Strapping a computer to my skull doesn’t sound like a good idea…
AMD has announced the Sulon Q, its own VR/AR headset to rival the Rift, Vive, and PlayStation VR.
The Sulon Q aims to fix one of the big problems with the current headsets available: miles and miles of cords that people hilariously fall over. By sticking a dedicated computer to the back of the strap, the Sulon Q is potentially the first cordless high-end VR headset to be unveiled.
The headset has a 2560×1440 resolution – larger than the Rift and the Vive -, a 90Hz refresh rate for both screens, and an FOV of 110 degrees. Most of that sounds pretty similar to the competition, but what isn’t the same is the PC strapped to the back.
The Sulon Q will be running an AMD FX-8800P processor, Radeon R7 graphics, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD pre-installed with Windows 10 to stick your games on. It’s not the highest of high-ends, but it is crammed onto a small pack on the back strap, which makes it kind of cool.
While it’s impressive, that PC is also the bit that concerns me. As the Rift and Vive offload the processing to your computer, your VR experience’s quality is directly linked to the strength of your PC, which can be gradually upgraded as time goes on.
The Sulon Q relies on its own hardware, so what happens two years from now when it can’t handle modern games? Do you just buy another one? The hardware’s integrated, which means upgrading will be tricky, and so the Sulon Q feels like a very short-term investment compared to the others. Maybe they can just sell replaceable computer packs?
Either way, AMD has yet to announce a price range or release date for the Sulon Q. They are, however, aiming to launch by the middle of this year, so it won’t be long until our questions are answered.
AMD-powered Sulon Q VR headset is a wireless Oculus Rift rival [TechRadar]
