LeadTek XEye head-mounted display reviewed
Someday, someone will get the whole head-mounted display thing right. Until then, anyone
who wants to play games or catch a flick using high-tech mirrorshades will just have to carry a bottle of aspirin and
some Pepto. According to TrustedReviews, the LeadTek XEye, currently only available in Asia, suffers some of the same
problems inherent in previous similar displays, including an uncomfortable fit, poor video quality, and that old
wooziness (described by the reviewer as "feeling that your eyeballs are being slowly sucked out of their sockets") that
pretty much makes using this for more than a few minutes a no-go. Still, we're pretty sure that someone will get this
right sooner or later. It's been in too many sci-fi films for them not to, right?
[Via Digital Media Thoughts]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
paralipsis @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
No matter what display technology you are using, it seems like I pretty tricky task to get a decent resolution displayed in such an confined space. I think getting this kind of thing working properly is a long way off.
Samuel McConnell @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
XEye, I've heard of that somewhere before...
http://darkwatcher.psxfanatics.com/console/xeye.htm
Ken @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
Take a look at this head-mounted display.
http://www.icuiti.com/
submachine @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
With the absolute proliferation of portable media players, how hard is it to get one on your head with the display near your eye? You can take it jogging or on a treadmill or wherever you go, this is the THE next big thing.
spike @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
This isn't the next big thing... For starters it would be completely pointless for home usage.. watching a big screen TV would be far better than having the image right in front of your eye not to mention the whole audio setup. In terms of portability it would also be useless because you wouldn't be able to see your surroundings... give you about as much awareness as a blind person. You could make something that changes the alpha level (opacity) but then resolution would be poor and you would just get a headache. Toshiba and Sharp have been developing stereoscopic 3D displays for a long time without the need for any special headwear but by simply changing the way light enters your eyes. I have no doubt that VR will take off but it will be more of the implant, contact lens variety than any weird bulky headset.
Asper @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
I bought a Head Mounted Display at www.relaxview.com
I like it, though the screen you see can always be bigger.
Orion @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
"For starters it would be completely pointless for home usage.. watching a big screen TV would be far better than having the image right in front of your eye"
how do you figure that? Clearly you've never had an image right in front of your eyes. If you had you'd know that's like saying catching a flick on your watchman is far better than going to the movie theatre.
"In terms of portability it would also be useless because you wouldn't be able to see your surroundings... give you about as much awareness as a blind person."
So what? Nobody is saying you have to jog and watch a movie at the same time. You can sit down.
"I have no doubt that VR will take off but it will be more of the implant, contact lens variety than any weird bulky headset."
I agree that headsets can't be bulky for vr to take off, but I think were shooting more for sunglasses size, not recreating neuromancer. Implants? Get real.
submachine @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
#5 = confused, #7 = correct.
Before the walkman, there were boomboxes and portable stereos. The walkman connected directly to your ear, and the portable mp3 was a natural progression, and now there are no more portable stereos.
Now, before a head-display, there are hundreds of portable media players....but they are about as useful as a boombox.
Give the world a hands free, sunglass-sized head-mounted display, (one eye and/or both eyes) and you will create the next big thing.
Tom Powell @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
If your looking for a real head up display that really works, check out Microvision.com. The future is already here and it seems like it's the worlds best kept secrete and I don't know why.
Magnus Reigstad @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
I think Microvision has problems designing a full color system. Monochrome red with 32 gray is kind of not acceptable for viewing a movie. And the price tag is 6000$ or someting for the Nomad display.....
John Doe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
People who think head mounted displays will never take off are delusional. Displays are getting smaller and smaller on devices be it cell phones, PDAs,. Portable DVD players, or video game systems.
As the need or desire to have devices become even more ultra portable you are going to see HMD's hit the big time once a couple things are worked out. The biggest being the migraine inducing displays need to go in a big way. There was a reason why Nintendos virtual boy died fast. Beyond the monochrome red, beyond the bulkiness, beyond even the lack of good games was the headaches induced by the screen. Even now I cant go more then an hour without needing to stop. Any HMD system needs to solve this.
Also these bulky, down right ugly displays are going to have to go as well. Which pretty much means either integrating it into a pair of glasses in such a discreet manner that its hardly noticeable to the wearer or the people around them or direct projection of an image painted onto the retina.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3647437.stm
Right now the technology isn't even in its infancy. Its at the fetus stage right now. AFAIK they havent even gotten a RBG laser up and running yet.
There are a lot of ifs about such a system but I think long term it's the most viable once tech catches up and assuming tests don't show that it burns out your retina after 5 years. That could be a minor "issue". :-P
paralipsis @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
No matter what display technology you are using, it seems like I pretty tricky task to get a decent resolution displayed in such an confined space. I think getting this kind of thing working properly is a long way off.
Samuel McConnell @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
XEye, I've heard of that somewhere before...
http://darkwatcher.psxfanatics.com/console/xeye.htm
Ken @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
Take a look at this head-mounted display.
http://www.icuiti.com/
submachine @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
With the absolute proliferation of portable media players, how hard is it to get one on your head with the display near your eye? You can take it jogging or on a treadmill or wherever you go, this is the THE next big thing.
spike @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
This isn't the next big thing... For starters it would be completely pointless for home usage.. watching a big screen TV would be far better than having the image right in front of your eye not to mention the whole audio setup. In terms of portability it would also be useless because you wouldn't be able to see your surroundings... give you about as much awareness as a blind person. You could make something that changes the alpha level (opacity) but then resolution would be poor and you would just get a headache. Toshiba and Sharp have been developing stereoscopic 3D displays for a long time without the need for any special headwear but by simply changing the way light enters your eyes. I have no doubt that VR will take off but it will be more of the implant, contact lens variety than any weird bulky headset.
Asper @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
I bought a Head Mounted Display at www.relaxview.com
I like it, though the screen you see can always be bigger.
Orion @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
"For starters it would be completely pointless for home usage.. watching a big screen TV would be far better than having the image right in front of your eye"
how do you figure that? Clearly you've never had an image right in front of your eyes. If you had you'd know that's like saying catching a flick on your watchman is far better than going to the movie theatre.
"In terms of portability it would also be useless because you wouldn't be able to see your surroundings... give you about as much awareness as a blind person."
So what? Nobody is saying you have to jog and watch a movie at the same time. You can sit down.
"I have no doubt that VR will take off but it will be more of the implant, contact lens variety than any weird bulky headset."
I agree that headsets can't be bulky for vr to take off, but I think were shooting more for sunglasses size, not recreating neuromancer. Implants? Get real.
submachine @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
#5 = confused, #7 = correct.
Before the walkman, there were boomboxes and portable stereos. The walkman connected directly to your ear, and the portable mp3 was a natural progression, and now there are no more portable stereos.
Now, before a head-display, there are hundreds of portable media players....but they are about as useful as a boombox.
Give the world a hands free, sunglass-sized head-mounted display, (one eye and/or both eyes) and you will create the next big thing.
Tom Powell @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
If your looking for a real head up display that really works, check out Microvision.com. The future is already here and it seems like it's the worlds best kept secrete and I don't know why.
Magnus Reigstad @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
I think Microvision has problems designing a full color system. Monochrome red with 32 gray is kind of not acceptable for viewing a movie. And the price tag is 6000$ or someting for the Nomad display.....
John Doe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM
People who think head mounted displays will never take off are delusional. Displays are getting smaller and smaller on devices be it cell phones, PDAs,. Portable DVD players, or video game systems.
As the need or desire to have devices become even more ultra portable you are going to see HMD's hit the big time once a couple things are worked out. The biggest being the migraine inducing displays need to go in a big way. There was a reason why Nintendos virtual boy died fast. Beyond the monochrome red, beyond the bulkiness, beyond even the lack of good games was the headaches induced by the screen. Even now I cant go more then an hour without needing to stop. Any HMD system needs to solve this.
Also these bulky, down right ugly displays are going to have to go as well. Which pretty much means either integrating it into a pair of glasses in such a discreet manner that its hardly noticeable to the wearer or the people around them or direct projection of an image painted onto the retina.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3647437.stm
Right now the technology isn't even in its infancy. Its at the fetus stage right now. AFAIK they havent even gotten a RBG laser up and running yet.
There are a lot of ifs about such a system but I think long term it's the most viable once tech catches up and assuming tests don't show that it burns out your retina after 5 years. That could be a minor "issue". :-P