The ST1080 was officially price at $799 in December but daring early adopters will be able to snag it for $699 from March 1-21st. It’s nice that Silicon Micro Display is giving early adopters this little gift — much better than slashing prices shortly after launch and angering those that were willing to give the product a try!
Initial orders will be limited to the US, though the company says they are working out the specifics for distribution in other countries and will have more detailed info in the coming weeks.
The ST1080 will be the first consumer-targeted 1080p head mounted display once it reaches the marketplace. The screen technology that Silicon Micro Display is using is not your typical LCD, but rather a novel technology called LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon). This technology allows the ST1080 to retain 10% transparency so that you can still see your surroundings while donning the HMD. For a full list of ST1080 specs, see here.
In addition to the consumer version of the ST1080, the ST1080 DDK (display development kit) is now available from Silicon Micro Display for $8000. Don’t let that scare you though — the company provides additional resources that are important for developers along with the DDK:
The DDK has the same specifications as the ST1080 and includes two display modules, driver electronics, control software, register map, interface hardware, available in a 3D-printed evaluation case, and limited engineering support.
The DDK is not sold directly and requires that you contact the company to inquire about purchasing one.