At CES 2011, Sony introduced the 3D Head Mounted Display -- a conceptual prototype visor, which looked like it came straight out of Tron: Legacy. At the time, Sony said it had no plans to bring the product to retail, but now, eight months later, the futuristic headgear is back with a new name, a slightly revised design, and a confirmed 2011 release. But first, a little background: Sony is now calling the device the Personal 3D Viewer, or HMZ-T1, and is expected to hit stores in the U.S. by the end of the year for the price of roughly $799. As we saw at CES, the headset sports dual 720p HD OLED displays, which deliver both 2D and 3D video, along with an integrated pair of simulated 5.1 surround sound headphones.



While the concept of a visor-style headset is nothing new, the promise of the HMZ-T1 is, in essence, the immersive 3D experience. With a dedicated 0.7-inch OLED display for each eye, the headset provides a clear stereoscopic image without the need for layering the right and left images together on one display.


The headset can connect to any number of HDMI-enabled devices via a wired processing box, but Sony is focusing on its applications for gaming and Blu-ray playback.


For my demo, Sony set up the HMZ-T1 with a racing wheel and PlayStation 3 playing Gran Turismo 5.


Fitting the device to fit my head was relatively simple. Unlike at CES, where the HMZ-T1 had to be held up to your face, the design now has an adjustable plastic framework that holds it in place. Much to my surprise, the headset fit my gigantic head well, and was seemingly capable of being adjusted for noggins of any variety.


Once on, the process of adjusting the orientation to capture the best viewing angle begins. While the viewer works well for users with glasses, there is definitely a period where I was altering the way the headset rested on my face in small increments to get a clear, unhindered image.


After a minute or two, I found my sweet spot and I was ready to start playing, but then came the issue of having to feel around for the correct buttons on the racing wheel. While the HMZ-T1 has a tight fit around the top that blocks all light, theres a small cutaway on the bottom that affords a sliver of peripheral vision.


After clearing the tedious setup process, however, the HMZ-T1 is actually extremely effective as a head-mounted viewer.


Its bound to be likened to the Virtual Boy and other failed VR headsets, but the technology Sony is using with the HMZ-T1 is obviously far more advanced.


First, Sony has optimized the integrated lenses to give users a wide 45-degree view, eliminating much of the borders surrounding the integrated OLED displays. Within the context of Gran Turismo 5, instead of looking at what appears to be a tiny screen at the end of the visor, the HMZ-T1 gives players a much larger, almost wrap-around view of the race track or in-car perspective.


With dual 720p OLED screens, Sony is also using far more advanced display technology than previous VR-style headsets. Instead of presenting users with a low-resolution, low-fidelity visuals, the HMZ-T1 actually rivals a full-sized HDTV in terms of picture quality.


The quality of the dual OLED displays also makes 3D particularly effective. Since you're presented with a dedicated display for each of your left and right eye -- and because they are high-quality OLED screens -- the unsavory effects of stereoscopic video, like blurring, ghosting, and eye strain, are reduced.


As for the integrated simulated 5.1 surround sound headphones, I was unable to really get a sense of the headset's performance in terms of directional audio, especially when listening to the roar of a car's engine in Gran Turismo 5, but Sony says that the HMZ-T1 has a dedicated game mode, which boosts the spatial separation of channels for games like competitive shooters.


Despite providing great visuals and audio, the viewer is still likely to be viewed as an impractical luxury, especially for the price of $799. Its also somewhat impractical for gaming. Though not particularly heavy, the HMZ-T1 will definitely start to weigh down on you during lengthy gaming sessions, and the isolation it creates can be a bit of a sensory overload.


But there's definitely potential for growth for the concept. Right now the HMZ-T1 is a wired solution, which forces you to stay within a fairly small range of the processing unit. If, however, Sony were to make it wireless and leverage either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity for incoming video, it could be great for travel. Even then, however, Sony would have to make it far more affordable if they want to make a splash with consumers.

Source: http://uk.gear.ign.com/articles/119/1191759p1.html

Posted: Aug 31, 2011 1:24 pm