Canon MREAL X1
| Canon MREAL X1 | |
|---|---|
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Mixed Reality, Augmented Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | Video see-through mixed reality |
| Platform | PC |
| Creator | Canon |
| Developer | Canon |
| Manufacturer | Canon |
| Announcement Date | April 22, 2022 |
| Release Date | June 2022 |
| Price | Open (not publicly disclosed) |
| Requires | High-end PC with PCI Express interface board |
| Predecessor | Canon MREAL S1 |
| System | |
| Storage | |
| Display | |
| Display | Dual Canon proprietary panels |
| Resolution | 1,920 x 2,160 pixels per eye |
| Refresh Rate | Approximately 120Hz |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 58 degrees horizontal x 60 degrees vertical |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Canon proprietary optical system |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| IPD Range | Approximately 55-78mm |
| Passthrough | Color (video see-through) |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | 6DoF, markerless (Spatial Feature Positioning) |
| Audio | |
| Camera | Two front-facing CMOS sensors |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | Wired (dedicated interface cable) |
| Ports | Mini DisplayPort, dedicated interface cable |
| Device | |
| Weight | 158g (display unit); approximately 359g (with head mount) |
| Input | Optional handheld grip |
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Canon MREAL X1 is a tethered mixed reality head-mounted display developed and manufactured by Canon. Announced on April 22, 2022, and released in Japan the following June, it is a video see-through device aimed at enterprise users that captures the real world through forward-facing cameras and composites three-dimensional computer graphics into that live feed in real time[1][2]. The X1 is part of Canon's MREAL system of professional mixed reality products and succeeds the Canon MREAL S1, offering a field of view roughly 2.5 times larger than that model[3].
Unlike the augmented reality glasses that overlay graphics onto transparent lenses, the MREAL X1 uses a video see-through approach: the wearer views the outside world only through camera footage shown on internal display panels, which lets virtual objects fully occlude and be occluded by real ones for a more convincing blend of physical and digital content[4]. Canon markets the system for industrial and design applications such as automotive styling, construction planning, factory line layout, and product reviews, primarily in the Japanese domestic market[1][2].
History and development
The MREAL X1 belongs to Canon's MREAL line, a family of professional mixed reality hardware and software that the company has developed since the early 2010s. Canon launched the MREAL system in Japan in 2012[5] and brought the system to the United States in 2013[6]. The immediate predecessor to the X1, the Canon MREAL S1, launched in early 2021 at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$38,400 (about 4 million yen), and was sold as a complete package including software and a workstation rather than as a standalone headset[7].
Canon announced the MREAL X1 on April 22, 2022, positioning it as a higher-specification successor with a substantially wider field of view, and scheduled it to go on sale in June 2022[1][3]. Canon did not publish a fixed retail price; the X1's price was listed as "open," meaning prospective buyers arrange pricing directly with Canon, and commentators expected it to cost tens of thousands of dollars in line with the S1[2][1]. The headset was later demonstrated publicly at the Inter BEE 2022 trade show in Japan[8].
Hardware
The MREAL X1's display unit is compact and light, weighing approximately 158 grams on its own, which Canon describes as the largest display in the MREAL series while still fitting in the palm of a hand[4][3]. With its head mount attached, the complete assembly weighs around 359 grams[1][2]. Each eye is served by a Canon proprietary panel rendering 1,920 x 2,160 pixels, for a combined resolution equivalent to roughly 4K UHD, at a refresh rate of about 120Hz[1][2]. The field of view measures about 58 degrees horizontally and 60 degrees vertically, compared with 45 by 34 degrees on the Canon MREAL S1, an increase Canon characterizes as a 2.5 times larger viewing area[2][3].
Two forward-facing CMOS sensors capture the real-world scene that is shown to the wearer and merged with computer graphics[3]. Canon aligns the cameras and display panels with the user's pupils to reduce the discrepancy between the apparent and actual size of objects[4]. The headset supports interpupillary distance adjustment of approximately 55 to 78 millimeters along with height adjustment, and a removable eyecup can be fitted to block ambient light so the device can also be used as a fully immersive virtual reality display; the design accommodates users who wear eyeglasses[2][3].
The X1 is a tethered device rather than a standalone one. It connects to a host computer through a dedicated interface cable approximately 10 meters long, with a 20 meter cable available as an optional accessory, and a corresponding PCI Express interface board on the PC side; the video signal is delivered over Mini DisplayPort[2][3]. Because all rendering is performed on the connected workstation, Canon's recommended specification is demanding: an eight-core processor running at 3.9 GHz or higher, at least 32 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000 graphics card[1][3]. An optional handheld grip lets a presenter hold the display in front of the face and pass it between people quickly, in addition to wearing it on the head mount[1].
Technology
The MREAL X1 relies on Canon's video see-through mixed reality pipeline. Rather than projecting graphics onto a transparent combiner as optical see-through AR glasses do, the system displays a composited image that combines the real-world video captured by the headset's sensors with rendered computer graphics[4]. This approach allows the software to perform occlusion processing, erasing portions of the real-world image where a virtual object should appear in front, or revealing it where a real object such as the user's hand should pass in front of virtual content, to maintain correct depth relationships[4].
Position and orientation are determined using Canon's markerless approach, described as Spatial Feature Positioning Technology, which extracts visual features from stationary objects in the headset camera feed, such as floor patterns and desks, to track the device in space without requiring printed markers or external sensors[4]. This inside-out positional tracking gives the wearer six degrees of freedom of movement (6DoF), keeping virtual objects anchored in place as the user walks around them and views them from different angles[4]. Direct interaction with virtual content is handled visually rather than through dedicated controllers: the occlusion processing detects where the user's hands fall relative to a virtual object and renders the correct depth ordering, so a hand reaching toward a model appears in front of or behind it as expected[4].
Reception
Coverage at launch framed the MREAL X1 as a notable step up from the Canon MREAL S1, with the much wider field of view singled out as the headline improvement[2][1]. PetaPixel described the device as fusing reality and computer graphics in real time and noted its high resolution and refresh rate, while pointing out that its enterprise focus and undisclosed pricing put it well outside the consumer market[1]. Writing for MIXED, commentators suggested that compact video see-through devices like the X1, alongside contemporaries such as the Lynx R-1 and Meta's then-upcoming Project Cambria (released as the Meta Quest Pro), pointed toward video passthrough becoming a mainstream approach to mixed reality[3].
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 "Canon's MREAL X1 4K Headset Fuses Reality and CG in Real-Time". April 22, 2022. https://petapixel.com/2022/04/22/canons-mreal-x1-4k-headset-fuses-reality-and-cg-in-real-time/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "Canon Announces MREAL X1 Enterprise Headset with Larger FOV". April 2022. https://www.roadtovr.com/canon-mreal-x1-ar-headset/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 "Canon MREAL X1: New MR headset marks the end of an era". April 2022. https://mixed-news.com/en/canon-mreal-x1-new-mr-headset-marks-the-end-of-an-era/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 "Canon's Mixed Reality System Makes Objects Appear to be "Right There" in Front of You". https://global.canon/en/technology/mr2019.html.
- ↑ "Canon launches new MR (Mixed Reality) System, contributing to shorter development times during product design". June 18, 2012. https://global.canon/en/news/2012/jun18e.html.
- ↑ "Canon developing handheld display, software for MREAL System for Mixed Reality". June 12, 2013. https://global.canon/en/news/2013/jun12e.html.
- ↑ "Canon to Release $38,400 'Mixed Reality' Headset". January 27, 2021. https://petapixel.com/2021/01/27/canon-to-release-38400-mixed-reality-headset/.
- ↑ "[Inter BEE 2022 Canon new MREAL X1 "mixed reality" headset"]. November 2022. https://en.pronews.com/events/202211171607861.html.