Somnium VR1 PC VR Headset Slated to Go on Sale June 20th with Broader Launch in July

Somnium Space, the Czechia-based company behind the upcoming Somnium VR1 headset, announced that orders for its long-awaited PC VR headset will be opening on June 20th, coming first to reservation holders.

It’s been a long time coming for Somnium VR1, which we last saw at CES 2023 when the company showed off a dev kit version of the headset. If you’re memory is fuzzy, at the time Somnium, which also runs its own social VR platform Somnium Space, was also hoping to release a standalone version of the headset at some point. Due to supply chain constraints though, the company decided to sideline the standalone version to focus on the soon-to-release Lighthouse-tracked PC VR headset.

We’re getting very close to that now; in addition to the order date announcement, the company detailed its full line-up, which includes eight variants available for order starting on June 20th:

  • Classic Edition
  • Visionary Edition (Eye-tracking)
  • Striker Edition (Hand-tracking)
  • Titan Edition (Eye/Hand-tracking)
  • Specter Edition (Mixed Reality + Hand-tracking)
  • Ultimate Edition (Mixed Reality + Eye/Hand-tracking)
  • Translucent Limited Edition (Mixed Reality + Eye/Hand-tracking)
  • Military Edition – TAA Compliant (Mixed Reality + Eye/Hand-tracking)

That’s a pretty hefty launch lineup, however VR1 is built with modularity in mind, allowing users to choose what factory-installed modules they want, with the Classic Edition starting at €1,900 (~$2,060 USD).

Somnium VR1 | Image courtesy Somnium Space

Check out the specs below, noting that optional add-ons to the base version are highlighted in red:

Display

Type
QLED Mini-LED Fast LCD
Resolution
2 x 2800 x 2880 pixels
Brightness 210 nit
Local Dimming 20000:1 (HDR)
Color Gamut 100% NTSC
Refresh Rate
72 Hz / 90 Hz / 120 Hz / 144 Hz (Experimental)

Optics

Lens Type
Dual-lens aspheric modules (two lenses per eye-box)
Peak Fidelity 35 PPD
Coating
Anti-reflection & Anti-scratch coating
Field of View (FOV)
Horizontal: 130°, Vertical: 105°
Diopter Lenses (Optional)
Magnetically attachable by VR Optician
Pass-through Cameras (Optional)
2 X 12 Mpx 4,056 x 3,040 (foveated transport), FOV 125° x 100°
Eye Tracking (Optional)
120Hz single-point calibration, VR & XR foveated rendering, Gaze analysis, heat-map visualization
Hand Tracking (Optional)
Ultraleap 170° x 170° FOV, 120Hz refrsh rate
Interpupillary Distance (IPD) Adjustment
Manual 58 mm – 76 mm

Dimensions & Weight

Dimensions (excl. headstrap)
191 mm x 124 mm x 94 mm (W x L x H)
Weight (incl. headstrap)
700g – 850g (depending on variant)
Material
IR-transmissive matte polymer with anti-fingerprint surface texture

Connectivity

Cable
Single all-in-one USB Type-C, 6 meter (20 ft) hybrid ADC cable, DisplayPort (32 Gbps), USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power functionality
Modes
Native wired PC Mode (Lossless), Native SteamVR & OpenXR support
Audio
3.5 mm Headphone jack, High-quality stereo
Ports
3 x USB-C (3.2 Gen 2) 10 Gbps for external accessories, 3.5 mm Headphone jack
Anchor Points
4 modular customizable and 30 printable anchor points, M2.5 imbus flat head screws
LEDs
2 x Programmable RGB status LEDs
Headstrap
Double-knob memory foam adjustable headstrap
Positional Tracking
Lighthouse Based tracking

The company says it will begin sending out a limited number of emails each day to reservation holders, following the chronological order based on their reservation date.

Notably, each reservation holder is eligible for one purchase, which can include multiple VR1 units, essentially allowing the user’s unique ordering code to be used once to limit queue jumpers.

There isn’t a time limitation when you must make your purchase, the company says, which was designed to give customers time to complete purchases later, however units are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

If you haven’t reserved already, new reservations are being accepted up until July 10th. The company will be opening orders to everyone on July 12th alongside its full-day Somnium Connect event in Prague, Czechia. There, the company will be holding presentations, demos of Somnium VR1, and a keynote speech by Artur Sychov, Founder & CEO of Somnium Space.

The post Somnium VR1 PC VR Headset Slated to Go on Sale June 20th with Broader Launch in July appeared first on Road to VR.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.roadtovr.com/somnium-vr1-pc-vr-headset-slated-to-go-on-sale-june-20th-with-broader-launch-in-july/