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In a month and a half, the Viture company raised $2.5 million, a far cry from the initial $20,000. A success that even exceeds the Oculus Rift campaign of the time.
Viture is a San Francisco start-up created by former Google and Apple employees that crowdfunded on Kickstarter to make mixed reality glasses that not only perform well, but look good enough to wear every day.
With a relatively classic sunglasses look and available in three colors, they are much more discreet than the virtual reality headsets currently on the market. The first consideration is offered for a contribution of 429 which includes the glasses and one year of warranty. Count $529 for a complete configuration.
Viture One: a 120-inch screen with you everywhere
The Viture One consists of two parts, the glasses (weighing 78 g) which allow the diffusion of images and sound, and the neck strap (128 g) which contains the battery and all the electronics necessary to manage the content. They can work alone with an Android phone, but the neck strap is essential to take advantage of all the features
The glasses run on Android and will come with most streaming services pre-installed. It will therefore be possible to enjoy, for example, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+, but also films in D.
When it comes to gaming, the glasses are capable of streaming PlayStation, Xbox, and even PC games through Steam Link or Shadow (as well as associated controllers). The Switch is not forgotten either thanks to an accessory allowing you to play alone or in multiplayer with a second pair.
The virtual screen formed by the lenses offers the equivalent of 120 inches diagonally with a pixel density close to that of a Mac Retina screen (according to Viture). As for the sound, the directional speakers would have been provided by a “great brand” without further information being available.
In terms of functionality, we can also note:
- Switching from an immersive mode (darkened glass, screen in central position) to ambient (less opaque glass thanks to the adjustment of the electrochemical film, reduced screen at the bottom of the field of vision) with a simple gesture
- The possibility for spectacle wearers (myopes only) to adjust the correction with an adjustment wheel (up to -5.0)
- Compatibility with all USB-C devices with video output
If all the promises are kept, the Viture One could well become a benchmark for mixed reality glasses, but as with all crowdfunding campaigns, it is worth taking a little step back. If the schedule is respected, it will therefore be necessary to wait until October 2022 to be fixed.