Bigscreen says Beyond's Audio Strap accessory will start shipping in August.
Bigscreen Beyond is an ultra-compact and ultra-light SteamVR headset designed to enable truly comfortable long duration PC-based VR sessions. The headset comes with a simple cloth strap and no built-in audio. It doesn't even have a headphone jack, though it does have a USB-C port which can be used for audio devices.
When launching Beyond last year the startup also took preorders for a $130 upgraded rigid strap with built-in speakers called the Audio Strap, which it said would launch in late 2023. After missing that timeline, earlier this year it estimated shipping in June. Now, Bigscreen says Audio Strap mass production is set to begin on July 29.
The startup says the latest delay is due to a supplier of a subcomponent. It anticipates the earliest Audio Strap orders will ship in mid-August, with all existing preorders shipped by the end of October, almost a year later than the original estimate.
For the headset itself, Bigscreen says while it hasn't been able to meet the 1-2 week delivery time it announced in May, it anticipates being able to ship within 1 week from mid-August, around the same time the Audio Strap starts shipping.
Interestingly, it warns that orders from customers with an IPD between 55-58mm should ship earlier than wider IPDs.
The difficulty in shipping comes from the fact that each Bigscreen Beyond is customized for the buyer's face and eyes instead of being adjustable, based on an iPhone 3D face scan provided when ordering. This is partially why the headset is so compact, and makes production much more complex than other headsets.
Ian Hamilton
