A new reality

As Mr Ogley says, Sennheiser’s AMBEO AR One headphones have been developed for spatial computing creators and developers, with an initial focus on the long-awaited Magic Leap One headset (above), which was finally revealed at an event in October, after investment purported to top US$2bn. Magic Leap didn’t exhibit at CES themselves, so Sennheiser’s booth was the one of the few places at the Vegas show where you could try what is currently a ‘Creator Edition’of Magic Leap. The CES demonstration used Sennheiser’s AMBEO Augmented Audio Lab app to control the level of AR versus natural sound, while the Magic Leap One headset visualised sounds as balls of coloured pulsing energy which users could capture, grab, position, loop and manipulate.

The AMBEO AR One headset bears a marked resemblance to the consumer AMBEO headphones we’ve previously reviewed (avhub. com.au/amb), with the addition of a slider on the control lozenge to adjust the ‘Transparent Hearing’ mix of VR-to-external sound with three level options. The headphones connect to the video headset using a 3.5mm minijack plug.

Reports of the Magic Leap One Creator Edition headset itself have been generally positive, with a notable increase in resolution to remove the pixellated screen-door effect and often soft imagery delivered by lesser headsets, which have always for us limited VR immersion. It’s certainly a coup for Sennheiser to be so deeply involved with the Magic Leap team, though there’s no guarantee the headset will reach critical mass among a competitive field, which includes the Nreal Light mixed reality (MR) glasses demonstrated at CES by a former Magic Leap employee, and considered by some tech reporters to deliver a lighter, neater solution.

The Magic Leap One Creator Edition headset has been made available in limited markets for US$2295. We await pricing and availability on Sennheiser’s AMBEO AR One. More information: http://sennheiser-ambeo.com/arone