lenovo mirage solo (3) — Photo by Road to VR

Lenovo Confirms May 5th US Launch, June for UK and $400 Price for Mirage Solo VR Headset

By

-

Mar 21, 2018

Lenovo’s Mirage Solo standalone VR headset, which was announced last year and fully revealed back in January, is set to launch on May 5th, priced at $400, Lenovo tells Road to VR. The standalone headset is set to compete with the likes of the Oculus Go and Pico Neo.

Update (3/21/18, 12:10PM GMT): UploadVR reports confirmation with Lenovo that the UK launch for the Mirage Solo will happen in June. No specific UK price or more precise dates were cited.

Update (3/16/18, 1:26PM PT): Lenovo has confirmed to Road to VR that the Mirage Solo will launch on May 5th, priced at $400. Back when the headset was revealed in January, the company said they were hoping to drive the price down to a “more mainstream price point than the [$450] we shared […]”

Original Article (3/16/18): According to a product listing on retailer B&H’s website (spotted by Ubergizmo), the Lenovo Mirage Solo is ~~expected to launch on May 11th~~ [see update above], priced at $400. The Mirage Solo is a standalone headset (meaning it has everything on board for VR, and doesn’t rely on a docked smartphone or host PC), and it’s based on Google’s ‘Daydream’ Android VR ecosystem. The headset’s purported launch date is just a few days after Google’s annual I/O developer conference which runs from May 8th to 11th.

Hands-on: HTC Vive Focus Brings Best-in-class Displays to Standalone VR, For a Price

From time to time we see retail product listings pop up with launch dates for new products; sometimes they’re right and sometimes they’re wrong—~~we’ve reached out to both Lenovo and Google for comment on the purported launch date of the headset~~ [see update above].

Back in January we got a good look at the Mirage Solo at CES 2018. We found the headset to have strong fundamentals, but wondered about the $400 price point, especially for a VR experience that still feels ‘casual’ compared to desktop and console headsets. The Mirage Solo will have to compete with the soon-to-launch Oculus Go standalone headset, which lacks positional head tracking, but is also half the cost of the Solo’s ~~purported~~ [confirmed] $400 price point.

Nosfar

Rip. Dead on arrival
- Richard Worth
  
  Care to explain why you’ve made such a stupid comment?.
  - Laurence Nairne
    
    I can’t speak for Nosfar and his reasons, but the pricing position will make it difficult for this to gain a financially sound foothold. There’s also still a huge question mark over it’s usefulness as a device.
    
    – It’s in the same bracket as Oculus Rift, which is a better experience due to it’s reliance on full PC hardware
    – It’s too expensive for the casual market
    – It only has a 3DoF controller which is virtually useless for 6DoF experiences, and potentially detrimental
    
    We can argue specifics about the total price of engaging with PC-tethered vs. Standalone, but essentially these experiences are trying to make VR go mainstream (remove the cable, remove the reliance on high-end PCs, make everything just work out of the box), but $400 is far too much for the average consumer – i.e. the people that will make this mainstream. The only people who would consider this are VR enthusiasts and businesses.
    
    – Enthusiasts already have the hardware to run high-end VR, so they’re only looking at the next big headset to play with and can either wait for wireless to get cheaper, or have already committed $300 for a wireless option, so standalone makes no sense.
    – Businesses have the cash to do so, but will hopefully be relying on people who know what they’re talking about when it comes to hardware purchasing, and so will avoid this mid-range tech like a bad smell.
    
    Finally, it all comes down to content – there’s just not really a market or appetite for experiences that allow a range of positional tracking, but a controller that is essentially wired to your hip – who’s going to develop for that when every other manufacturer is either doing 3DoF or 6DoF exclusively? Especially when you consider that revenue from VR software isn’t exactly soaring across the board. It’s a slow burner, and as such, developers will only commit to the highest standard of hardware until there’s a larger user base.
    - Richard
      
      I think it’ll sell due to not everyone wanting to use VR with a pc and the cost involved in that. I want a bro headset that is wireless and offers a good experience. From what I understand, technically this headset is better than the oculus go, to which I’d rather have the best even if I have to pay a little more for it.
      
      I just don’t want to have to have my vr tethered to an expensive PC
      - Laurence Nairne
        
        Technically it is better than the Oculus Go, yes. It has 6DoF tracking on the HMD so a user can move around in a 3D environment. What they cannot do is move the controller in their hand around as well. It is fixed in place, which almost makes the 6DoF functionality pointless.
        
        Developers will either create 6DoF experiences that do not rely on the controller (weak), or create 3DoF experiences that do not use the positional tracking, making it worth as much as an Oculus Go.
        
        Great that you want VR that isn’t tied to a PC, but this just isn’t the answer. It’s an expensive stop gap at best and I just can’t see devs justifying it as a supported platform unless the community goes bananas for it – which is unlikely.
        
        If any standalone currently known is going to make waves, it’ll be Oculus’ Santa Cruz project, but even that is questionable as it will hold a price tag similar to/greater than current gen PC-tethered options.
        
        The customer pool is still very slim at the moment, and of those, most are still enthusiasts looking for the best of the best – the Mirage Solo is not that, and arguably no mobile technology based headset will ever be that.
        
        If you’re willing to pay more for wireless and a good experience, get a good PC, get one of the HMDs supporting wireless options, get a wireless option and you’re good to go.
        
        Good for you if you have $400 to throw at one of these just to see if it takes off though.
      - daveinpublic
        
        It’s possible that there are good use cases for 6DOF head and 3DOF controls. Just have to give it a try.
      - Laurence Nairne
        
        It’s possible, but highly improbable. I can’t think of a single instance where I’ve been in VR and though, “you know this would be so much better if my virtual hand was stuck to my side!”.
        
        It’s like holding a TV remote whilst wearing a full body cast and trying to change the channel.
      - Mark Pate
        
        Have you tried the headset?
      - Laurence Nairne
        
        No I’ve not Mark, why do you ask?
    - Doctor Bambi
      
      You’re making a lot of presumptions with your argument that may not be reflective of the actual situation. Is the Mirage going to be a commercial success? Probably not, but it won’t be dead on arrival either. It’ll be yet another step in the rising tide.
      
      “$400 is far too much for the average consumer”, what makes you so sure about that? People spend hundreds, sometimes thousands on their TVs and entertainment systems. VR still has to prove itself, but being an entire computing platform on your face, $400 doesn’t seem all that outlandish.
      
      “Enthusiasts already have the hardware to run high-end VR… so standalone makes no sense”, I’m willing to bet most “enthusiasts” will be getting some kind of standalone headset if for no other reason than it’s portability.
      
      “Businesses… will avoid this mid-range tech like a bad smell”, okay, let’s say I’m an architect and I want a VR headset to show clients 3D mock-ups. Do I need full hand presence in that scenario? Probably not, and there will be many scenarios like this where realistic hand interaction is completely unnecessary and could actually work as a detriment to the task at hand.
      
      “there’s just not really a market for… a controller wired to your hip”, are you sure about that? The only impressions we’ve got of this headset are from short demos at conventions. Hardly putting the overall experience through its paces. It’s very possible that, with clever design, the controller becomes largely unnoticeable. If that’s the case, developers should be happy to target it as a platform and expand their potential user base. I will say though that Daydream as a whole does have a content deficiency problem at the moment, and the 6DOF capabilities of Mirage will likely be used in unsubstantial ways so as to be easily ported to full 3DOF systems.
      - Laurence Nairne
        
        Of course I’m making a lot of presumptions, that’s all I can do at this stage, but it is still representative of my perspective.
        
        Yes people shell out hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds for entertainment systems – they also know that they will get a return on those. VR has enough identity issues as it is to prohibit it’s growth as a consumer market. Added to this is the ongoing fragmentation that sees not only tonnes of HMD options, but an equally absurd number of content platforms. It’s not the figure itself that’s the problem, it’s the value that you’ll get from it (content wise, not hardware) once you have purchased it.
        
        Yes I’m sure enthusiasts will get a standalone device, but I’m also sure they will likely wait for Santa Cruz (not saying this won’t be a flop too), or they will purchase but it will gather dust until, again, there’s worthwhile content for it.
        
        Architects wanting to show 3D mockups – good point, for anything that doesn’t really require interaction other than looking and listening, sure it works. But as they’re not targeting enterprise customers, this probably still doesn’t constitute a good profit margin.
        
        If you have to do anything with your hands that isn’t a glorified laser pointer, it’s pretty difficult to design around. You can’t reach for anything in the space if you only have rotational data (yes you can raycast hence my point about laser pointer).
        
        And lastly, yes I agree that the most likely case is 6DoF will be underused, but I think the biggest reason for this is that early on the only developers in this ecosystem will be those already here on the Daydream View, and so it’ll just be a port to the Solo.
      - Veron
        
        If you’re an Architect that just needs to show house models to clients, you’d buy the $199 Oculus Go.
        
        If you just want to watch VR porn, you’d be daft to buy this over the Oculus Go.
        
        If you shoot 360 video and plan to buy HMDs to hand over to clients to watch their wedding etc in 360, you’d get the Oculus Go over this.
        
        Essentially, this is a tough sell for most of the mainstream market.
      - Doctor Bambi
        
        Being able to let client’s actually walk around and inspect different elements more closely would be a compelling step up from just 3DOF.
        
        I definitely agree with you about porn and 360 videos in general. 6DOF would go largely unused if that were all you used it for.
        
        Hardware is nothing without good software to leverage it. In that regard, Oculus Go is primed to be the front runner. I still think the potential for more compelling software is greater on Mirage, but only if the 6DOF is leveraged in compelling ways and nothing shown so far suggests that is happening.
      - Raphael
        
        Nice lecture but it’s absolute nonsense. $400 is indeed far too much for the average gamer. VR is still in the luxury niche peripheral slot in terms of pricing. 400 is not a price for mass consumer adoption. For mainstream consumer adoption the price needs to be even lower than Oculus Go but 200 is certainly much closer to that mainstream target.
      - Doctor Bambi
        
        It’s really not though, gamers spend hundreds of dollars on new consoles. When people realize a VR headset gets you that and so much more, they’ll have no problem paying for it.
        
        The perceived value just isn’t there yet. Oculus Go will help that along, but it’s not the end game, same goes for Mirage.
      - Raphael
        
        Yes agree.. that’s what it comes down to. Consoles enter the market at 400+ and sell well. As VR continues to develop (pixels, eye-tracking, FOV etc) the appeal will increase. When you think back to Oculus DK1 and all that’s happened since then… the market is developing rapidly.
    - brandon9271
      
      A smart company would create a hybrid stand alone/tethered VR system. It would have a Android based device that connects to your hip like the magic Leap for when you want the stand alone mobile experience but you could also connect it to a PC when you want that experience. It would be the cheap entry level product for mainstream adoption and give an upgrade path for people who want more.
  - Nosfar
    
    Becuse its my opinion,with oculus coming out with the go yes i know its a glorified gear vr ,but its the closest brand with general consumer recognition that we have in the vr world and with the facebook angle i feel the 400 dollar price tag will kill it. I know all of the advantages that it has over the go but The Mother searching the shelves for a standalone vr headset her kid asked for for christmas does not. But she knows 200 dollars difference. For comparison at most walmarts in the toy isle, the 19.99 legend action figures with accurate looks and 32 points of articulation clutter the shlves .Becuse every parent buys the 8 dollar 7 point of articulation Hasbro figures that generally look like crap. That answer your question.
- dk
  
  if u want actual vr meaning movement in virtual space …..in a self contained unit …it’s pretty good price for all the hardware in it
  - Laurence Nairne
    
    Sadly, explaining to people how much they get for their money doesn’t get them to empty their pockets.
    
    It may provide a good amount of tech, but it’s still not going to be enough to get a lot of people coughing up the cash – especially if the content doesn’t materialise.
    - dk
      
      if u want actual vr in a self contained headset and u know what’s positional tracking …the choice is clear ……and it’s actually good price for all the hardware in it
      - Laurence Nairne
        
        But the choice is only clear for someone who wants that specific thing *right now*. It’s certainly not the only option going forwards and the trouble that this industry has at the moment is there’s nothing compelling enough to encourage people who aren’t into VR already.
        
        This platform doesn’t really add people to the community, it simply gives another option to those already in it.
        
        If I’m an outsider not committed to getting into VR, this price tag doesn’t say “I’m worth your money”. Only people with more money that sense would commit to $400 without there being a robust catalogue of decent content to go with it.
        
        Now I could be wrong, but again it ultimately comes back to software developers building for it. If they don’t, it could be a space rocket for all the dust the units are going to accumulate in the warehouse.
      - dk
        
        yes …if u want real vr experience with a mobile platform …the choice is clear
        …..if u want a demo thing sort of close to a vr experience u get something else
        and when the 835 is cheap all self contained headsets will be capable of giving u head motion in vr
      - Laurence Nairne
        
        Ok I get it now.
      - Nosfar
        
        Thanks for explaining my side better then i had the energy or want to do so.
  - Nosfar
    
    Oh i agree ,and i) probably but one. I just dont think at that price point it will sell.Maybe id they hit the shelves before the Go. We know the diff but the average consumer doesnt. And besides its just my opinion ive been wrong before.
    - dk
      
      yep it won’t sell like hot cakes ….but that’s true for vr in general ….at least after a while the sd835 or an equivalent will be cheaper and the platform will grow
Laurence Nairne

Hahaha, so not under $400 then XD
- Courtney A Jeff
  
  I would like to buy it today.
WyrdestGeek

It’s like — I don’t have anything other than crappy Gear VR. I desperately would like something with positional tracking, but–
How good will it be in practice? And what software does it work with? And how weird will it be that the hand is only 3dof?

I want it– but it looks like a really risky way to spend $400.
- dk
  
  check out videos of daydream apps …it will be exactly that but u will have head movement and walk around a bit with updated and new apps …..and obviously the platform will be in way better shape in a year …this is the situation with it being the first 6dof daydream headset …..and after more than a year there will be a few headsets with 6dof controllers too
  the only problem is the budget ….otherwise this is the best option right now for a mobile platform capable of a real proper vr experience with a self contained unit……or we could wait for the sd835 to become as cheap as the sd821
airball

Can anyone share information on the launch titles? Seems like it would be the primary way to promote interest in the hardware. With 6 weeks until launch, the list must be known by someone.
Lucidfeuer

A bit too expensive for what it is, but the headband ergonomic and mobile head-tracking is great. I just wonder if Daydream experience are compatible with head-tracking per-se (which they should be unless they’re not a in real-time 3D).

However I really wonder why none of theses headsets have tackled the wireless tethering functionality given small studio of nobodies like VRidge already make it possible on a standard smartphone (granted this is no optimum but it does just work)…
Aman Kumar

oculus go release date
- Courtney A Jeff
  
  I cant find a reason to get the go if I have already a gear vr.With the postional tracking the mirage will offer will make the extra 200 worth it.The oculus store for software is very big and nothing will match that.
  - Veron
    
    It’s a big hassle to keep slotting my phone into my GearVR and draining my battery. Also, 360 videos and VR apps take quite a bit of space on my phone.
    - Courtney A Jeff
      
      That’s why this will be a big breakthrough not needing a separate phone and including roomscale positional tracking.The downside is the daydream library is tiny compared to gear vrs.With blade runner revelation coming to it that is enough to buy it.Praise Jesus the Lord and Savior of my life.
Courtney A Jeff

Just to play Need for speed vr with positional tracking will be worth it.That game cant be acquired with my oculus or gear vr.Praise Jesus who is my Lord and Savior.
- jj
  
  well since this is a standalone headset, most of the content will have to be specific for it. So odds are you wont get anything need for speed like for a while.
  - Doctor Bambi
    
    Google have actually confirmed that Mirage will have access to the entire Daydream catalog, but they will function as 3DOF experiences unless developers update their apps to account for the new head tracking.
gothicvillas

So far mobile vr I have seen is garbage. What’s the difference with this one? You cant play good games.. Maybe im wrong. I’ll wait and see.
- IanTH
  
  Just as a matter of passing curiosity, have you used GearVR? 1st VR I tried was Cardboard, and I was impressed enough with it for the price of a plastic housing on my phone. Then I got GearVR and was immediately impressed with the improvement over Cardboard. Being that I now own PSVR and Rift as well, GearVR certainly feels like a substantial regression, but I’m still mostly impressed with the experiences you can get being it is a phone strapped to your face and a little 3DoF controller – as much a step down it is, I still wouldn’t call it garbage.
  
  Extra random thought: It’ll be interesting to see how a future GearVR with 6DoF tracking does in comparison to something like Santa Cruz – assuming the former has some kind of option for 6DoF tracked controllers to compete.
Courtney A Jeff

Those headsets look nice.Blade runner revelation is going to be a promotion for this I believe.