How to choose your Head Mounted Display based on your Sci-Fi /Anime preference..

So we have our tablets , our phones , our ageing consoles , and uber pcs recently made irrelevant by cloud services like onlive and Gaikai and Facebook apps and Angry Bird Farming sims ,but where do we go from here ? Well the personal viewing device is set to make another comeback ...


HMDs are THE thing right now , how do we know ? Because anything that is the next big thing in the world of tech is out of stock or still rumoured to be vaporware and or receiving lukewarm reviews from confused tech reviewers  . Seriously when Sony announced their HMZ T1 concept at CES earlier this year even they thought they had a niche product , but fans , groomed on tales of Panther Moderns , girls with killer nails called Molly and Rastafari in space stations  , fans who also may have a cat or hamster named Wintermute...well those fans have just booted the HMD revolution . For Sony this could be a potential Walkman moment . Other pioneers like siliconmicrodisplay and Carl Zeiss Optics are also enthralling and exciting would be cyberpunks bringing  transparent 1080p and lightweight 720p  portable headsets later this year and early next year. 


But this is not a tech review, for thegameveda has yet to receive a Sony HMZ T1 ... so till then I will ponder how one chooses ones HMD and it is astonishingly beautifully simple : You do it based on your favourite Anime/Scifi allegiance: 




1. Sir or Madam opts for the Sony HMZ T1 :the choice of the Star Trek , Ghost in the Shell  , and DaftPunk/Tron Fan

The Sony offering gets you a : 


HMZ-T1 Head Mounted Display

A personal cinematic home entertainment experience

Dual OLED HD screens, virtual 5.1 surround sound, TruBlack Display

Watch movies and games in High Definition 2D & 3D

Bright, clear, dual OLED screens

High contrast and clear images with TruBlack

Virtual 5.1 surround sound





First and foremost all fans of this fellow need this :

and taking a look at the unit itself , not only does it give you that Laforge vibe , it actually looks like a Start Trek next gen ship....

which is what clinched it for me :

looks just like my STO ship....


only now I get to wear it !

The ultra cool amongst you will immediately be thinking of the delectable Major  Motoko Kusanagi:









thanks to the HMZ T1 you can go back and play Ghost In the Shell on the PlayStation , just like Major Kusanagi ...just don`t let anyone see you do it! 


and then of course we come to the Daft Punk /Tron fans you need a Sony HMZ-T1 if your walls are adorned with anything resembling the following :

Now Sony`s is not the only HMD game in cyberspace 

2.The most interesting challenge to Sony`s personal viewer , is siliconmicrodisplay`s ST1080 with true 1080p, see through and it`s greatest difference to the Sony HMZ T1 is it`s mobility , it`s weight being just 180 grams , and it`s power coming from USB.

there is a caveat to the 1080p claim , as no console can actually play 3D games at 1080p you are in fact still locked to 720p for 3D and 2D console games . Also how the LCoS 10% see through display stacks up to the Sony OLEDs is going to be very interesting.  But for personal wearable computing fans this is going to be a boon. 

In fact all these devices really shine with the power of a PC connected to them . 


The ST1080 of course will be the choice of fans of this fellow

3.Last but not least we have the Carl Zeiss Cinemizer OLED 720p 3D Glasses also announced at the same time as the Sony HMZ T1 , but with a release date slipping to next year 


here is one lucky cyberpunk testing out a prototype





Like the ST1080 the Cinemizer 720P is portable and can work off battery. 


this will be the HMD choice for Doc Brown fans everyhwere :

All 3 of these products have been promised before Christmas 2011 , Sony has actually delivered  , we will find out how the siliconmicrodisplay launch goes on Dec 2nd , and there is still nothing on  the Carl Zeiss site about the cinemizer . 


At present the HMZ T1s are the hottest tech globally this side of Christmas , of course you could argue they are nearer prototypes than the usual slick finished article the Playstation and iPhone generation are used to . But  early adopters of these devices know this , and it is intriguing why Sony`s HMD is so bulky , and expensive compared to the promised price of the the ST1080 and the Cinemizer OLEDs . 


Even if the ST1080 and Cinemizer OLEDS launch this side of Christmas they will not be able to do so internationally.


At this point I would have to say the fact that Sony are behind the HMZ T1 , and actually have had the product out for over a month , and incidentally sold out, swings it for now . The ST1080 sounds great , but 10% see through , and no option for total immersion, plus the fact that a lot of content is going to be limited to 720p any way , and most importantly this is a first gen product from a new company ,already making promises of a 2nd gen product whilst yet to release a first gen one , to most people makes the Sony option the safe bet at present. Likewise no one has actually seen or used the Carl Zeiss cinemizer outside trade shows , the above video and one with some nice German girls demoing it , or should I say modelling it . 


I am weary of new start ups , and long term announcements of hardware that does not show up ,so I wait for the ST1080 December 2nd outing with a little trepidation. And you can google the Cinemizer OLEDs all you like at present and just find vaporware previews and hopes of fans ...


So it is great to see a company as large as Sony take a chance on something like this,bring it , confuse the old tech reviewers and manage to channel your inner cyberpunk , this is not going to be for everyone , but for those people that have already caused the HMZ T1 to sell out , it really is the gadget of the year . 


Preorder your Sony HMZ T1 from thegameveda ebay store

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2012 The Year of Living Dangerously with Head Mounted Displays .....

This summer thegameveda will suffer an elevated  risk of  walking into lamp posts , falling down manholes , as the head mounted display finally goes portable....and gets mounted to my head  and hopefully attached to  a Rasberry Pi dangling round my neck Medallion man style...  Count Zero eat your little cyberpunk heart out .. just wait all the K Pop bands will  be sporting them too in their viral videos ... 


For 2012 is set to be the year of the head mounted display , well it is if siliconmicrodisplay  who (finally) announced a tentative March pre order plan , for a hopeful May  delivery plan of their ST1080  , and Carl Zeiss Labs who are sending out invites to see their Cinemizer OLED HMD at CeBIT 2012 have their way. Not forgetting the Sony HMZ T1 which has been around since last November ...


Some argue that without an Apple iViewer  real HMD revolution is still some time off , but we have in a few months gone from the bulk and lack  of portability ( not forgetting availability) of the Sony HMZ T1 , to two soon to be here  portable consumer level HMDs.


The main reason to go for the HMZT1 is that Sony delivered on what they promised , and you can actually read a real review about one , but it is in no way the HMD dreamed of by the geek legion. They dare to dream of light weight glasses sized , HMDs with augmented reality features with onboard cameras. But then again neither are the ST1080 or the Cinemizer...


Sadly none of the 3 current HMDS from Sony , Carl Zeiss or siliconmicrodisplay will incorporate all the features you Johnny Mnemonic types want but then Johnny and Onno Sendai Decks are still science fiction aren't they  ? And in todays world your cyberpunk is more likely to be a part time chai walla  called Jamal and those Decks are more likely to come from Shinzen,  Chennai ,Bangalore or Mumbai than a fading Japan... missed that train Mr Gibson did'nt cha? Anyhoo ...


  Lets take a look at the pros cons and promises of all 3 HMDs...


The Sony HMZT1 

I have been using the Sony HMZ T1  for short 3D youtube video bursts and longer health damaging  gaming binges since December 2011. Currently Sony cannot make enough of them to supply demand  and when you get lost in one you can see why . It is a toy , a luxury toy but oh what a toy... 

The Sony HMZ T1  gives you a small cinemas worth of  amazing OLED picture quality and surprisingly well simulated 5.1 sound , with effect if not sound as good as my Astro A40 setup ( I have to justify my £300 A40s somehow..every day...), the 3D in films and games surpasses movie theatres and the finest 3d flat screens but the HMZT1 lacks portability and can be less comfortable than wearing a  Half Life Head Crab on heat, until that is you  find the correct fitting for your noggin.  The HMZT1  works effortlessly with your PlayStation 3  and Xbox 360 , as well as PC 3D video ( I can`t stop watching that Avatar 3D trailer).


There are actually  very few  3D enabled console games , you can count the good ones on one hand and if you start including Ubisofts Avatar and others you can probably include another handful for the moment..  :  I played Uncharted 3 , Crysis 2 , Wipeout HD , Killzone 3 , Ico Shadow of the Colossus testing out the stereoscopic 3D of this device , basically everything with 3D sticker has been played through by myself on the HMZT1 .. and you know what I found most astounding about this self contained cinema/ personal home theatre unit ? I found the 3d impressive on 3D games as expected . It basically comes down to you going oh that`s the bit that is meant to be 3d , when your character in Uncharted 3 is standing outside the background scene , or you gun appears "outside" the background  in Crysis 2 ...albeit without any cross talk which gives you another shot at justifying the expense to your other half...  .  But stow those negative waves soldier soldier , because the most amazing aspect of of the HMZT1 has nothing to do with its cross talk free stereoscopic 3D ....


The most interesting discovery I made using the HMZT1 is that it  excels in immersing you in non 3D enabled games including  First Person Shooters and RPGS ( yes Skyrim)  , like nothing else before. For example  I find myself playing the Battlefield 3 mission where you are trapped ( I have been stuck there for several months) in a mall expecting to be ambushed in the dark, hiding behind some sand bags looking down on the Mall floor and it  FEELS like you are there . With the weight of the ST1080 it feels like you are wearing (slightly uncomfortable ) Spec Ops night vision goggles and head set communication . I take out the lighting in the mall ,because that is what Sam Fisher or Snake would do, then I hit the night vision button on my joy pad I am totally there in that game world .  The illusion of immersion  being created not by fancy 3d stereoscopic fx but by a first in gaming wearing both your sound and video  ..like sitting really really really close to your plasma in the vacuum of space ,but you can hear people scream ( here in Farsi) , and it ruins your eyes too !..  Wearing the HMZT1 I am completely enveloped by the excellent 5.1 sound , the game world is inches from my eyes and is a large enough fov to create the illusion of being in the game world. I am  used to having gaming experiences enhanced by wearing surround headphones like Astro A40s ,and playing multi monitor pc games , but uniquely the HMZT1 manages is also to place you closer to the game world and visual queues that make you feel like you are a spec ops soldier with  night vision goggles strapped to your head .The criticism that you feel like the only person in the cinema when watching a movie becomes a boon when playing games , there are no obstructions or distractions to shatter the abject delusion that you ARE a spec ops soldier trapped in a bombed out shopping Mall in Iran with the fate of the world resting on your head (plus  the 600g or so of the HMZT1) , you are  just itching for something to go boom visually and sonically. Now you can get lost in play and there is no one that can walk across your field of view or distract you with screams of your house is on fire stop playing games and save yourself.... 


This is not full wrap around immersion , but it is a new experience for your now jaded core gamer .  Then let us consider Skyrim (this time on PC) , again just in normal 2D connected through HDMI you can set the res to the 1080p limit of HDMI , and suddenly you have a your  own OLED cinema screen playing the game of last year , with amazing colour depth and sound , that our 30 inch 2560 1600  cannot match. Again immersion is the thing that gets you.


Tolerance : using any HMD is going to take getting used to , the first day or so and after you will feel dizzy , your head may even ache a little , but after a few days I started to adjust and built up a tolerance , of course like all good things too much will damage you..


Harry Potters can rejoice as the HMZ T1  will accommodate your glasses quite well , in fact all my play tests were done whilst wearing glasses , handy as  the unit will not correct for myopia. 


For the film buff or console gamer the HMZ T1 is the HMD of choice , you are by nature harder to move than most mountain ranges , so sitting still or being rooted to one spot is actually going to a requirement for your dream HMD. Seriously with Sony`s backing this is the one to go for if you want a rock solid warranty and reliability. It is also the only proven HMD that has been released to wild and for some time , and I can confirm has refused to die over the last 3 months or so I have had it.  


Buy the Sony HMZ T1 from thegameveda ebay store now



Now we come to the future and promised HMDs,  the ST1080 and Cinemizer OLED originally hinted at around the same time as the Sony HMZ T1 was wowing tech journos.

The first thing to note is that neither Carl Zeiss or siliconmicrodisplay have delivered retail product , and you will not be experiencing either till May or June at the earliest.


The second thing to note is both are going to be portable , Carl Zeiss also has a proven record with HMDs , and of course legendary quality.

The Carl Zeiss Cinemizer promises the OLED quality of the HMZ T1 , in a more portable form  with head tracking but  without a camera or transparency for augmented reality , but with a wide range of inputs.  Both these come from established players , and they will be sold locally where ever you are , so warranty and return issues are not a problem , very important if you realise your shiny new HMD does not actually fit …


The Carl Zeiss is going to be €649 Euros , €749 with head tracking  

but the Achilles heal here is the 870 by 500 res with 30 degrees FOV , these are not 720p OLEDs and you are not going to push 1080p res PC desktops through them at the speed you can on the 720p HMZT1s with true 720p res , I can tell you Skyrim looks gorgeous through your HMZT1 not to mention sounding great too.

fascinating!

If you must have portability in your HMD , then there is another hope , but before we get to that check out Endgadget having a play around with a Carl Zeiss Cinemizer OLED not too long ago :

The siliconmicrodisplay ST1080 is the great hope of augmented reality portable HMD fans everywhere. It will not do 1080p at 60fps , it does not bring 5.1 sound , but our PCs and other devices can simulate that through stereo anyhow.  And you can get in the line right now for one . It will do 1080p natively , and do 3d at 720p with 10% transparent LCOS panels it can be used for augmented reality applications in a way the HMZT1 and Carl Zeiss Cinemizer cannot.  And it can connect to all your favourite gadgets too as you can see below...

Just got my pre order in for the ST1080  at $699 , for a May delivery , which is going to be a very liberating  month for me if it actually works !

The 160g weight of the ST1080 is also a great plus point for this promising device . But the thing  about startups is they seldom last past the first generation of tech they deliver , let`s hope  for the sake of our neck vertebrae that siliconmicrodisplay acutally deliver with this and promised 4k tech , or  I will be walking in to many a lamp post or tree,suffering from severe neck pain with my HMZT1 strapped to my head connected to my iPad 3 in my back pack  ... with a very long power cord ... hmmm may be I can plug it in at Starbucks an impress some impressionable Macolytes ...

Check back in May when I compare the HMZ T1 to the ST1080 .. for the me the Carl Zeiss Cinemizer is a non starter with too small a FOV and a res that even Vusix fans laugh at...

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Siliconmicrodisplay ST1080 Review part 2 : Working and playing connected to a Windows 8 Lenovo X220T

This post is being typed whilst wearing the ST1080 , with loud music blasted through my Astro A40s , right now I look the very picture of a cyber punk ...Count Zero eat your heart out..  or at the very least a Daft Punk .. Working connected to a Windows 8 Lenovo X220T  , this is a test of text sharpness , with a desktop resolution of 1920 1200 , native 1080p for console fans , the text really is razor sharp or as razor sharp as you are going to get this generation of HMDs.

a 5mp shot through the left viewer of the ST1080 at 1920 by 1200 ..impossible to photograph!

Eyes Strain : blogging like this is also a test of eye strain , and I can tell you that the ST1080 causes far less eye strain than the Sony HMZT1 .


The HMZT1 is one of my favourite toys , the equivalent of strapping a cinema to your head , Biff Tannen constantly tapping your forehead and shouting McFly , and your chiropractor rubbing his hands with glee as your neck and back problems pay for his mortgage coupled with a beyond cinema and 3d tv experience that is good for around 5 console games and maybe 10 films which you eventually will get bored of vomiting over for the nth time . PC gaming is enhanced too , you have never seen a picture as rich as the one the twin OLEDs of the HMZT1 can burn on your retinas , it is also most impressive when comparing non 3D games on HMZT1 and even your twin 5120 by 1600 30 incher setup . Skyrim looks so much better you will be screaming for 4k OLED monitors to arrive sooner than later , FPS games like Battlefield 3 immerse you like you are spec ops ,Sam , Gabe or our hero Snake with optics strapped to our head ... 


All great until you go to move your neck... This is where the ST1080 is a win win win and also in other ways too As I said the HMZT1 is beauty beyond Cinema , Console or your present PC display and I know that includes 2560 1600 displays too.. but there is a caveat to this the Sony makes your eyes work for this retinal orgasm ... and this is where the strain comes in , in fact this is where the near vomiting and dizziness comes in , after your first uses of the HMZT1. 


More significantly after you have played your 5 games , watched your 10 movies , frolicked in a technicolour Skyrim and paid your chiropractor bill for the privilege you want to do things , like use the HMD for a PC display , type this blog , mess with some augmented reality joojoo , and watch the digitally remastered Star Trek TOS  on your tv whilst looking through your HMD . As you can with the ST1080 ,  the promise of which  is cool , what it does to your brain and eyes I do not know ...yet ... looks like I will be funding  medical practitioners mortgages for the foreseeable future .. 


Still no pain no gain , the ST1080 is letting me type this without my eyes working as hard as they have to on the HMZT1 , if you have used one you pretty much know the 720p native resolution scaling of 1080i or p of a PC desktop is murder on PC text display or content creation. And the way the optics work you either get blurred text to the left or right of the screen , outside the sweetspot . The HMZT1 is the champion when it comes to black , and rich colour , great for movies , but it is really a single use awesome toy .. and something you could probably impress Major Monoko with ...if she were real..


The ST1080 is the first truly multipurpose HMD : Right now I am listening to the headphones of my choice, connected to the control unit , and not the hmd!  typing on a 1080p monitor weighing 160g, Biff has been banished , and like whoaah dude I am actually getting some work done . Opposite me my twin 30 inch LCDs , sit silent , think of the power your saving by not having to power those beasts.


Comfort  and every day use testing : 


ST1080 vs HMZT1 : Get off your horse AND drink your milk .. or dismounting as we likes to call it round these here parts...


I just took my ST1080 off , felt like switching to the headsets headphones and looking out my window .. Coming from using the HMZT1 this is Joy Fantastic..


With just one hand I can just lift the ST1080 off , with the HMZT1 you are basically strapped in for the duration , just go easy on the Double Diet Dew if you are using your Sony , or  you may have to reuse the bottle if you know what I mean , seriously lifting the ST1080 , is as easy as lifting off your NHS specs , not at all like doing the Half Life de-headcrabbing ritual you go through with the HMZT1.




ST1080 vs HMZT1 : Saddle up and ride your pony .. in seconds ... neither wind nor rain.. 


I just put my ST1080 back on .. in seconds , no locking in or adjusting straps , or yoga breathing or posturing to find that sweet spot again like you do with the HMZT1 


And I just took it off , and put it on .... oh look a tweety bird ... ok I put it back on now and we are back to the review . 


Unlike the HMZT1 which disengages you from your world , the ST1080 shines in keeping you in your real world whilst you are doing all your favourite PC or gaming chores , at any time with effortless jedi confidence you dismount the ST1080 , do mundane actual reality tasks and within seconds put the unit back on and get back to virtual or augmented reality ... just remember to take the headphones out of your ears or they will be pulled out as you whip the unit off !


ST1080 vs HMZT1 : Side by side , Top down  , back and forth tests 


No not 3D formats , I will come to that in a second but something even more essential .  


Whilst typing this entry and listening to loud music inches away from the rest of the world I have been bobbing my head to the music up down , left right , gentle Daft Punk style , side to side , generally doing the funky Gibbon and a little Mettallica before the orchestral accompaniment days.


The weight of the ST1080 means you can bob  your head ,channel your  Daft Punkability  and Head banging skillz , or other cool moves that Kanye , Will Smith or errh Cartman would ...


More importantly for your health , your natural head or neck movements are not impaired,


What this means for me  is the ST1080 is perfect for headbanging and perhaps that dream of HMD Holy Grail ... augmented reality and head tracking . Of course people tried this with Sony HMZT1 , but let me tell you .. well ok you get the picture .. on the other hand the ST1080  paired with some tiny giros or scanned from afar by cameras or kinect  will do rather nicely as a head tracking augmented reality device. 


ST1080 vs Sony HMZT1 : moving movie viewing beyond the Cinema 3D experience 


ST1080: The ST1080 has beyond Cinema 3D without the eye strain or neck /forehead pain of the Sony HMZT1 


OK so let's touch on the 3D , currently I am typing this from my Lenovo X220T , from which I watched lengthy parts of Avatar 3D , Transformers 3D  , and I can tell you the 3D side by side versions that I watched hit you right in the gut. All the floaty tree spirits are in full effect in Avatar , and the end battle of Transformers , brings the most awesome vertigo feeling . In fact the vertigo is better than the HMZT1 , of course the colour is not as rich as the OLEDS , but again your eyes are not worked as hard with the ST1080 . The most impressive 3D effects occurred when Optimus was battling the worm like Deceptacon as he charges through the screen you feel like you are being dragged along , you feel it in your gut , you also get great vertigo in Avatar too . 


Sony HMZT1 :  This has a beyond Cinema 3D experience with the richest colours you have ever seen , but makes your eyes work and pay , as well as your head and neck !


The HMZT1 has the most beautiful colour reproduction of any monitor I have , that colour alone makes it outshine my once ultra high res 30 inch PC LCDS .Skyrim looks so rich you just stand there and gaze , FPS games are so immersive you wait with glee for the next thing to go boom .. If only it were 1080p native , and had more 3D formats ( not only side by side . top/bottom, but frame packed ) and were as light and portable as the ST1080 and as cheap , and caused less pain and suffereing ... wait what am I talking about I already have that device ... the Silicon Micro Display ST1080 ... 


Get the virtual picture?  For a start up I am seriously impressed with the ST1080 . 


The box is designed to be portable , I would love for some third party to make a hard case for this , the HMZT1 of course comes in one of those giant boxes that look great under a Christmas tree but not something you want to carry or open and reclose on a direct basis . 


Set up : The ST1080 is aimed at a different audience , setup menus do not have the beauty of the Sony designed ones , the controls are off the unit which is cool as it took weight and bulk off the head set .  There is more assembly of the ST1080 , but come on you are pretty core if you are reading this so it wont phase you much. 


Problems : with the ST1080 I get some background interference hissing with the headset detachable headphones , not with with external headsets like my Astro A40s .  I believe this is interference related ,or my Kryptonian relatives trying to contact me ..again , I will have more info when SMD get back to me . 


Frankly you got to give it to SMD , they designed , marketed and delivered , in my case 2 units 3 days early . And as a result I am a little closer to being Count Zero  . 


Criticisms : OK so the lead that connects your headset to the control set is not that long , the HMZT1s is very. But then the ST1080 is meant to be portable  and for me I want to be wearing it connected to my Raspberry PI Streaming Windows 8 from my laptop through Splashtop on my new iPad whilst i sit atop the the Amazonian Jungle canopy ..listening to some suitably loud music , whilst scanning the flora and fauna through some LAYAR action thanks to the 10% transparency of the ST1080 


Right that will be my next test , now where did I put my passport?


more to follow and remember ... Bob you head !

And in the name of all that is Science repeat this test at your leisure ; you will of course require the following :

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Siliconmicrodisplay ST1080 Review part 3 : satiating the AV trollarmy , playing nice with the new iPad ,IOS, Windows 8 ,gyro and cameracontrol

Welcome to ST1080 club .. the first rule of ST1080 club is to get over the Sony HMZT1 . With the ST1080  we are dealing with technology that is in many ways beyond the HMZT1 . Frankly all the usage scenarios make it almost a completely different form factor  . Yet  people are expecting  comparisons , so as I own both I will strive to give you my honest opinions . In the real world you have money to spend on one of these so I make no apologies in being brutal about shortcomings of either.  


Und so part 3 of thegameveda ST1080 review designed to twist up the mellow of all those anal retentive av blog trolls continues irrepressibly ... 


Of course there is bound to be  some redoubtably enlightened smarter than the average soul reading this who has managed to shoe horn his Sony HMZT1 into a Pickernic Basket  and attached it to his bonce to make the pain and suffering of using it even less bearable . To you sir I say I salute your indefatigability and watch out for bears in the summer ... Let's get real here Sony saw vast amounts of returns due to the comfort and eye strain issues relating to the HMZT1 , I myself returned a unit with dead pixels , the one I use now is actually my 3rd ( received 5 months after the first was never replaced)  the Sony Centre I got mine from had almost every unit returned , and vowed never to stock or take pre orders for it ,  and we are all familiar with if the lines don't cross stop using this device immediately welcome message that greets you every time you turn it on...  I loved the concept of the HMZT1 , shame about the execution. 


And if you have to mod a $800 device you just bought to fit your head well... 


On a more serious point , siliconmicrodisplay have to market the ST1080 to reach beyond AV blog members like these, something which Sony did not. Outside dedicated AV blogs who is talking about the Sony HMZT1 6 months after launch? Who owns one ? Who owns one and uses it on a daily basis ? How many are selling right now on eBay?  From the get go you can see the brothers Jin have targeted and shipped to both corporate and private consumers . The ST1080 needs to reach the widest audience , and have the widest application base . This is smds shoe in to many industry  and consumer pies . The ST1080 is not just your dream head mounted display ( nothing is ) it is siliconmicrodisplays mission statement , they are here and the future can only get better. That future is going to be decided by casual and serious corporate use of their product , so you can sit there comparing blacks , whites , fovs , colour etc all you like ..There is a type of consumer that does only this ...  Today your  choice at present is a 720p Sony HMZT1  head crab that is largely single use , is no more portable than a pet Hippopotamus , but has the deepest black and richest colours yet seen , or a 160 g 1080p multi purpose  ST1080 that has so many uses I am going to be happily figuring them out for weeks or months to come..


Right now we have satiated peoples appetite for comparison to the HMZT1 ( for now ) , let us get to the not so serious issue of reviewing the ST1080 . Today we test the field of view . screen size , scaling , and more importantly ponder the question of  having attached a 1080p HMD to your PC how you actually go about typing , mousing , and tapping your shiny new iPad on a 100 inch screen with a 1920 1200 desktop . We also touch on input and augmented reality using the giro and camera of devices like the iPad in conjunction with the ST1080.


When last I wrote I was contemplating sitting atop the Amazonian Rainforest canopy hooking my ST1080 , to the new iPad ,messing with iOS Apps and streaming Windows 8 . 


Whilst some AV aficionados  would probably opt for some Unobtanium plated EMP  shielded HDMI cable ,  thegameveda opted to use Apple TV instead .  This nifty device lets you hook your Ipad up wireless to a display , in this case our ST1080 . 


Why? Well now you are free to use both the gyro,cameras and touch of the iPad without puling on leads. Although the Unobtanium Plated EMP shielded HDMI lead is probably cheaper than the Apple TV...


The first test I carried out was to stream Windows 8  , with a HMD  , anyone telling you the PC desktop display is as sharp as a monitor is lying . You will not be able to see text in the corners outside whatever sweet spot deal  your eyes form with the optics of the HMD . 


What streaming Windows 8 through splashtop on the iPad gives you is the ability to zoom in with touch any where on your 1920 1200 desktop , suddenly those icons , those clicks can become pixel perfect , you are no longer constrained by dragging a mouse on a desktop in your head mounted display . Having said that as I stated in my previous post text is far sharper on the ST1080 than the HMZT1 and you can see more of the flat desktop without blurring edges or having to do the one eyed Pirate Jack manoeuvre to chase a blurry icon or read the time in the corner of the desktop that you would sometimes with the HMZT1 . 


This is because the HMZT1 was designed as a personal film viewer first and head mounted display second. So when the screen is black and Transformers are exploding in a shower of sparks it is great , but take to some serious work and your head will be exploding ... yes even yours Mr Pickernic Basket.....all your ingenious modding will not turn a film viewer into a device you can actually work on. Square peg round hole...


So Windows 8 looks great whether streamed through your iPad or directly through your PC . The raw resolution of the ST1080 and its sensible design makes it a win if you ever want to do anything other than just watch 10 3d films over and over and over and over again.


And one of these things may be to hook up your Android or iOS device . Take the new iPad switching off Splashtop , I am out of Windows 8 and in seconds playing Skygamblers , the powerhouse show off app used to demo the new iPad . Now the ST1080 acts as your main monitor  , the iPad becomes your touch and gyro operated controller . And then it hits you , the scale of the screen is enormous . Playing Skygamblers on the retina display is cool , playing connected to large plasma is impressive , but playing it on a 100 inch res ST1080 hmd is jaw dropping . Flying over the cities you feel vertigo looking down , the fov seems larger than on the HMZT1 and you are controlling your plane with the gyro in the ipad tapping away to fire etc.  NOVA 3 , and 2 will also floor you  . They fill and scale to the entire screen of the ST1080 . Now sit yourself in a rotating chair and you are away , gyro heaven , as the ST1080 is light enough to let you . And the resolution is blinding . Just think when you have this hooked to the likes of Crysis 3 next year ! ( Sorry I shouldn't feed the trolls)


Of course you can also mess with all your other favourite IOS apps , many do not fill or scale to the entire screen , but those do not scale on tv output any way. 


The dream of many HMD fans is to pair gyro control with the head set , your wireless ( via Apple TV) iPad gives you a glimpse of that right now...


Another is augmented reality , because of the portability  of the ST1080 , you could easily use  your phone or iPads camera and LAYAR or GOOGLE GOGGLES for your augmented reality fun in fact , you can use the iPads camera to look behind you ! or of course just infront , move it around and your get a full view. With my light sabre in my right and the Ipad in the left I am as good against remotes as Luke ever was with the blast shield down  ... and the living well I see them too thanks to the wireless image beaming from the iPads camera to the ST1080... ok trolls this is a Star Wars reference Google it please ... 


All of this before we even take the back blind off ! Or my Raspberry Pi arrives... 


For those that are asking for a video review , this is pointless  , what exactly could anyone show you other than them sticking it on their face? The effectiveness of HMDS relies on the optics of the device working with your eyes , every one is different you may have a totally different experience . All reviews of such devices are therefore subjective , other than regurgitating statistics from the manufacturer every reviewer is going to have a different opinion . Simply put you have to try them for yourself . Right now the HMD is really a niche , early adopter device ,expect problems , like the first batch of HMZT1s had , par for the course but that is the price you pay to go on this journey of discovery .. there i go feeding the AV trolls again .... if you want statistics read the official site , if you need to know how these things feel , work and mess with you on a real basis from a real person then come back for part 4 where I finally dust off my PS3 Phat , Xbox 360 and some PC 3D gaming.. and yes of course I will be comparing it to the HMZT1 just for your Mr Pickernic Basket.....


To repeat this feat of daring do and annoy many an AV blog troll you will need the following :

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Siliconmicrodisplay ST1080 review part 4 : Kinect , Xbox 360 and PS3 game over?

Intrepid hmd fans when last we met thegameveda was waxing lyrical about wearing the ST1080 and swinging a light sabre , no this was not some childhood fantasy come good but a portent of how I would spend my 4th day of ST1080 ownership.


*Warning spaces may be left after or before punctuation to annoy blog Trolls ...


Today is the day I finally got round to testing console gaming . The more astute amongst you will of course notice my Xbox 360 is upside down in the above picture  , frankly I find it works better this way making less of a jet engine swallowing a herd of mooing cows noise than normal. You will also notice the Kinect sitting in the corner which will play a leading role in today's adventures with the ST1080.


Switching on the Xbox you will be surprised to be able to read every word of text and see every line ,word and icon . This 2d performance is most impressive when compared with the  Sony HMZT1 which makes you work to read text.


As a proud owner of a ST1080 you are going to want to set your Xbox to 1080p , and whilst in the settings you will see that the 360 detects the ST1080 as a 100" display.This is is also a good time to plug in your Kinect .


Naturlich I here you say... And now Minority Report fans we are controlling the 360 using the ST1080 display , hand waving and voice control, and you thought you would be using gloves... ahh those loveable Scientists ... ( yes I Trolls I know its! meant to be Scientologists)


To continue our cyberpunk antics we will resort to a little gaming sadomasochism by spinning the Star Wars Kinect game in the 360. Star Wars Kinect is the most disappointing Star Wars game in the history of Star Wars games, quite possibly the most disappointing game of all time.


However the Rancor stage does allow us to to test full body tracking , and as I turn my head wearing the ST1080 so does the Rancor ,and so does the image coming from the 360.It is not long before I am jumping stomping throwing clapping and generally trashing Mos Eisely all without anyone knowing what I am doing. The light weight of the ST1080 means I can do all this with only short term injury to my ego.


Next I tried the Pod racing stage , and this is very impressive with the ST1080s 100 inch screen size , of course it would be better if the game moved faster than a Sarlac Pits digestive system...


Lastly I tried the abysmal Jedi part of the game , why ..? because it is there ... and no the experience was not improved in any way whatsoever...


Now what I am really testing for here is the ability for us to wear the ST1080 whilst using something to monitor body movement not just head tracking.


And I can say because of the weight it is actually great , now all we need is a Kinect game that is worthy of the St1080 and wait ... the Kinect update for Skyrim is coming soon...


Test 2 on the Xbox 360 is the one that I found most immersing  and I am embarrassed to say it is from another kiddies game. The ST1080 gives you a 100 inch screen very close to you so the experience even with none 3D content can be close to the feeling you get with IMAX ,you know where the ones where they have you getting vertigo at the top of a roller coaster and then it plummets taking your lunch with it..On Kinect there is a game where you get this feeling all the time , no not Kinect ride but would you believe Disney Land Adventures. Playing the Peter Pan level and flying around the Houses of Parliament you get that amazing sense of vertigo ,and then you have the mine cart level to take care of your lunch. Again the weight of the ST1080 allows you get away with playing this Kinect game , using the HMZT1 in this situation is out of the question unless you sprinkle some fairy dust on it and think many happy thoughts of course..


The 1080p resolution also comes into it's own when you play a game with a detailed HUD display. The Sony HMZT1  struggles with such games , like it does with PC text. With the ST1080 I can see every detail and read very instrument and text read out on the HUD of a game like Ace combat 6 , toggle map displays and look around the fov without any distortion.This bodes well for flight sim fans.


Now let us turn to 3D gaming on the Xbox 360 : Halo Anniversary looks cool in 1080p none 3D as a full 100 inch screen stretches out before you. Switching to frame packing 3D turns the 100 inch into a box 60 by 30 inch . That is a lot of border , the experience is now like sitting at the back of a small cinema with massive black borders surrounding the screen. The 3D effect itself is awesome , beyond side by side that you see in games like Crysis 2. When the gun first pops into Masterchief's hands it really pops into your face.


Pop out effects are superior with the ST1080 , the HMZT1 has them too but it seems to blend the pop out back into the background image perphaps because of the lower res and richer colour range.


Try as I might I could not fool the 360 into scaling the output , the ST1080 itself could not scale the picture.


This is greatly disappointing , and occurs on a number of games across both the PS3 and Xbox 360 , ones that you are going to want to play and can do with more pain on the HMZT1 .


Halo Anniversary,Uncharted 3,Crysis 2,Kill Zone 3 all run as a small box in the centre of your ST1080 screen.


Trying to change 3D method does not help only frame packing and top bottom options are selectable . Even when you select side by side outside or inside the game the games revert to a small frame packed box.


Console 3D games run at a lower resolution and frame rate as the machines cannot handle higher Res 3D.The irony is the ST1080 can but because of the lack of scaling in software i.e. the games themselves and the ST1080 itself these games are frankly unplayable in 3D on the ST1080 .Until smd tell us how.


I was about to give up and go back to being a Rancor when I stumbled on Avatar the game , this is the first game that worked full screen using Side by Side 3D. And the effect is pretty amazing more effective than the film even, on console there is a frame rate drop but this is not the ST1080s fault.


I am going to have to contact smd about setting up 3D gaming on consoles.


At this stage I would recommend holding on to your Sony HMZT1 if you are into console 3D Gaming.


It is a shame because the weight , comfort , and 1080p res let you play a variety of games from jumping around with Kinect , to detailed none 3D games. Ones you could not play with comfort or without causing great discomfort on the Sony HMZT1.


If smd get back to me with a solution to the small box 3D game ST1080 problem I will update this part of the review. Quality wise the 3D is excellent it just needs to live in a box larger than just over a third of your 100 inch ST1080 display.

Silicon Micro Display ST1080 in hand and Vs the Sony HMZT1 Part 1: size matters

These are the fist pics and comparison of the now in my hands Silicon micro display ST1080 and the Sony HMZT1 

and as you can see it is tiny not much bigger than this phone .. 


even the box is tiny ... and it comes with excellent protective foam packaging : unlike the Sony HMZT1:

check out  more in the photobucket album for this here  or below I will update the album with more pics as I review the ST1080 , did I say review ? you know what I mean  .. .. 

we also have some video to compare the Sony HMZT1 and the siliconmicrodisplay ST1080 

Right I am off to actually turn the thing on and get some Diablo 3 , Skyrim , PS3 and 360 3D gaming and that old chestnut Avatar in 3 Dimensions tested and compared to the Sony Head Mounted Crab ZT1 


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now if only my Raspberry Pi would turn up soon I could get some real wearable computing action going all i need is a streaming app for the Pi to stream Windows 8 and I am good to go ..watch out lamp posts and pot holes ... wait one .. I can actually see through the ST1080 ..

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