Varjo, maker of high-end enterprise XR headsets, today announced Aero, a pared down version of the company’s latest headset that offers industry-leading fidelity and advanced features for a cheaper (but still hefty) price that makes the company’s offering more attractive to medium-sized businesses and wealthy VR enthusiasts.

Read our full review of the just-announced Varjo Aero

For the last few years Varjo has been making some of the most advanced VR headsets on the planet, but with prices ranging from $3,200–$5,500 (plus an $800–$1,500 annual fee) it’s no wonder that Varjo counts Fortune 500 companies among its clients.

With the announcement of Varjo Aero, the company aims to launch a more affordable headset that’s more attractive for smaller businesses and the upper echelon of VR enthusiasts. It’s still far from cheap though; Varjo Aero is priced at $2,000 (with no annual fee), but this excludes SteamVR Tracking base stations and controllers.

Image courtesy Varjo

Varjo Aero is essentially the same as the company’s latest XR-3 headset, except without the ‘bionic display’ (which provides retina resolution at the center of the FOV), nor any of its advanced passthrough AR capabilities.

Even without the bionic display, Varjo Aero still offers a stunning 35 PPD with aspheric lenses that give it the best clarity and largest sweet-spot that you’ll find on any VR headset (except for, well, Varjo’s more expensive headsets).

Varjo says that orders for Aero begin today and the first shipments are expected by the end of 2021.

Read our review of Varjo Aero here and check out the full specs below:

Varjo Aero Specs

Resolution 2,880 x 2,720 (7.8MP) per-eye, mini-LED LCD (2x)
Refresh Rate 90Hz
Lenses Aspheric
Field-of-view (claimed) 134° diagonal, 115° horizontal (at 12mm eye-relief)
Optical Adjustments IPD (automatic motor driven)
IPD Adjustment Range 57–73mm
Connectors USB-C → breakout box (USB-A 3.0, DisplayPort 1.4)
Cable Length 5m
Tracking SteamVR Tracking 1.0 or 2.0 (external beacons)
On-board cameras 2x eye-tracking
Input None included (supports SteamVR controllers)
Audio 3.5mm aux port
Microphone None (supports external mic through aux port)
Pass-through view No
Weight 487g + 230g headstrap with counterweight
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Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."