The Lynx R1 is the first commercially available mixed reality headset to come out of the French start-up, but already it has some eye-catching attributes.
Primarily, the untethered R1 comes with Qualcomm’s powerful, 5G compatible, Snapdragon XR2 chip, allowing it to operate as a self-contained standalone unit, that offers 6DoF inside-out tracking, in addition to the now standard eye and hand tracking.
Dual LCD 1600 x 1600 90Hz displays leave it lagging somewhat behind competitor HMD from Varjo and VRgineers, but its cheaper price point and freedom from an external player might throw-up some interesting discussions in workflows where ultimate clarity is not the key driver.
Unique to the Lynx R1 are its ‘four-fold catadioptric freeform prism’ lenses. While they look to have quite a chunky build, the design gives a 90 degree circular view, and allow them to be fitted closer to the LCD panels.
The four hours of battery life sounds like a lot for a piece of untethered hardware running under its own steam, but with 6 GB of LPDDR5 memory and 128 GB of onboard storage there’s a lot to look forward to testing.
Interestingly, the Lynx R-1 connects using Wifi 6, but also has a USB-C port that can be used to add a 5G modem and further unleash that Snapdragon XR2 chip, or to add an additional sensor for more custom projects.
Lynx add that the R1 is compatible with third party 3DoF and 6 DoF controllers, and it will be announcing technology partners soon, although its development appears to have been at least initially focussed for use with Unity3D.
Click here to read our latest VR, AR and MR news, features and reviews
