
The new generation XTAL headset features a VirtualLink connection. VirtualLink is a USB Type-C connector that combines power and data signals into a single cable connection, rather than the typical multi-cable setup.
Bottom Line
The XTAL costs about $6,800, well out of reach of the average consumer. But VRgineers has been quite clear about pursuing quality above all things and servicing industrial and enterprise markets with a proven history of VR use in daily operations.