LG is the first company after HTC to follow the path laid out by Valve for headset makers to bring their wares to SteamVR. That path involves using SteamVR Tracking technology and OpenVR API to create a headset which can tap into the same Steam-powered content ecosystem as the Vive. LG's step into VR represents more than just a new headset though, it represents new choices for consumers and new competition for HTC. When Valve set out to create their VR ecosystem, they wanted to create a foundation that would let VR headset makers of any stripe deploy to that ecosystem. While Valve early on worked closely with HTC to manufacture the Vive headset under the HTC brand, it seems like Valve is increasingly ready to begin stepping back from such direct involvement in the Vive, and begin to let it exist as one SteamVR headset among several; a move that will see the headset makers compete among themselves to make the best headset that fits consumes' wants and needs. Since the launch of the Vive, LG is the first company to follow the blueprints Valve laid out for any company to create a SteamVR compatible headset. The LG VR headset uses the Valve-invented SteamVR Tracking, and also uses the OpenVR API to make itself compatible with any content that's been created for SteamVR. LG is clear that the headset at this stage is a prototype, so expect to see some differences over time, likely including significant changes to the industrial design by the time the company reveals the consumer version of the headset. That said, here's what we know about the LG VR headset prototype as it stands today: LG VR Headset Specs: Resolution: 1440x1280 per eye Display Type: OLED, single panel PPI: 540 Field of View: 110 degrees Refresh Rate: 90Hz Lens Type: Convex, non-Fresnel Ergonomics & Design https://youtu.be/NODYmRZtmDA From an external standpoint, the LG VR headset is something like a Vive mixed with PlayStation VR style 'halo' head-mount (which rests comfortably on your forehead), which also includes a very handy 'flip-up' functionality which we'd love to one day see on all VR headsets. When the visor is flipped down it can be slid into place closer to the eyes, allowing for a widely adjustable eye-relief. The display enclosure is perhaps a bit less tall than the Vive's, but seems a little longer as a result. At present prototype is not so much a step forward for VR ergonomics as much as it is a different (and arguably more comfortable) mounting option; weight and size wise, it's doesn't feel substantially different from the Vive. The LG VR headset prototype is for now relying on a separate pair of headphones, something we hope to see integrated by the time the consumer version rolls out. While the Vive is covered in little craters—at the base of which lay the SteamVR Tracking sensors—the LG VR headset's sensors are flush to the rest of the external casing. This makes the product feel a touch more refined, though the sensor lenses still stand out as little shiny disks. On the front of the LG VR headset is a front-facing camera, though it is non-functional on the current prototypes. A single cable extends from the LG VR headset which I was told was an HDMI connector, but a nearby headset under glass had a connection that looked an awful lot like USB-C, which would make more sense because HDMI alone can't supply nearly the power necessary for a VR headset. Continue Reading on Page 2 >> Visual Performance [caption id="attachment_60154" align="alignright" width="325"] The headset's flip up visor[/caption] Through the lenses we see start to see more significant changes from the Vive. Getting the lenses as close to your eyes as possible results in the widest field of view (which felt on par with the Vive), and I found there to be no light leak at all once the display enclosure was pushed near to my face, though the nose-flap felt like it had some pointy edges and could be more comfortable. The LG VR headset is not using Fresnel lenses, unlike the Vive and Rift. That means there's no 'light-ray' artifacts, which are especially bothersome in high contrast scenes, though it does seem that there may be a tradeoff in the size of the focus 'sweet-spot'; I noticed when turning my eyes away from the center of the lens that there was a fair amount of blur, perhaps a bit more than on the Rift and Vive. As a display maker, LG is naturally supplying the OLED display in the headset. As a single panel (instead of one panel per-eye with the Rift and Vive), it sounds as though the company has pulled one of their smartphone panels for use in the headset, though people involved in the project say that they are doing some special things with the display to make it better for VR (but didn't go into detail). Through the lenses the improvement in resolution is visible but by no means staggering, possibly due to a rather apparent subpixel structure (which LG said used a PenTile layout, though looked different than the PenTile layouts of the Vive and Rift screens which are believed to be Samsung-made). The colors and contrast popped well in bright scenes (likely helped by the non-Fresnel lenses), but dark scenes revealed poor mura calibration, leading to a bothersome 'speckled' haze over the virtual view due to differences in brightness and color consistency from one pixel to the next. This seemed especially noticeable for green pixels and was biased toward the left eye (my layman's guess would put the cause on inconsistent power distribution along each row of pixels, or an artifact of the manufacturing process). Anything biased toward the left eye isn't good in VR because mismatched elements from one eye to the next in VR creates uncomfortable stereo-conflicts which I could feel during dark scenes. Prior to launching, the Vive also had poor mura calibration, but it was greatly improved by the time the device shipped to customers. I'd expect the same thing to happen with the LG VR headset by the time it's ready for consumers. With a single physical display, there's no physical IPD adjustment, though it's possible we'll see that company move to a more custom display (possibly dual displays) by the time the headset evolves into its final consumer form. Controllers The LG VR headset comes with its own unique pair of controllers, the fundamental layout of which is largely identical to that of the Vive controllers, though the LG controllers feel a bit more compact and use a slightly edgier shape for the tracking ring. One clear improvement over the Vive controllers (at least for my hands) was a more usable pair of grip-buttons, which lay along the handle of the controller and can be squeezed with your palm. They're much easier to activate due to a better placement. The circular and clickable trackpad returns, and the LG VR headset controllers have an extra app button over the Vive controllers. The two app buttons are above the trackpad, and between them is the System button, which LG says they moved up above the trackpad because people would sometimes accidentally press the button during use on the Vive controllers. Continue Reading on Page 3 >> Tracking Performance There's not much to report here—Valve's impressive SteamVR Tracking works on the LG VR headset seemingly just as well as it does on the Vive. During a 15 minute session with the headset, I saw no drops or hitches in tracking, and I wasn't able to notice any tracking jitter. When it came to the controllers, I didn't have enough time to tell whether or not the difference in the controller's shape had any noticeable impact on tracking performance compared to the design of the Vive controller. In a quick session of Racket: NX and Longbow, the controllers felt to track just as well as I'm used to when using a Vive. - - — - - As of now the company isn't saying when the headset will launch or what the price will be, though they did tell us that the pricing is likely to be similar to the Vive and that they'd announce more details about availability later this year. As a prototype device, the LG VR headset is a great start for the company, and a total turnaround compared to the artless LG 360 VR mobile headset that the company launched last year. There's some clear but tractable challenges to be solved before the device hits the market, but also a number of things we like about the LG VR headset compared to other VR headsets in the same class. Presently the prototype isn't what we'd call the "next generation" of VR headsets, but we'll have to wait to see what the final device looks like after the company reveals the consumer model; even if the consumer version turned out to be exactly the same as the prototype, it's still hugely important for consumers to have more than one choice in their SteamVR headset, which is likely to drive hardware innovation further as SteamVR headsets compete for marketshare.