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Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

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Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#21

Post by kanetw »

survirtual wrote: post #20
kanetw wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're using Shopify and it's up on my end. Looks like George somehow added a www. -- the URL is https://shop.simulavr.com

My mistake, okay. Edit: standalone is ~$2k. At these kinds of prices, will have to wait it out and see if they can deliver. The price has to come down somehow to make this more readily available / accelerate use.

We have a headset-only version priced at $2k. This is roughly comparable to other higher end headsets on the market and includes AR cameras

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#22

Post by 999900000999 »

georgewsinger wrote: post #14
999900000999 wrote: post #2

The pricing is absolutely nuts. If it was $1,000 or so, maybe I'd be open to trying it, But at nearly 3K there's no way I'm risking that much money. If your company goes bankrupt tomorrow, and the headset bricks itself, I'd have no recourse. At the same time, I hope you're able to raise funding or something and get the cost down to $1,000. I would absolutely love to have an open source VR headset.

I understand your concerns about pricing. We made a post earlier this year discussing why our expenses are so high.[1] TLDR: Low economies of scale and high launch costs. With that said, our pricing and specs are still competitive with ultra-premium VR headsets and premium office laptops (which we have essentially combined into one unit). We also have a pricing option to reserve a headset with a partial deposit: pay…

>(Q4 '22/Q1 '23 target)

We'll talk when it actually ships.

You do understand 3k is a ton of money right ? The other issue is even if I did pre order , the second you miss a release date I'd file a charge back.

Get too many charge backs and payment processors will stop accepting orders for you.

To be honest it would make more sense to develop an ultra cheap option, anything 1k or less, and you'll find people ready to take a risk. You might still get in trouble if you miss your ship date though.

You can buy an HTC Vive for 800$, and a PI4 for 60$. Where is the other 2k in markup coming from ?

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#23

Post by georgewsinger »

Freaken wrote: post #9

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).

We pushed hard on our specs; I appreciate you noticing =] We actually compared the Simula One to the Framework Professional Edition in an earlier post, so the comparison is apt.[1] We have also created a $100 discount code ("DISCOUNT_HN") for this thread to help out somewhat on the price.[2]

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29923197 [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30441454

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#24

Post by survirtual »

kanetw wrote: post #21
survirtual wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My mistake, okay. Edit: standalone is ~$2k. At these kinds of prices, will have to wait it out and see if they can deliver. The price has to come down somehow to make this more readily available / accelerate use.

We have a headset-only version priced at $2k. This is roughly comparable to other higher end headsets on the market and includes AR cameras

I get it, making something like this isn’t cheap. I hope you can pull it off, VR computing is the dream.

I would say this might necessitate an investor injecting liquidity and selling the headset below margins to generate a community initially, while also putting manufacturing pressure on you all to find creative ways to lower cost without compromising quality.

Hate to say it, but at $2k min for a tethered device, I would just go with a Quest for $300 or a Hololens for $3000.

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#26

Post by ianai »

georgewsinger wrote: post #18
ianai wrote: post #10

Is the computer in the headset? Why? (!!!) Looks like a great way to cause your neck muscles to spasm horribly painfully. If I were designing these, they’d either be completely transparent so AR or the headset would be only the LCD and maybe sensors.

The compute pack is detachable, but leaving it in the back of the headset is good for front/rear balance. Most gaming headsets on the market today are very front-weight biased. Our headset supports an "AR Mode" with two front-facing high-res RGB cameras.

Did you consult any physiologists? Anyone who knows what’s acceptable to those muscles? There’s a reason eye glasses use lightweight materials. Then all the various treatments to make the lenses visually clear and comfortable.

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#27

Post by georgewsinger »

DIVx0 wrote: post #16

This is a really interesting project I hope it succeeds and future iterations are either more affordable OR gains so much traction that its easy to justify the cost. At this price point I could only talk myself into it if the Simula was my primary computer which I think I'd have a hard time using it as such. Anyway, I am probably one amongst many who are watching this space waiting for experience reports and emerging…

Thanks for your support. Though our goal is for people to replace their PCs/Laptops with VR Computers as their primary computing device, we recognize this is a tall order and will require a lot of hard work and proof over time for people to see that they're actually better.

We're expecting review units to be available in a few months.

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#28

Post by Chris2048 »

999900000999 wrote: post #22
georgewsinger wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand your concerns about pricing. We made a post earlier this year discussing why our expenses are so high.[1] TLDR: Low economies of scale and high launch costs. With that said, our pricing and specs are still competitive with ultra-premium VR headsets and premium office laptops (which we have essentially combined into one unit). We also have a pricing option to reserve a headset with a partial deposit: pay…

>(Q4 '22/Q1 '23 target) We'll talk when it actually ships. You do understand 3k is a ton of money right ? The other issue is even if I did pre order , the second you miss a release date I'd file a charge back. Get too many charge backs and payment processors will stop accepting orders for you. To be honest it would make more sense to develop an ultra cheap option, anything 1k or less, and you'll find people ready to…

This would be my concern too. The special sauce is in the integration of camera, headset and custom distro (much like remarkable is great because of the polish/software, not the hardware), but it's hard to see how this works, or if the Simula is practical, until you get it and try.

Is the experience seamless, does the display ever lag or cause nausea (I've had this before in VR envs) - does it get better/worse with long-term usage. Can you see via the cameras clearly enough that you never need take the headset off, even in the given "café" scenario? Is the headset comfortable enough for long-term use as a monitor replacement - does it get hot or sweaty?

As such, I'll wait for the reviews..

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#29

Post by blah_humbug »

>From Iron Man to The Minority Report, our Sci-Fi has been promising us for decades a future of always-on spatial computing and omnipresent screens. This is the Future we deserve.

Assuming that this is serious and not parody, then you have a very different vision of a utopian future than I do.

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#30

Post by survirtual »

Freaken wrote: post #9

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).

The standalone tethered headset is $2k — that makes it a significantly higher price than other options, especially given the risk involved.

It has amazing specs, but $2k for a tethered headset is way too high. It needs to be below $1000 for the tethered, bring your own compute option.

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