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.
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.
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 |