Campfire Headset
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| Campfire Headset | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Augmented Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | AR Glasses |
| Developer | Campfire |
| Announcement Date | 27 April 2021 |
| Release Date | 16 May 2023 (Pioneer Edition, in the Campsite Starter Kit; United States, United Kingdom and European Union) |
| Price | US$15,000 per year for the Campsite Starter Kit (two headsets, Packs and Consoles, one Studio Console and five enterprise user licenses) at the May 2023 launch; Moor Insights & Strategy described this as the first-year price, followed by US$1,500 per seat per year; not priced individually |
| Website | https://campfire3d.com/ |
| Versions | Pioneer Edition |
| Requires | Windows 10 or later PC with a VR-ready discrete GPU and a Thunderbolt 3 port |
| Display | |
| Display | Two displays (left and right) reflecting off the inner surface of the visor |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1440 |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 92° diagonal |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Reflective visor; attachable opaque visor for VR use |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | Inside-out, with the tabletop Campfire Console as reference |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | Thunderbolt 3 cable (USB-C connector) to a Windows PC |
| Device | |
| Input | Campfire Pack (smartphone attachment) |
Campfire Headset is an augmented reality head-mounted display released in 2023. It was developed by Campfire, a San Mateo, California company, as part of a system for reviewing and discussing 3D design models with colleagues in the same room or in other locations.[1] The headset is tethered to a Windows PC, has a 92-degree diagonal field of view, and can be switched from AR to virtual reality use by attaching an opaque visor.[2] It works together with three other pieces of Campfire hardware: the tabletop Console, the floor-mat Studio Console and the Pack, a clip-on attachment that turns a smartphone into a controller. Campfire called the whole set its holographic collaboration system; the company behind the Campfire trademark is Campfire 3D, Inc.[3]
The design is based on intellectual property from the defunct Meta Company, maker of the Meta 2 AR headset.[4][5] Campfire announced the headset in April 2021 and first made it commercially available in May 2023, as the "Pioneer Edition" inside a subscription starter kit for enterprise teams.[6][7] From November 2023 Campfire's software also ran on third-party headsets such as the Meta Quest 3, and the company's current plans list only third-party devices, with no Campfire hardware.[8][9]
History
Origins in Meta Company
The Meta Company ran out of funding in 2018. In December 2018 the venture capital firm OTV set up a company named Meta View to buy and commercialize the intellectual property Meta had developed, and that company later became Campfire.[10] Jon Peddie Research described the acquired assets as including "a significant patent portfolio".[11] AEC Magazine wrote that the purchase covered Meta's AR headset design and more than 60 patents.[12] OTV recruited Jay Wright, a former Qualcomm executive and president of Vuforia at PTC, as chief executive in May 2019.[10]
Road to VR noted that the headset's optics resemble those of the Meta AR headset, and reported that the Campfire headset is directly based on patents acquired when Meta "ran aground back in 2019".[4] In an interview with UploadVR, Wright attributed Meta's failure to a lack of focus and said Campfire would concentrate on one problem: professionals viewing 3D models from their existing workflows. The company told UploadVR that it was not relying on a developer ecosystem and did not offer an SDK.[5]
Announcement and early access
Campfire came out of stealth on 27 April 2021 with the headset, a tracking and anchor device called the Console, a smartphone controller attachment called the Pack, and two applications, Scenes and Viewer. It announced a seed round of more than $8 million from OTV, Kli Capital, Tuesday Capital and others, named the design firm frog as a development partner, and opened a "Pioneer Program" for early access. The company said the system rested on more than 60 patents and that detailed technical specifications would be released only under non-disclosure agreements until launch.[1] At that point the company had fewer than 15 employees.[10] Pricing was not announced; Campfire said the system would be sold as a subscription, with commercial availability targeted for fall 2021.[4][5] Every version of the headset that Moor Insights & Strategy tried that spring was a fully functional 3D-printed prototype.[13]
In July 2021 Campfire announced public demo days at frog studios in Brooklyn (14 July), Austin (11 August) and San Francisco (8 September), still describing commercial availability as targeted for that fall.[14] The launch slipped. When Campfire introduced the floor-based Studio Console at AWE USA 2022 on 1 June 2022, the headset was still in early access, with commercial shipments targeted for the fourth quarter of 2022. The company said hundreds of companies had applied for early access, from aerospace, apparel, automotive and retail among other sectors, and by then it cited more than 70 patents.[2][15]
Commercial release
On 16 May 2023 Campfire announced the availability of its holographic collaboration system: a rebuilt multi-platform Campfire App for Windows 10 and later PCs, Macs and iPads, and the headset, which was sold only inside the Campsite Starter Kit.[3][6] The release described the headset as "the world's highest fidelity AR for meetings that require face-to-face communication".[3] According to Moor Insights & Strategy, the kit contains five enterprise app user licenses, two headsets with Packs and Consoles, and one Studio Console. It costs $15,000 for the first year and $1,500 per seat per year after that, and was initially sold only in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union through Campfire's website. The kit uses the Pioneer Edition of the headset, which Moor Insights & Strategy said kept the same wide field of view and was pre-certified for Dell Precision workstations with Thunderbolt 3.[7] Campfire said the kit could be set up in less than an hour, and that the launch followed two years of work with customers; companies in aerospace, automotive, medical devices, retail and apparel had given feedback through its Early Access Program.[3]
The Campfire App itself moved to a freemium model and runs on Windows PCs, Macs and iPads without the headset.[7] At AWE 2023 the company also showed the app running in mixed reality on the Meta Quest Pro.[7][16] In September 2023 Campfire announced that its app would come to the Meta Quest 3 through the Meta Quest Store from 1 November 2023.[8]
Support for third-party headsets
In June 2024 Campfire said its customer base had grown more than fiftyfold since the Quest 3 version arrived, which the company attributed to better usability than earlier devices, and announced a native app for the Apple Vision Pro planned for that fall.[17][18] Campfire's hardware web page was still online in September 2024, offering the Campsite Starter Kit with Pioneer Edition headsets at $15,000 a year.[19]
Design and hardware
The headset produces its image from two separate displays, one for each eye, whose light reflects off the inner surface of the visor to form a stereo image.[10] MIXED described this mirror arrangement as a comparatively simple optical design whose advantage is a large 92-degree field of view.[20] Campfire said the field of view was four times that of the Microsoft HoloLens 2 and wider than that of the Magic Leap 2.[16] In its hands-on report published on the day of the announcement, Freethink set the 92 degrees against 52 degrees for the HoloLens 2 and 50 degrees for the Magic Leap 1.[21] Because the visor is see-through, wearers keep their peripheral vision and can see colleagues and their surroundings.[10][2] Campfire's product page said the headset is worn on top of the user's glasses and gave the visual density as 22.5 pixels per degree.[19]
Moor Insights & Strategy reported a resolution of 2560 x 1440 and a 60 Hz refresh rate. It described the headset as using inside-out tracking without any RGB cameras, which it said could suit defense customers wary of camera-based tracking, and wrote that the system uses the tabletop Console for tracking. Magnetically attached lenses switch the headset between translucent (AR) and opaque (VR) use.[13] Freethink noted that the opaque visors are meant for dark or black content, and that in this VR mode the real surroundings remain visible at the edges of the view, unlike in fully enclosed headsets.[21] The Ghost Howls, reporting from AWE 2023, also gave the visual density as 22.5 pixels per degree.[22]
The headset has no onboard computer. Rendering is done by a discrete GPU in a Windows PC, connected through a Thunderbolt 3 port with a USB-C connector.[10] Later materials specified a Windows PC with a "VR-ready" GPU and certification with Dell Precision workstations, and MIXED reported that the headset ships with a three-meter Thunderbolt 3 cable.[2][16] Campfire's product page listed the requirement as Dell Precision workstations with Thunderbolt 3 running Windows 10 or later.[19] Moor Insights & Strategy wrote that the wired connection supplies the power and reliability professional users need.[13]
Console and Pack
The Console is a cross-shaped device that, according to Road to VR, appears to work both as a tracker for the headset and as a shared origin point so that remote participants see the same model in the same place.[4] Campfire said it "acts like a holographic projector" joining together remote users.[1] UploadVR described it as an X-shaped reference point with the 3D content centered above it, and a Campfire document compared looking at the Console with looking at a monitor.[5] Campfire's product page said the Console "simulates a 3D monitor" and only needs to be placed on a desk or table and connected to power.[19] Its two arms snap together in one step.[21] AEC Magazine compared it with a Polycom conference-call unit.[12]
The Studio Console, introduced in June 2022, is a set of modular floor mats for large rooms, on which teams can move around and within life-size holograms of vehicles, structures and environments.[2] Campfire said the mats can be assembled in minutes and that groups can teleport around and inside the holograms.[2] The product page listed large models, group teleport and a dollhouse mode among its functions.[19]
The Pack is a clip-on attachment with an integrated camera that turns a smartphone into a motion controller, while the phone's screen shows the tools for manipulating the model.[4] In 2021 VentureBeat reported that it needed a recent iOS or Android phone; by the 2023 launch Campfire described it as working with an iPhone.[10][3] MIXED reported that the Pack attaches to an iPhone and does not need Bluetooth pairing.[16] According to Campfire, there is no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to set up: the user snaps on the Pack and powers it on to launch the Campfire app.[19]
| Item | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Field of view | 92° diagonal | Campfire[2] |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | Moor Insights & Strategy[13] |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | Moor Insights & Strategy[13] |
| Pixel density | 22.5 pixels per degree | Campfire[19]; The Ghost Howls[22] |
| Tracking | Inside-out, no RGB cameras; tabletop Console | Moor Insights & Strategy[13] |
| Display path | Two displays reflecting off the visor | VentureBeat[10] |
| Host | Windows PC with VR-ready GPU and Thunderbolt 3 | Campfire[2] |
| Cable | Three-meter Thunderbolt 3 cable | MIXED[16] |
| Controller | Campfire Pack smartphone attachment | Campfire[1] |
Software and features
According to Road to VR, Campfire's Scenes software supported 40 leading CAD and 3D file formats in 2021.[4] At launch the software was split into Scenes, for building reviews and presentations from existing models, and Viewer, for working with those scenes alone or with others on a headset, tablet or phone.[1] People without a headset can join a session on a smartphone or iPad, seeing the model on the screen as if through a window.[20] AEC Magazine reported that Wright described Scenes as "Google Docs and Powerpoint", that other participants appear as ghostly avatars with name labels, that users can point to, select, highlight and mark up geometry, and that the software supports Zoom and Teams. It noted that the interface's colors and feature tree resemble PTC Creo and Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks.[12] Freethink listed a laser pointer, scaling and rotation, a "slice" tool for viewing cross-sections, and typed annotations attached to parts of a model.[21]
The Campfire App released in May 2023 organizes more than 40 types of 3D models and scans into scenes that are shared as links.[3] At AWE 2023, The Ghost Howls tried a demo in which two users worked together on a 3D engine model. Interaction was limited to pointing the phone at objects, with the tool palette (select, zoom, explode and so on) shown on the phone screen.[22]
Reception
After testing several 3D-printed prototypes, Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy wrote that each iteration was "more refined, more comfortable and easier to use than the previous one", and that the team had "nailed the concept of enhancing workflows rather than disrupting them".[13] Jon Peddie wrote that the headset takes "a very different approach than HoloLens and MagicLeap" to deliver both AR and VR.[11]
Jesse Damiani of Freethink tried the system for about half an hour in a four-person session with one remote participant. He found no noticeable lag, colors that stood out clearly, and text that was easy to read, and judged the resolution competitive with the HoloLens 2, although Campfire had not provided resolution figures. He noted that the image was sensitive to how the headset sat on the head, writing that "even a slight bit off made a huge difference", and that "most people won't have any cause to use the Campfire system".[21] AEC Magazine called the headset "beautifully designed" and the Pack "a sensible use of something which everyone has at hand", but observed that the demonstrations centered on consumer goods and that it had yet to see building information models (BIM) shown on the device.[12]
In Campfire's 2023 launch announcement, Ryan Wheeler, Senior Fellow for Advanced Visualizations at Collins Aerospace, called it "hands down the easiest-to-use solution I've seen and the best visual experience in a headset".[3]
The Ghost Howls compared the headset's shape and wide field of view with a modified Project North Star and with the original Meta glasses, and remarked that the demo unit looked a bit 3D-printed, with plastic that was slightly rough on the surface. It found the colors bright and the resolution good, said three adjustment knobs let the headset sit firmly and comfortably, and concluded that the interactions were a bit limited but the headset was quite good.[22]
Current status
As of October 2026 Campfire's pricing page lists Meta Quest 2, Quest 3S, Quest 3 and Quest Pro headsets, the HTC VIVE Focus Vision, Windows 11 PCs (including through Quest Link), Macs and iPads as supported devices, with a free Starter plan and an Enterprise plan at custom pricing. It does not mention the Campfire Headset or other Campfire hardware.[9] In June 2024 Campfire named Raytheon, Collins Aerospace, KTM, PepsiCo, Harvard University and Arup among the customers of its platform.[17]
See also
Gallery
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Campfire Headset worn in profile. -
Illustrated front view of the Campfire Headset.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Campfire Emerges From Stealth With Unique Holographic Collaboration System for Professional 3D Design Workflows". PR Newswire. Campfire. 2021-04-27. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/campfire-emerges-from-stealth-with-unique-holographic-collaboration-system-for-professional-3d-design-workflows-301277980.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "Campfire Brings High-Fidelity Holographic Collaboration to Design Studios". PR Newswire. Campfire. 2022-06-01. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/campfire-brings-high-fidelity-holographic-collaboration-to-design-studios-301558527.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Campfire Announces Availability of "Killer App" for Enterprise XR: Holographic Collaboration". PR Newswire. Campfire. 2023-05-16. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/campfire-announces-availability-of-killer-app-for-enterprise-xr-holographic-collaboration-301825537.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Ben Lang (2021-04-27). "Campfire Raises $8 Million for MR Headset System Aimed at Product Design & Collaboration". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/campfire-mr-headset-seed-investment-remote-collaboration/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Ian Hamilton (2021-04-27). "Meta AR Headset Reborn With Launch Of Campfire Startup". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/campfire-meta-ar/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The all-new Campfire App and Campsite Starter Kit are now available". VR/AR Association. 2023-05-30. https://www.thevrara.com/news2/2023/5/27/the-all-new-campfire-app-and-campsite-starter-kit-are-now-available. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Patrick Moorhead, Anshel Sag (2023-06-01). "Campfire Is Simplifying Holographic Collaboration With A Single Platform For All Devices". Moor Insights & Strategy. https://moorinsightsstrategy.com/research-notes/campfire-is-simplifying-holographic-collaboration-with-a-single-platform-for-all-devices/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kyt Dotson (2023-09-27). "Campfire brings enterprise holographic collaboration to Meta Quest 3 with planned AI assistant". SiliconANGLE. https://siliconangle.com/2023/09/27/campfire-brings-enterprise-holographic-collaboration-meta-quest-3-planned-ai-assistant/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Plans". Campfire. Campfire. https://campfire3d.com/pricing. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 Dean Takahashi (2021-04-27). "Campfire raises $8 million to advance AR/VR for product design". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/2021/04/27/campfire-raises-8-million-to-advance-ar-vr-for-product-design. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jon Peddie (2021-06-04). "Collaborating around the Campfire with augmented reality". Jon Peddie Research. https://www.jonpeddie.com/news/collaborating-around-the-campfire-with-augmented-reality/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Martyn Day (2021-07-26). "Campfire Mixed Reality (MR)". AEC Magazine. https://aecmag.com/vr-mr/campfire-mixed-reality-mr/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 Patrick Moorhead (2021-05-14). "Hands On With Campfire's New Holographic Computing Enterprise Headset And Platform". Moor Insights & Strategy. https://moorinsightsstrategy.com/hands-on-with-campfires-new-holographic-computing-enterprise-headset-and-platform/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Campfire Announces Summer Demo Days at frog studios in New York, Austin and San Francisco". PR Newswire. Campfire. 2021-07-06. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/campfire-announces-summer-demo-days-at-frog-studios-in-new-york-austin-and-san-francisco-301326226.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Campfire expands its collaborative XR system with launch of Campfire Studio Console for large-scale holograms in AR and VR". Auganix. 2022-06-01. https://www.auganix.org/campfire-expands-its-collaborative-xr-system-with-launch-of-campfire-studio-console-for-large-scale-holograms-in-ar-and-vr/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Alan Truly (2023-05-21). "New AR headset makes design reviews quick and painless". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/new-ar-headset-makes-design-reviews-quick-and-painless/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Tomislav Bezmalinovic (2024-06-12). "After strong growth on Meta Quest, Campfire targets Apple Vision Pro next". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/campfire-apple-vision-pro/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
- ↑ "Spatial collaboration platform Campfire announces support for Apple Vision Pro". Auganix. 2024-06-12. https://www.auganix.org/xr-news-spatial-collaboration-platform-campfire-announces-support-for-apple-vision-pro/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 "Campfire Headset, Pack, Console and Studio Console (hardware page, archived 17 September 2024)". Campfire. Campfire. https://web.archive.org/web/20240917134818/https://www.campfire3d.com/hardware. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Jan Wöbbeking (2022-06-03). "Campfire brings 3D collaboration with AR headsets to large spaces". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/campfire-brings-3d-collaboration-with-ar-headsets-to-large-spaces/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 Jesse Damiani (2021-04-27). "Holographic collaboration may be the future of work". Freethink. https://www.freethink.com/articles/holographic-collaboration. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Skarredghost (2023-07-03). "AWE 2023: Hands-on with Campfire AR headset, and with HaptX gloves' backpack". The Ghost Howls. https://skarredghost.com/2023/07/03/hands-on-campfire-ar-haptx-gloves/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.