Zeiss introduces their new VR ONE Plus Virtual Reality Headset at E3, and confirms that this second-generation mobile VR headset provides a high-quality immersive virtual reality experience at an affordable price.
The new VR ONE Plus is an an upgraded version of the company’s VR ONE virtual reality headset. Although designed with the same premium ergonomics, material quality and precision ZEISS optics as the original VR ONE headset, the new version includes several key changes to enhance the device’s functionality, including a universal smartphone tray that works with any Android or iOS smartphone with a screen size between 4.7 and 5.5 inches. This includes both iPhone 6/6s and iPhone 6 Plus.
The VR ONE Plus also comes with a removable head strap that allows users to configure the device to their viewing needs dependent on application, along with a removable front faceplate and foam inserts that can easily be replaced after heavy usage.
“The VR landscape has changed significantly since we launched the VR ONE in 2014,” said Franz Troppenhagan, Senior Product Manager at ZEISS. “The new VR ONE Plus VR headset addresses feedback we received from thousands of VR ONE users. It also meets the demands of an evolving VR industry and new platforms for immersive and interactive VR, such as Google Daydream.”
The VR ONE Plus will be on display at the E3 expo in Los Angeles until June16, in booth #501. Zeiss will be showcasing the VR ONE Plus alongside three innovative use cases for virtual reality, including:
- A new hidden object mobile VR game produced by Side-Kick that is based on the summer movie release Now You See Me 2.
- Integration with the DJI Inspire 1, which allows users to experience first-person views from the cockpit of their drone through virtual reality.
- A partnership with Dacuda that provides a mobile room-scale VR headset based on your smartphone. This plug and play Steam-enabled solution provides an immersive walking or sitting experience generally reserved only for high-end VR headsets, but at an affordable price point.
With thousands of Virtual Reality apps available to use with VR headsets, the VR ONE Plus can open the doors to explore Virtual Reality as new product visualization tool. One such example is the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R 360° app for Android and iOS, which offers users the opportunity to virtually experience a real-life panoramic race between World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea and his teammate Tom Sykes on the Portimão racetrack in Portugal, by virtually sitting on the new Ninja ZX-10R. Kawasaki launched the interactive 360° app, which was optimized for the ZEISS VR One and created by Innoactive, at EICMA 2015.
Another example of the use of VR headsets and the Zeiss VR ONE Plus for professional applications comes from Deutsche Bahn. The company integrated an interactive 360° app in their recruiting strategy in order to better visualize and present the company’s working processes and daily routines to potential job candidates. The Zeiss VR One optimized app contains a 360° App Player with Gaze Input and TV Mirror Technology, which were exclusively developed and implemented by Innoactive GmbH.
The DB HR 360° app aims to enhance the interest of working for the German railway company by visualizing internal processes to jobseekers and other potential applicants. Innoactive used state of the art technologies to capture 360° videos from various DB job positions. Based on the cross platform development with Unity 3D, users can select the scenery they want to have a closer look at by simply looking onto and thus activating virtual buttons.
With the original headset Zeiss launched a ZEISS VR ONE Cinema app which will, probably, be compatible with this version. The app enables you to enjoy your movies in an immersive environment with the lights off. According to Zeiss, you feel like you are sitting in a 3D movie theatre where you can look around and towards the screen where a video is being played. The VR ONE Cinema app features a simple and intuitive user interface where you can play/pause the current video or select other videos.
The VR ONE Plus will be available for purchase in-stores and online beginning in August, with an indicated price of $175.50. For more information on the VR ONE Plus, visit zeissvrone.tumblr.com.