3Glasses Blubur S2
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| 3Glasses Blubur S2 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | PC-Powered VR |
| Platform | Windows Mixed Reality |
| Developer | 3Glasses |
| Manufacturer | 3Glasses |
| Announcement Date | 19 December 2017[1] |
| Release Date | 2018 (pre-orders from 19 December 2017; shipping began February 2018)[2] |
| Price | CN¥3,998 (launch price in China, headset and a pair of motion controllers)[1] |
| Requires | Windows 10 PC; 3Glasses listed an Intel Core i5-7200U-class CPU, Intel HD Graphics 620-class graphics and 8 GB DDR3 memory as the entry-level configuration[1] |
| Predecessor | 3Glasses Blubur S1 |
| Display | |
| Display | Two LCD panels, one per eye; 706 PPI; response time ≤6 ms[3][4] |
| Resolution | 1440x1440 per-eye |
| Refresh Rate | 90 Hz |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 90° per eye (manufacturer figure)[3] |
| Horizontal FoV | 90° |
| Vertical FoV | 90° |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Fresnel lenses[4] |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| IPD Range | 60-63 mm (manual) |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | Inside-out tracking, 6DoF (two front-facing cameras)[2] |
| Audio | |
| Audio | 3.5 mm headset jack[4] |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | 4 m cable[3] |
| Ports | HDMI 2.0/1.4 x1, USB 3.0 x1[3] |
| Device | |
| Sensors | Proximity sensor[4] |
| Input | 6DoF motion controllers (Bluetooth), Cortana voice commands[3][2] |
3Glasses Blubur S2 is a virtual reality head-mounted display released in 2018. It was made by the Chinese company 3Glasses for Microsoft's Windows Mixed Reality platform and connects to a Windows 10 PC over HDMI and USB 3.0.[3][2] In Chinese the product is called 蓝珀S2. It has two 1440x1440 displays running at 90 Hz, inside-out tracking with two cameras on the front of the headset, and a pair of 6DoF motion controllers, so it needs no external base stations or tracking cameras.[1][2]
3Glasses announced the headset in Shenzhen on 19 December 2017 and opened pre-orders the same day at CN¥3,998 for the headset and controllers.[1] Consumer units shipped in February 2018.[2] It succeeded the 3Glasses Blubur S1, whose Windows Mixed Reality developer edition relied on a separate camera for tracking.[5]
History
Windows Mixed Reality partnership
At the Windows Hardware Engineering Community event (WinHEC) in Shenzhen in December 2016, Microsoft said that headsets from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo would arrive in 2017, and that 3Glasses would bring the Windows 10 experience to its S1 headset in the first half of 2017.[6] VR Tuoluo's report on the S2 launch in December 2017 described 3Glasses as the only VR start-up chosen as a first-wave Windows Mixed Reality headset partner alongside those five PC makers.[1]
The first product of this partnership was a Windows Mixed Reality edition of the Blubur S1. 3Glasses opened pre-orders for the Blubur S1 suite at Microsoft's Build conference in May 2017; the bundle included the headset, two 3Wand motion controllers and a 3Wand Camera for position tracking.[5] According to VR Tuoluo, the Blubur S1 Microsoft edition went on sale in August 2017, and the Blubur S2 consumer edition followed in December of that year.[7]
Announcement and release
3Glasses presented the Blubur S2 consumer edition at a product and strategy event in Shenzhen on 19 December 2017. The company said it had developed the headset together with Microsoft. At the same event it launched the 3Box A1, a small VR computer built on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, and a new "Cloud Launch" (云启) strategy meant to bring VR to more industries.[1][8][9]
Founder and CEO Wang Jie announced an official price of CN¥3,998 for one headset and one pair of motion controllers. Pre-orders opened on the 3Glasses website that day.[1] VR Tuoluo reported that consumer units began shipping in February 2018, and put the price at about US$600.[2]
Speaking to the press at the launch, Wang Jie described the S2 in terms that VR Tuoluo later quoted: "也许我们的产品没有很高的性能参数，但我希望我们是方便的，用户用起来顺手的。" ("Perhaps our product does not have very high performance specifications, but I hope it is convenient and easy for users to use.")[7] She also said that what set 3Glasses apart from the other hardware makers in Microsoft's program was its reach into the business market and the services it provided with its hardware.[2]
Design and hardware
Headset
The Blubur S2 follows Microsoft's Windows Mixed Reality hardware design specification. It is plug-and-play and needs no separate driver installation.[1] Two cameras on the front of the visor handle inside-out tracking, and the visor can be flipped up by 90° so the wearer can see the room without taking the headset off.[2][3]
The headset has two 1440x1440 displays (2880x1440 combined) with a pixel density of 706 PPI, a 90 Hz refresh rate and a panel response time of 6 ms or less.[3] ZOL's review identified the panels as LCD and the lenses as Fresnel lenses. 3Glasses gives the field of view as 90° per eye.[4][3] Inside the visor there is a proximity sensor, and the headset has rows of ventilation holes above and below.[4]
The S2 dropped the T-shaped strap of the S1 for a ring-shaped halo headband, a design ZOL compared with the PlayStation VR.[4] VR Tuoluo made the same comparison and wrote that the headband, tightened with a rear knob, puts the load on the forehead and the back of the head so that the face is not pressed.[2] The interior has enough room for users to wear glasses, and ZOL gave this as the reason the headset has no viewing distance adjustment.[4] The silicone face cushion is removable and washable.[3][4] ZOL wrote that, according to published information, the two S-series headsets weigh about the same, at more than 300 grams.[4] In VR Tuoluo's comparison, the S2 was noticeably smaller and lighter than the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.[2]
The headset connects through a 4 m cable to one HDMI port and one USB 3.0 port, compared with the DisplayPort and two USB connections of the S1.[3][4] The HDMI plug goes into the graphics card.[2] For audio the headset has a 3.5 mm jack for a headset with microphone, which also allows voice commands to Microsoft's Cortana assistant.[2][4]
Controllers
The S2 ships with two 6DoF motion controllers. Each has a trigger, a touchpad, a joystick, a menu button, a Windows button and a side button. The headset cameras track the controllers by the lights set into their front ends, and the controllers connect to the PC over Bluetooth.[2] Buyers had to supply their own AA batteries (two pairs) and, for PCs without built-in Bluetooth, a Bluetooth adapter.[2]
PC requirements
At launch 3Glasses said an Intel Core i5-7200U-class CPU, Intel HD Graphics 620-class graphics and 8 GB of DDR3 memory were enough for entry-level use.[1] Setup requires the latest version of Windows 10, and SteamVR games require SteamVR plus the Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR add-on.[2]
Specifications
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Display | Two LCD panels, one per eye[1][4] |
| Resolution | 1440x1440 per-eye[3] |
| Pixel density | 706 PPI[3] |
| Refresh Rate | 90 Hz[3] |
| Response time | ≤6 ms[3] |
| Field of View | 90° per eye (manufacturer figure)[3] |
| Optics | Fresnel lenses[4] |
| IPD Range | 60-63 mm (manual) |
| Tracking | Inside-out tracking, two front cameras; 6DoF headset and controllers[1][2] |
| Controllers | Two 6DoF motion controllers, Bluetooth, AA batteries[2] |
| Connection | HDMI 2.0/1.4 x1, USB 3.0 x1; 4 m cable[3] |
| Audio | 3.5 mm headset jack[4] |
| Other | 90° flip-up visor, proximity sensor[3][4] |
| Price | CN¥3,998 (launch price in China, headset and controllers)[1] |
Software and content
The headset uses the Windows Mixed Reality software built into Windows 10. Users enter the Mixed Reality Portal, a virtual home where they can pin apps, a browser, media players and their PC desktop to the walls.[2][3] The S2 has direct access to Microsoft's app store and also runs SteamVR content that supports Windows Mixed Reality. 3Glasses stated at launch that more than 20,000 applications were available across these stores, counting software tools and 2D and 3D videos and games.[1][3] The box also contained a coupon card for 3Glasses' own VRSHOW content platform.[2]
VR Tuoluo counted more than 120 VR videos, browsers, apps and games in the Windows Mixed Reality section of the Microsoft Store in early 2018, including Minecraft, Doom, Arizona Sunshine and Superhot VR, and more than 270 SteamVR titles that supported the headset.[2] ZOL repeated those figures in November 2018 and named Beat Saber among the supported SteamVR games.[4]
Reception
VR Tuoluo reviewed a consumer unit in March 2018. It found installation much simpler than for base-station headsets and the headset comfortable over more than two hours of play, with no noticeable heat. Tracking of the head and controllers felt almost free of latency, and the reviewer saw no controller drift while shooting in Serious Sam.[2] The reviewer's strongest impression was how much less dizziness the headset caused during both teleport and smooth locomotion. VR Tuoluo linked this to the dark vignette that appears around the view when moving in the Mixed Reality Portal.[2]
The same review listed several drawbacks. The screen door effect was still visible, especially in dark scenes such as Waltz of the Wizard. The 4 m cable could tangle during frequent turning, controllers lost accuracy when they left the cameras' view, and few games used all of the controller buttons.[2] VR Tuoluo also noted that the S2 cost more than other Windows Mixed Reality headsets, and concluded that it might struggle with consumers but was competitive for business customers once 3Glasses' services were included.[2]
ZOL's November 2018 review praised the halo headband, the simple setup and the image clarity. It saw some smearing during fast head turns, which it attributed to the LCD panels.[4] ZOL called the headset well suited to large-scale commercial deployment because it is easy to maintain and install and needs no external tracking hardware. It pointed to education, location-based entertainment, real estate and exhibitions as possible uses.[4]
Platform status
Microsoft has deprecated Windows Mixed Reality, the platform the Blubur S2 runs on, and removed it from Windows 11 version 24H2, together with the Mixed Reality Portal app and Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR. According to Microsoft, existing Windows Mixed Reality devices keep working with Steam through November 2026 on Windows 11 version 23H2. After that date the platform receives no further security updates, bug fixes or technical support.[10]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 "3Glasses发布Windows Mixed Reality头显蓝珀S2和迷你VR主机3Box A1，官网开放预售" (in Chinese). VR Tuoluo (VR陀螺). 2017-12-20. https://www.vrtuoluo.cn/508667.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 "【深度评测】3998元的3Glasses 蓝珀S2 MR头显值不值得买？" (in Chinese). VR Tuoluo (VR陀螺). 2018-03-01. https://www.vrtuoluo.cn/509371.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 "Blubur S2: Windows Mixed Reality Head Mounted Device". Fevaworks. 3Glasses. 2017. https://www.fevaworks.com/portal/site/images/3glassess2.pdf. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 Li Zeqing (李泽卿) (2018-11-08). "3Glasses 蓝珀S2评测：宜室宜家的VR多面手" (in Chinese). ZOL (中关村在线). https://m.zol.com.cn/article/7026617.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "3Glasses' Windows Mixed Reality headset pre-orders open, from $399 with motion controllers". Neowin. 2017-05-13. https://www.neowin.net/news/3glasses-windows-mixed-reality-headset-pre-orders-open-from-399-with-motion-controllers/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ Terry Myerson (2016-12-07). "Device innovation opportunities in mixed reality, gaming, and cellular PCs". Windows Experience Blog. Microsoft. https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2016/12/07/device-innovation-opportunities-mixed-reality-gaming-cellular-pcs/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "致敬「老兵」，王洁、中国VR和3Glasses的二十年" (in Chinese). VR Tuoluo (VR陀螺). 2021-12-21. https://www.vrtuoluo.cn/528435.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ Chen Kaiwen (陈凯文) (2017-12-19). "3Glasses 发布新头显和迷你 VR 主机，下一个三年 VR 何去何从？" (in Chinese). Shenzhenware (深圳湾). https://www.shenzhenware.com/articles/11983. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ Cang Jin (藏瑾) (2017-12-20). "洗牌年VR体验走向精品化 3Glasses"云启"战略推动应用落地" (in Chinese). 21st Century Business Herald (21财经). https://m.21jingji.com/article/20171220/84bd4f8e8d6217c5e872f4c435e94744.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Set up Windows Mixed Reality - Enthusiast Guide". Microsoft Learn. Microsoft. 2025-11-24. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/mixed-reality/enthusiast-guide/set-up-windows-mixed-reality. Retrieved 2026-09-27.