Hopeful standalone VR/AR newcomer, the Lynx R1, will cost $499 to pre-order when it hits Kickstarter later this month.
The French startup confirmed the news this week in a new video you can see below. The campaign will launch in later September, though Lynx hasn’t revealed its campaign goals. We also don’t know when it ships other than sometime next year, or what you’ll get in the box, though Lynx doesn’t have its own controllers to pair with the device. You’ll be able to pre-order a special edition version of the headset which has a transparent front face. You can sign up to be notified of the launch here.
Lynx R1 Price Revealed
We’ve remained cautiously optimistic about this headset, which uses the same Snapdragon XR2 processor found in Oculus Quest 2 & HTC’s Vive Focus 3, since news broke in July that it was being redesigned to sell for “a few hundred dollars”. While $499 might be more than some were expecting, it’s still low for a standalone VR headset.
Lynx plans to subsidize the low cost of the consumer model with a cut from selling apps on its own app store and B2B sales. That said, $499 still puts the device at $200 more than the 128GB model of the Oculus Quest 2.
The kit also includes dual 1600×1600 LCD panels running at 90Hz with independent lens separation adjustment and supports hand tracking from Ultraleap. It will also support the upcoming FinchShift controllers and can connect to a PC with a USB-C cable to play SteamVR titles, and it’s compatible with OpenXR.
When it comes to AR, the kit uses two high-resolution color cameras for passthrough. The Oculus Quest 2 only uses low-resolution black and white images.
We’ll definitely be interested to see how the R1 performs with its lofty promises. Check back later in the month for more coverage of the device. What do you make of the Lynx R1 price? Let us know in the comments below!
