In 16 October 2019 – Varjo (meaning ‘shadow’ in Finnish) has announced it has doubled its product line offerings with two new VR headsets – the VR-2 and the VR-2 Pro. The two new products (in addition to the company’s existing VR-1 and XR-1 headsets) are part of Varjo’s ‘Resolution Revolution’, a product line committed to delivering human eye-resolution (over 60 PPD) and fidelity to the professional market.
Both the VR-2 and the higher-end VR-2 Pro include support for SteamVR content as well as support for the OpenVR development platform from Valve at ultra-high resolutions (up to 40 PPD/4K rendering per eye), which will allow professional users to access a full range of applications for research, analytics, training and simulation, industrial design, and more.
Joe Ludwig, Programmer at Valve, commented: “One of the main goals of SteamVR is to support a diverse ecosystem of hardware and software. Varjo is taking a unique approach to building high-end industrial VR products, and we are excited that users of Varjo will be able to take advantage of the wide array of SteamVR content for professionals.”
The VR-2 Pro also comes with integrated Ultraleap hand tracking technology, which enables more intuitive interactions with VR content, particularly for simulation professionals who interact with physical controllers and switches as part of their VR training.
Steve Cliffe, CEO of Ultraleap, said: “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. 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.”
Building on Varjo’s advanced 20/20 Eye Tracker technology, the company states that its new products will offer even faster and more accurate calibration performance. Additionally, the next-generation Bionic Display in both the VR-2 and the VR-2 Pro features better peripheral vision and color consistency than before, delivering a more natural visual experience.
“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.”
The VR-2 and the VR-2 Pro are available for sale starting today at USD $4,995 and USD $5,995 respectively, sold together with Varjo’s software and support services starting at USD $795.
Varjo will be demonstrating the new products this week at Augmented World Expo Europe at its booth #106.
Image credit: Varjo
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.