The Android Vision Pro 😯 Play For Dream MR First Look (8K Mixed Reality)
This is the Play For Dream MR, the world’s first Android-based Spatial Computer and the most advanced MR headset I’ve tried so far. This device functions as a theater screen, a computer, game console, and 3D camera. As someone who often works in VR and experiences Mixed Reality on a day to day basis, what I do love about Mixed Reality is being able to have a screen in front of me as big as I want it to be, even a cinema-sized screen for work and gaming. But, this headset goes beyond that in terms of specs or features.
Case in point, this already supports pinning virtual objects in your living space, something which other brands have announced but not yet implemented. The screens are also next level, featuring Micro-OLED with 8K resolution, 27 million pixels at 3882 PPI, with 45 PPD in the center, almost double that of any headset I’ve used before. With this, you can project up to a screen size of 1000 inches for a big-screen movie experience, with 7.1-channel DTS:X audio. Watching 3D movies and spatial videos captured from the headset’s dual-32MP 3D cameras is an amazing experience. The tiny pixels make these videos look extra realistic, even lifelike.
When I try this in person, the pass-through image is much smoother than what I use at home. The tiny pixels and there's no warping when waving my hand in front of the lenses make it feel very natural. It’s so natural that I feel comfortable walking around with it on my head. In terms of comfort, the headset is a very compact one that hugs closely to your face, so it doesn’t feel heavy. It has an internal battery that provides one hour of use, but Play For Dream supplies an external powerbank that extends the battery life to three hours when plugged into the headset.
For user input, it’s got a pair of controllers with a pretty standard button layout including two trigger buttons and thumbsticks on each side. It supports MR, VR, and flatscreen games. Aside from the app store, you can run games from Steam directly from your PC, offering many VR or MR titles to choose from. In this demo, I played ping pong and this fighting game, both running internally off the headset. The tracking was smooth and responsive, though it didn’t help my extremely poor hand eye coordination. It turns out that if I’m terrible at sports in real life, I’m equally terrible at sports in MR. Everything checks out!
The Play For Dream headset is excellent for gaming in MR or VR, assuming you enjoy gaming. From my point of view, having tried this headset, it works just as well for productivity. The screen is sharp, and you can have up to 5 spatial screens in front of you, beamed wirelessly from your PC or laptop.
Additionally, in terms of the specs, the Play For Dream headset runs on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip, one generation ahead of the Meta Quest 3’s XR2 Gen 2. It features 16GB of RAM and Up to 1 Terabyte of storage. For camera and sensors, it boasts 11 high-performance cameras, 7 types of sensors, and 22 infrared LEDs that provide precise and efficient tracking, with video-see-through latency as low as 14ms. In mixed reality, it feels more natural, experiencing the world around you in real time through the cameras.
Moreover, its dual-32MP 3D cameras allow you to capture spatial pictures and videos handsfree, directly from your perspective. When viewing through the headset, it’s not just a regular flat picture, there’s depth of field, making the shots look more realistic. You can even enlarge them for a more immersive experience.
Another interesting feature about this headset is it’s the only one that has its own AI Assistant, XiaoHu. According to the press release, XiaoHu handles searches, music composition, translation, and precise voice control, all operates using simple commands. I didn’t have much experience with XiaoHu, so I can’t really comment on her performance, but I believe more headsets should have their own AI Assistant like this one from Play For Dream.
Its own AI Assistant - XiaoHu.
Therefore, this is the Play For Dream MR headset. I encourage you guys to try it. It’ll be available in Singapore and Malaysia from October, with following launches in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan in 2025. Retail price at USD1X99.
