https://simulavr.com/blog/why-is-the-simula-one-so-expensive/ [logo_light] [logo_dark_] Blog FAQ Hiring Why is the Simula One so expensive? 9 minute read -- 2022-01-13 -- George Singer -- #update --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 What is the Simula One? The Simula One headset is a VRC ("VR Computer"). To us, VRCs are a new category of computing device (alongside PCs & laptops) which allow people to get stuff done. [PC_laptop_] Since we are attempting to create a new product category (the "VR Computer"), it can be hard to situate it against other products fairly. There aren't, as far as we know, any other VR Computers available in the market right now (even Windows VR Computers), though there are some standalone AR headsets (HoloLens) which might fairly be called "AR Computers", and of course there are many premium laptops and gaming headsets too. Until VRCs become more prevalent, we think we should be compared against all of these different things (gaming headsets, premium laptops, and standalone AR devices) when consumers evaluate our price. 2 Why is the Simula One so expensive? [SV1_VRC_pr] First, let's call a spade a spade: the Simula One is an expensive, early adopter product. From our perspective, it has been really hard to get a hardware product off the ground with a small team, zero economies of scale, and no interested institutional backers. We decided early on that, given the cards we were dealt, it's better to build a premium headset with a high price than to build a shitty headset with a low price. This is because lower-end VR technology (e.g. the Quest 2) is simply not good enough for someone wanting to work several hours per day in a VR Computer instead of their laptop -- even if most people don't realize this yet. So our plan has been to charge a high/breakeven price for our first headset iteration, then lower it during future iterations as we build a better operation. With all that said, the Simula One, as priced today, is still reasonably competitive against other premium office laptops and ultra-premium (high PPD) VR/AR gaming headsets. Roughly speaking, we're offering a headset as good as the tethered Varjo Aero (priced at $2K), with a premium-spec computer as good as a top-shelf Lenovo X1 Carbon bolted on as well (making up for the remaining $799 in price). Of course, working in VR is better than working on a traditional laptop (like an X1 Carbon) because it provides unlimited screens and better work immersion. But we won't lie and say there are zero tradeoffs in choosing the Simula One over more traditional options (e.g., long lead times and lower battery life due to the resource-intensive nature of VR). Below, we make these tradeoffs as clear as possible, so you can make an informed choice about whether working in a VRC is right for you at this stage in its S-curve. [Simula_One] 3 Simula One vs. Premium Laptops While the Simula One can be used as premium gaming VR device in tethered mode, it is primarily designed to replace laptops & PCs with a completely different computing experience. So here is how our VRC compares with some other premium laptops in specs and price: Framework Simula One ThinkPad X1 Carbon Laptop Gen 9 Intel (14") (Professional Edition) [SV1_render] [thinkpad_X] [framework_] Price $2,799 Kickstarter $3,409 MSRP $1,999 MSRP Price; $3,500 MSRP Manufacturer SimulaVR Lenovo Framework Platform [tux_thumbn] [Windows_lo] [Windows_lo] Windows 10 Pro Windows 10 Linux (default OS) Pro (default OS) Type of VR Computer (VRC) Laptop Computer Laptop Headset Computer PPD 35.5 [1] N/A N/A 1920 x 1200 14" 2256x1504 Resolution 2448x2448 per eye single screen 13.5" single screen Refresh Rate 90 hz 60 Hz 60 Hz Speakers Microphone 3.5mm Audio Jack 1 USB4/Thunderbolt 4; Thunderbolt(tm) 4 Customizable Ports 3-4 USB3.2 Gen 2 via power input; (USB-C / USB-C with DisplayPort Thunderbolt 4; USB-A) alt mode USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 x 2 Video DisplayPort 1.4a, USB Customizable Connection 3 HDMI (HDMI / DisplayPort) WiFi Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi 6 WiFi 6 with vPro Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.2 Bluetooth 5.2 Bluetooth 5.2 Chipset Integrated Integrated Integrated CPU i7-1165G7 Processor i7-1165G7 Processor Intel(r) Core(tm) i7-1185G7 GPU Iris Xe graphics Intel Iris Xe Intel Iris Xe Graphics Graphics Memory 16 GB 16 GB 32 GB Storage 1 TB 1 TB 1 TB SD Card Slot TBD Customizable (Micro SD) Battery Life TBD (EST: 3-4 hours) 15 hours 10-11 hours 4 Simula One vs. Gaming VR Headsets Simula's headset itself is also very premium: the combination of our high-resolution displays and sophisticated optics provide a higher PPD experience than any other portable VR headset on the market. We emphasize this because PPD is the most important metric when evaluating a VR Computer (even more important than raw display resolution!), since it ultimately determines how crisp text and other fine details will appear. We could have easily cut headset costs by sacrificing on PPD, but we decided it was too important to VR Computing adoption to half-ass on, so we leaned towards a premium experience. [PPD] With that in mind, here is how the Simula One compares to other VR gaming headsets in the market: Simula One Varjo Aero Valve Index Oculus Quest (Tethered) (Tethered) 2 [SV1_render] [Varjo_Aero] [Valve_Inde] [Quest2_thu] $1,999 Tethered-Only $299 ($799 w/ Price Price; $2,799 $1,990 $1,000 o Facebook Full Price login) (Kickstarter) Platform [tux_thumbn] [varjo_thum] [SteamVR_lo] [Meta_logo_] Oculus Home, Varjo / SteamVR Linux SteamVR SteamVR (Facebook account required) Tethered Tethered Gaming/ Type of VR Computer Gaming/ Gaming/ Entertainment Headset (VRC) Entertainment Entertainment Device Device Device PPD 35.5 35 11.07 20.58 Resolution 2448x2448 per 2880x2720 per 1440x1600 per 1832x1920 per eye eye eye eye Refresh 90 hz 90 Hz 144 Hz 120 Hz Rate Field of 100deg 115deg 107deg 89deg View horizontal; horizontal; horizontal; horizontal; 100deg vertical 104deg vertical 93deg vertical Passthrough Dual wide-angle Dual 960x960 Grayscale via Cameras high-resolution N/A passthrough tracking RGB cameras cameras cameras 58-68 mm 55mm-77mm 57-73 mm (hardware hardware hardware 58-70 mm adjustable); IPD Range adjustable adjustable hardware 3 fixed IPD (automatic as (automatic) adjustable settings: stretch goal) 58mm, 63mm, 68mm 5 Simula One vs. Standalone AR Headsets As mentioned above: there are no other VR Computers (even Windows VR Computers!) to compare the Simula One to, but there are some comparable AR headsets out there that we can compare ourselves to. Here is how we stack up: Simula One HoloLens 2 Magic Leap 1 [SV1_render] [HoloLens2_] [MagicLeap1] Price $2,799 Kickstarter $3,500 $2,295 Price; $3,500 MSRP Platform [tux_thumbn] [Windows_lo] [MagicLeap_] Linux Windows Mixed LumenOS (Android Reality Based) Originally Gaming/ Type of VR Computer (VRC) AR Computer Entertainment; now Headset has "Enterprise Solutions" Resolution 2448x2448 per eye 1440x936 per 1280x960 per eye eye PPD 35.5 [2] 20 PPD 30 (measured) [3] Refresh 90 hz 60 Hz 122 Hz Rate 43deg 40deg horizonal; 30deg Field of 100deg horizontal; vertical; 50deg View 29deg vertical; diagonal 52deg diagonal Dual wide-angle Native Native passthrough, Passthrough high-resolution RGB passthrough, 1080p camera @ cameras IMP camera @ 30fps 30fps Integrated Integrated stereo Speakers stereo speakers speakers Microphone 3.5mm Audio Jack 1 USB4/Thunderbolt 4; Ports 3-4 USB3.2 Gen 2 via USB Type-C USB Type-C USB-C with DisplayPort alt mode Video DisplayPort 1.4a, USB Connection 3 WiFi Wi-Fi 6 WiFi 5 WiFi 5 802.11a/g/b/ (802.11ac 2x2) n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.2 Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 4.2 Chipset Integrated Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 Octa-core Kryo CPU i7-1165G7 Processor 385 (4x 2.96 NVIDIA(r) Parker SOC GHz, 4 x 1.8 CPU GHz) GPU Iris Xe graphics Adreno 630 NVIDIA Pascal(tm) Memory 16 GB 4 GB 8 GB Storage 1 TB 64 GB 128 GB SD Card TBD Slot Battery TBD (EST: 3-4 hours) 3 hours 3 hours Life [1] See https://kguttag.com/2020/07/08/ hololens-2-display-evaluation-part-2-comparison-to-hololens-1/ for calculation of the Hololens' PPD. 6 How to get a Simula One If you're reasonably sure you want to purchase a headset, and you'd like to be notified an hour before the campaign starts (to maximize chances of getting early discounts), add your email to our new "Early Kickstarter Backers" list: [early_kick] And if you'd like to support us in other ways: 1. Share. Follow us on Twitter and share our campaign to your followers! 2. Discuss. If you have questions about our headset, you can check out /r/simulavr and our Discord. 3. Join. If you're interested in joining our team, send resumes over to info@simulavr.com. We will start hiring for positions in February, and are looking for talented electrical, mechanical, and software engineers. [logo_stack] [logo_stack] * Product * FAQ * Links * GitHub * Discord * Twitter * YouTube * Company * About * Hiring * Contact Get weekly product updates from SimulaVR [ ] Subscribe for weekly product updates