ZEISS announce VR One virtual reality headset and a dev contest
Zeiss, premium optical systems maker has announced their entry into Virtual Reality (VR) headset market with the launch of Zeiss VR One. VR One is similar to the headset that was designed by Samsung and Oculus where a Smartphone with a display size between 4.7” and 5.2” is inserted into the headset and start a VR application. At launch, Zeiss VR One will come with tray for Samsung Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6.
“Particularly as far as system openness and the price are concerned, the headset constitutes a smart solution. Our young team is gathering the feedback on its development potential from the VR community for further improvements,” says Dr. Markus Weber, Head of Corporate Research and Technology at ZEISS.
“ZEISS VR ONE is certainly not a core product of the ZEISS Group. However, it is fun and it represents our contribution to the usefulness of Virtual Reality apps. Including the free Software Development Kit (SDK), a freely available operating concept and solution for accelerated head tracking, ZEISS VR ONE offers a broad foundation for future apps.”, said, Andreas Klavehn, Product Manager.
From applications side, Media Launcher app and Cinema app will be available at launch. ZEISS will be running a contest from now till 16 February 2015, inviting developers to create innovative and creative applications. Developers can take part in the contest by signing up from here. The first 25 members submitting a qualified application will get a ZEISS VR One headset. Those who win the content though will get iPhone 6 and VR One headset while runner up will get ZEISS TERRA ED binoculars and VR One headset.
Contest timeline
- Contest start date: December 2nd, 2014
- Closing date for submission of entries: February 16th, 2015
- Jury deliberations: End of February 2015
- Announcement of winners: End of February/ beginning of March 2015
