Anyone who's a massive fan of Sword Art Online (myself included) has now pretty much had their prayers answered, as a new HalfDive headset has gone live on Kickstarter for mass production.
For those who may not have explored the anime that inspired the headset, it takes place at a time where players can lay down, put on a headset and them go into various virtual worlds.
The anime itself does go a little dark once they realise that participation is not as 'voluntary' as it seems, but it did get everyone thinking about just how awesome this type of setup would be in the world of VR.
Let's take a closer look at what could be heading our way.
What Is The HalfDive VR Headset?
The brains behind the new HalfDive headset are Japanese startup Diver-X.
Now the anime's VR headset let players literally run around and do whatever they wanted purely from the headset alone...and we're not there just yet!
But this HalfDive headset, as you'll see, does let you lay down and has a 'tethered force feedback' solution too.
It's set to work with Steam VR games and went live on Kickstarter on December 16th.
Below you'll the CEO himself gives us an idea of how the setup works.
HalfDive Vr Headset Price
There are two models of the headset named HalfDive Minimum Model and HalfDive Basic Model.
Now, these aren't as affordable as more mass-produced VR headsets like the Oculus Quest 2, so we're looking at $750 and $1,050 respectively.
The Minimum Model includes a pair of HalfDive controllers, a head tracker, and the headset and base.
The Basic Model adds force feedback and even a pair of fans for cooling and increased immersion...that's pretty awesome if you ask us.
HalfDive VR Headset Specs
The specs listed on the site itself are as follows.
- Field of View - estimated 134 degrees
- Resolution - 1600 x 1440 pixels per eye
- Optics - 10-element aspheric lens array
- Refresh Rate - 90hz+
- Audio - 4x speakers
- Controllers - 2x hand, x2 foot
- Connectivity - DP 1.2, USB 3.0, 3.5mm audio jack
- Degrees of Freedom: 4.5dof (Virtual 6dof)
From the looks of it, it looks pretty impressive but we think headsets like Project Cambria or the Meta Quest 3 may have the edge...time will tell.
HalfDive VR Headset Release Date
So at the time of writing their Kickstarter has reached almost £90,000 out of a £132,000 goal with 43 days to spare.
And with all the hype around VR, we expect them to smash their goal easily.
This Kickstart campaign is to support the construction of the headset for mass production, which they are aiming to complete in May 2022 to be shipped in Summer 2022.
We'll be watching Diver-X very closely over the next month and will keep you posted!
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