Varjo Unveils XR-4 Series Mixed-Reality Headset with Advanced Features

Varjo, a Finnish startup specializing in virtual and mixed-reality headsets, has unveiled its latest mixed-reality (MR) headset, offering advanced features like inside-out tracking and a gaze-driven autofocus camera. In comparison to the Apple Vision Pro, Varjo's new headset boasts higher resolution and incorporates a multifocal passthrough camera, making it challenging to differentiate between mixed and actual reality. The XR-4 series headsets feature a 50% wider field of view with a 120-degree viewing angle, double the brightness of the previous generation, and two 4K displays with a resolution of 51 pixels per degree, totaling 28 million pixels across both eyes.

One standout feature is the dual 20MP gaze-tracking autofocus camera setup, working alongside LiDAR to precisely track the wearer's eye movements, enhancing video pass-through capabilities. The XR-4 series also includes integrated speakers with DTS 3D spatial audio support and noise-canceling microphones. Primarily designed for enterprise users who desire the real world in the foreground and virtual reality in the background, the headset is powered by Nvidia's graphics processing units and integrated with Nvidia Omniverse, allowing real-time rendering of photorealistic scenes and the use of ray tracing in mixed reality.

Although the new headset doesn't function as a standalone product, it comes with built-in controllers developed in collaboration with Razer. Varjo's software ecosystem already supports over 100 third-party PC applications and popular 3D engines like Unreal Engine 5 and Unity. Targeting enterprise users, the XR4-series starts at $3,990, slightly higher than Apple's Vision Pro at $3,499. The gaze-driven Secure edition, equipped with multifocal cameras optimized for pilot training, is priced at $9,990. Varjo, with years of experience manufacturing high-end mixed-reality headsets for enterprises since 2016, might have a competitive advantage over Apple, which has reportedly faced production challenges due to design complexities.