Immersed Visor’s First Big Showing Heightened Concerns About Deliverability

The Immersed IRL event, which took place in Austin, Texas yesterday, was a significant moment for the company to showcase its upcoming headset and instill confidence in its ability to deliver on its ambitious promises. However, a flawed demo at the event may have had the opposite effect.

Guest Article by Eric Liga

Eric Liga is Chief Scientist at Net Edge VR, a Houston-based company specializing in the creation of VR training software. He has run the Houston VR Meetup for the past ten years, and was programming director for the Immersive Technology Conference, one of the first conferences to focus on uses of AR and VR in business and industry. He has given presentations about VR at NASA, the Translational Research Institute for Space Health, the Houston Global Health Collaborative Conference, and many other industry events.

Immersed IRL attracted attendees from all over the world. I found myself in line with pre-order customers from Japan and Canada, a journalist from England, and individuals from various states across the US, all eagerly anticipating the chance to experience the company’s upcoming Visor headset. Unfortunately, the long wait led to frustration and disappointment for most, although there was still hope that Immersed would deliver on its promises.

The Visor headset, developed by Immersed in collaboration with industry partners, aims to cater to the unique need for ‘desktop productivity’ in a VR environment. Unlike the Apple Vision Pro, which focuses on productivity but falls short in various aspects such as comfort and price, the Visor seeks to offer a lightweight, comfortable, and high-resolution alternative.

During the event, Immersed founder Renji Bijoy unveiled the final hardware design of the Visor, highlighting its lightweight nature (185 grams) and sleek form factor.

The Visor is designed to resemble oversized sunglasses from the front, making it discreet for public use. It features high-resolution screens capable of simulating up to five 4k monitors in a virtual workspace, and utilizes eye-tracking and hand tracking for interactions.

Priced at $400 (increasing to $500 after October 1st), the Visor requires a subscription to Immersed’s software, bringing the total cost to between $1,120 and $1,460. Despite the higher price compared to some competitors, the Visor offers a unique blend of features at a reasonable cost.

Despite the promising features of the Visor, the demo at the Immersed IRL event did not go as planned. Attendees were unable to experience the full capabilities of the headset due to technical issues, resulting in a less than ideal demonstration.

As the event concluded, concerns were raised about the readiness of the software and the delivery timeline of the Founders Edition headsets. While the potential of the Visor is evident, further development and testing are necessary to ensure a successful product launch.

As a cautious observer, I will be monitoring the progress of Immersed closely before making a decision to purchase the Visor. The company’s dedication to innovation is commendable, but the execution of their vision will be key to their success in the competitive VR market.