Lenovo Explorer Mixed Reality Headset
A FRESH LOOK AT AR AND VR — WITH HELP FROM MICROSOFT.
ALMOST TWO YEARS after the release of the Vive and Rift, the PC finds itself playing second fiddle to the Sony PSVR. The console upstart accounts for 49% of the market, with 21% going to the Rift and 16% to the roomscale HTC Vive. The last 14% is claimed by largely wire-free options, which many expect to represent the future of the tech.
The Lenovo Explorer is something of an evolutionary oddity, straddling the moves made by the first-gen headsets and the untethered second-gen models. The hardware specs for the Explorer put in a good show against those first headsets, supporting a higher native res, and the option of augmenting the real with the virtual, but it still relies on a long cable plugged into your graphics card.
The most important aspect for any VR headset is the quality of the image, and the Explorer is a mixed bag. The ‘screen door’ effect that was evident on the first generation models is still there, but not as obvious, and the added clarity of the higher-resolution 1,440 x 1,440 displays is welcome. We did have a problem getting the image focused perfectly in both eyes at the same time, though.
At 380g, the headset is light and comfortable in use, but the foam cushioning around the visor introduces subtle movements when you move your head, which causes blurring of the image. The immersion isn’t ideal either, because the screens are small, which gives a general feeling that you’re experiencing these virtual worlds through a diving mask, rather than actually being in the world. There are headsets that try to improve the field of view problem, and using the Explorer, we can see why the industry is eyeing up such a move.
Like the first-gen headsets, the Explorer lacks audio playback, so it’s a case of BYO headphones — an argument understandable in theory, but in practice, it means there are even more wires and clutter to hinder and rob that immersive experience. The fact that the just-announced Vive Pro integrates audio into the headset is a good sign of where design in this genre of tech needs to go.
You’re going to need a relatively kick-ass machine to get the most from this headset — you’ll need a modern graphics card — although the reliance on Bluetooth 4.0 indicates that this is a platform aimed at laptop users more than high-end desktops.
The controllers themselves work well, and feel good in hand. And while, initially, knowing where the various buttons and thumbsticks are is a little tricky, a couple of hours in, it’s all very natural. The Lenovo Explorer supports room-scale VR without relying on Lighthouses, too, and from our experience, it works well, although you do need a good square metre or so of space to use it properly.
There is another, potentially bigger, problem for Lenovo, though — nearly two years after the release of the original HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, there’s still no killer app. There simply isn’t a convincing reason to buy into VR. Windows Mixed Reality does scatter a few more apps into the mix, but there’s nothing meaty enough to have us recommending you rush out and buy one. There’s also the nagging feeling that traditional gaming isn’t the best use of VR’s capabilities. This is backed up by the fact that it’s individual experiences that stand out most — a whale swimming alongside you or the feeling of vertigo. It’s here that the Mixed Reality angle, and Microsoft’s more educationally savvy offerings, could produce that much-needed killer app. We’re happy to hope something good can be born out of Microsoft getting in on the game, but it hasn’t emerged just yet.
The HTC Vive was released at about $999, and the Oculus Rift can be bought for US$450 (approximately $590), so the fact that the Lenovo Explorer is available from $799 is to be commended. However, the market needs to move on even faster, and while a positive step, we expect even more to get the PC back on top. At this point, that’s going to require a revolution, rather than this subtle evolution.