Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

Hi HN, My name is George, and I am helping build an office focused VR headset called the “Simula One”. It was discussed recently here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28695455. We have just opened our store for preorders (https://shop.simulavr.com), so that we and our backers can help people replace their old PCs/laptops with more capable VR headsets.

We call our headset a “VR Computer” (or a “VRC”) to distinguish it from gaming headsets. When Simula was founded, most people thought the future of VR was in games & entertainment. The truth is that VR offers a superior way for performing knowledge work, but until now there haven’t been dedicated VR computing devices available on the market. While existing headsets are optimized for gaming, ours is optimized for productivity: it features bleeding edge high-resolution displays, has a detachable compute pack with specs comparable to a premium office laptop (x86 architecture), and runs a VR specialized Linux distro optimized for clear text.

VRCs offer several advantages over Laptops & PCs: they provide unlimited screens of any size, improve work focus & immersion, are usable outdoors (no laptop glare), improve privacy (no one around you can snoop your screen), and their compact design frees up desk space. They also promote better posture and freedom of movement: with a VR computer you can change positions, sit up, lean back, stand, lie down, or even walk while you compute.

Our project started out as an open-source VR window manager (https://github.com/SimulaVR/Simula), which you can try out today on the Valve Index or HTC Vive. It's built over Drew Devault's wlroots and the Godot game engine. Once our compositor became relatively stable, we ran into the issue of “no other manufacturer wanted to offer us Linux support” (thinking there was no market for something so niche, I imagine?). So we decided to build our own =] We are happy to answer any question (technical or otherwise) about our project.

Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer
shop.simulavr.com

George, I'm very interested in your product, but I can only afford such a computer every few years. If I knew that I would receive it and it would work as advertised with reasonable warranty service, I would go ahead and pre-order. But as a startup in a notoriously fragile area, it isn't clear that you can deliver.

Can you give me any information that would increase my confidence, or is this something that you would instead recommend to someone who can afford a speculative bet?

Shop server looks down.

The cost is too high for even high-paid engineers. Are these hand-built?

The URL has www. at the start by accident.

I see people have issues with the price tag, and while it is by no mean cheap, since it's actually a full blown computer AND a VR headset all in one, it is somewhat justified. The computer specs match my Framework laptop and the headset is, on paper, on par or better than other high-end VR headsets (and a miles ahead of my Meta Quest 2 and other consumer-grade VR headsets).