Peripheral manufacturer Bionik are building a Rift-life aftermarket integrated headphone solution for the PlayStation VR called ‘Mantis’ and, they look pretty neat too.
Regardless of which VR headset you personally may prefer, there’s little argument that the Oculus Rift’s solution to the problem of tangled, headphone cables is pretty elegant. By contrast, having to deal with separate ‘phones and the inevitable cable tangles they involve with the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR is a hassle.
For PSVR at least, owners of Sony’s VR headset can rejoice as peripheral manufacturer Bionik has announced it’s bringing a solution to the device that looks very much inspired by the Oculus Rift’s. The Mantis comprises clip-on, on ear headphones that slot onto the PSVR’s headband, of course then hooking into the standard 3.5mm jack on the control unit as any other would. As with the Rift, once the headphones are in place, they can be flipped up and adjusted for comfort – or to temporarily just get them out of the way.
The solution looks good, although Bionik does seem to be reaching a little for filling out its feature list quoting “Creates an immersive experience that puts you directly in the game” – so, like any other headset really. Marketing spiel aside, we suspect Bionik may find a market for the add-on devices, especially as the recently announced install base is fast approaching 1 Million units. The Mantis is marked as ‘coming soon’ and is currently priced $49.99.
