Reddit mentions of Sony HMZ-T1 Personal 3D Viewer

Microdisplays used to be the go-to technology for head-mounted displays in the olden days, before the Rift DK1 and its precursors came along. I own an eMagin Z800 3DVisor and a Sony HMZ-T1 (BTW, anybody wants to buy one of these, PM me), and they are both pretty bad. FoV on both is around 40° diagonal.

The issue are the complex optics required to get a large FoV from a tiny screen.

I used to be skeptical of microdisplay HMDs for that reason, but it turns out, optical technology is evolving as well. eMagin demonstrated a prototype HMD using 2k x 2k microdisplays about 18 months ago, with an advertised FoV of 80° x 80°, and I didn't believe it until I tried it myself. While clearly a prototype (no blue! bad head tracking!), the display quality was already very good, and the angular resolution way past what's provided by Vive and Rift.

The trick is that eMagin use a clever way to fold the light path of the required complex optics in on itself to make them small enough to fit into a comfortable HMD. Basically, light is polarized one way, goes straight through a curved half-mirror, bounces of another mirror that rotates polarization by 90°, and then bounces back off the first mirror and straight through the second one for a large degree of angular magnification with little geometric distortion and chromatic aberration. Didn't see that coming. More details are in this patent, dug up by /u/frankenberrylives and reported here by /u/FredzL.

i assume you're talking about this ... https://www.amazon.com/Sony-HMZ-T1-Personal-3D-Viewer/dp/B005LDY0KC

never bought one .. as they were (and still are) insanely expensive ... and they're not even 'VR' just 3D.

I did put a link in my answer for a used Sony HMZ-T1 at $350, here is a more direct link :
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B005LDY0KC/ref=dp_olp_used

Sony HMZ-T1 Personal 3D Viewer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LDY0KC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MaZSybJJJJA9D

I dunno that looks a lot like the PSVR more than the rift to me

There are two high resolution screens in the rift that are specifically customized for the device. Along with a microphone, headphones, optics, ergonomic casing, ir-tracking camera, remote, Xbox one controller, and two free games. ALL of which were designed and crafted from the ground up specifically for a virtual reality experience. They aren't off the shelf products that were duct-taped together, everything was implemented carefully for the best product. $600 is more than reasonable it just isn't what they had been hinting at in the past. You can be upset that they were wrong about their original price range but please do not act like this is not a great deal still.

For reference here is the closest thing to virtual reality we would have today if Oculus didn't exist. More expensive and far far worse in comparison.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LDY0KC/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687542&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00FNJGJN0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1R5FD86F9X00Y6X4P3AJ

So lets say that I have one of these and one of these... who wants to try an experiment?

It's still being sold for that price.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HMZ-T1-Personal-3D-Viewer/dp/B005LDY0KC

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HMZ-T1-Personal-3D-Viewer/dp/B005LDY0KC

Carmack did get game developer support rolling though, but HMDs themselves were all ready sold & inevitable despite what Palmer implies.

Ok, but remember the last [HMD Sony sold was priced at $800] (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HMZ-T1-Personal-3D-Viewer/dp/B005LDY0KC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451947571&sr=8-1&keywords=sony+hmz-t1) and didn't have half the functionality that PSVR does.

I don't think there is though. The other Sony HMD is awesome but it is super expensive

That requires a different type of headset, sony has one.

Sony HMZ-T1 Personal 3D Viewer

The Sony HMZ-T2 is an upgraded 3D version, I don't think this one is in the US yet.