PersonalCinemaSystem
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Headplay announces Personal Cinema System HMD
Los Angeles-based Headplay has announced a new head-mounted display that it's hoping will stand out from the myriad of other stylish HMDs on the market, set to officially unveil its visor-style Personal Cinema System at CES. Designed by the prolific folks at IDEO, the Headplay uses a single LCoS micro display to deliver a virtual 52-inch screen at resolutions "up to" 1024 x 768, with a separate "Liberator" box handling the input situation, including component, composite, and s-video signals, as well two USB ports and support for various memory card formats. Unlike most other HMDs, the Headplay also does away with the integrated headphones, although the company will be providing a set of noise-suppression ear-buds of its own along with the unit. Look for this one to land sometime in April for an even $500.[Via Uber-Review]
Headplay 52" TV: it's all in your head
If you're like us, you've been wondering when virtual reality would become an actual reality since you first saw The Lawnmower Man. Sure, videogame graphics have long since surpassed the visuals of virtual reality, but the interface hasn't changed much at all (with the recent exception of the Wii). We still interact with images on a screen without really immersing ourselves in the game world. Enter Headplay's Personal Cinema System. The PCS headset recreates a 52" television directly in front of the wearer's eyes. The device allows for virtually any video input (no HDMI, sorry PS3) so hooking up your 360 (or PC, or iPod, or DVD player, etc.) is a snap. Not only that, the device is capable of reading media directly from numerous memory cards and thumb drives. The resolution goes up to 1024 X 768, so you'll get a nice clear picture, too. The unit also supports true stereoscopic 3D images where available. Headplay plans to officially unveil the product at CES.Of course, devices like this tend to be overly expensive and perform poorly, but we always have hope that someone will get it right. Granted, it has no head tracking, so it's not really virtual reality, but with the right games it could get pretty close (think FPS games). So, just grab yourself a wireless headset, wireless control, and a PCS, and you'll look like a raving lunatic in no time -- standing there, mashing buttons and screaming obscenities at the nearest inanimate object.Would you ever get something like this if it actually worked well?
