Panasonic subsidiary Shiftall announced a new MeganeX superlight PC VR headset.
The original Shiftall MeganeX was first teased at CES 2022, and at CES 2023 the company announced it would ship that year for $1700. But while a small number of units have shipped in Japan, the headset has yet to launch in the US at all.
In the time since, the MeganeX’s promise of an ultra-compact PC VR headset with OLED microdisplays has been delivered by a competitor instead, Bigscreen Beyond, for a lower price of $1000.
David Heaney
Despite this, at CES 2024 this year Shiftall announced a new version of the headset, MeganeX superlight.
Like the original MeganeX, the new MeganeX superlight is tethered to a PC running SteamVR via a 3 meter cable, and features a slim design enabled by 2560×2560 HDR OLED microdisplays.
The improvement in superlight is its weight. Shiftall says it’s 50% lighter, down to 200 grams from around 400 grams. This is enabled by the use of new all-plastic lenses, with no glass element.
But while the original MeganeX offered both camera-based inside out tracking or SteamVR Tracking via base stations, the new superlight model lacks any cameras and requires Valve’s tracking system.
Shiftall hasn’t announced a price yet, but claims MeganeX superlight will ship this year. Given the company’s track record, however, that claim should be taken with some skepticism.
