A pricey mixed-reality headset

Canon MREAL S1. © Canon Marketing Japan Inc.

In late February, Canon is to release a mixed reality headset marketed mainly to corporations. Called MREAL S1, it’ll sell for 4 million yen (about CAD49,000). The price includes the unit, software, a portable PC that the unit connects to via Thunderbolt 3, and support. Like the HoloLens, the headset integrates virtual elements into the physical environment, but, unlike Microsoft’s headset, it does not use an optical system to superimpose 3D objects onto the environment. With the MREAL S1, the real world is recorded by a CMOS sensor and combined with 3D objects in real time on a powerful PC. The resulting images are shown on the headset display. Canon’s new headset is much smaller and lighter than its previous mixed reality devices, weighing in at 338g, or 142g less than the Canon MREAL MD-20. Canon says that the headset is stable and comfortable when worn, even with the head bowed, and that it is easy to attach, detach and adjust. It also flips up easily to let the user quickly check their real surroundings. The announcement comes at the same time as rumours that Apple is developing its own virtual/augmented reality headset, also a high-end product, but more affordable and targeted to the general public.

⇨ YouTube, “MREAL S1紹介動画【キヤノン公式.”

⇨ PetaPixel, Jaron Schneider, “Canon to Release $38,400 ‘Mixed Reality’ Headset.”

2021-01-27