Mi VR Play
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| Mi VR Play | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | Slide-on HMD |
| Platform | Google Cardboard[1] |
| Developer | Xiaomi |
| Release Date | 2016; announced 4 August[2] |
| Price | RMB 1 for selected beta testers; Rs. 999 at India launch[3][1] |
| Website | https://www.mi.com/global/mivr1c |
| Requires | Smartphone; Xiaomi recommends a 4.7-5.7-inch display[4] |
| Successor | Mi VR Play 2[5] |
| System | |
| Operating System | Android or iOS on the inserted phone[6] |
| Display | |
| Display | Uses the smartphone display[7] |
| Resolution | Depends on the smartphone[7] |
| Pixel Density | Depends on the smartphone[7] |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Anti-reflective aspheric lenses (Xiaomi description)[4] |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | Uses the phone's motion sensing[7] |
| Device | |
| Weight | 208.7 g (Xiaomi specification)[4] |
| Input | Top button makes conductive contact with phone touchscreen[4] |
| Size | 201 mm x 107 mm x 91 mm[4] |
Mi VR Play is a virtual reality viewer developed by Xiaomi for use with a smartphone. The phone fits into a zippered compartment in front of two lenses and supplies the display and processing. The viewer has no additional motion sensors. It is a Google Cardboard compatible device, with a mechanical button that touches the phone screen.[4][7][1] It was available in 2016, initially through a limited public beta in China; an original unboxing documents a purchased retail unit by September.[3][8]
The original black, fabric-covered Play is distinct from the plastic-built Xiaomi Mi VR headset and from its successor, Mi VR Play 2, announced in April 2017.[1][5]
Hardware
Like other smartphone-dependent VR headsets, Mi VR Play has a simple technical design. Its outer covering is Lycra fabric, while Xiaomi's material specification lists nylon, spandex and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA).[9]
To facilitate slight adjustments and allow air to circulate, the front of the headset has dual openings. A two-way zipper closes the phone compartment. Internal rubber strips help hold the handset and align its position; raised ends leave clearance around protruding home and menu buttons.[6]
A textured metal button sits on top. Pressing it moves a conductive silicone contact against the phone's touchscreen. Xiaomi describes the aspheric lenses as anti-reflective.[4]
Phone compatibility
Xiaomi recommends phones with 4.7-5.7-inch displays, and its Chinese specification page gives the iPhone 6, Mi Note and iPhone 6 Plus as examples. Its Chinese product page advertises support for Apple and Android phones.[4][9][6] Physical fit, alignment and the chosen software still matter. Harish Jonnalagadda tested the viewer with a Mi 5 and Redmi Note 3, while Sophie Charara tried an iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.[10][7] The reported tests describe the phones and software used at the time.
The size recommendation also does not guarantee a secure fit for every handset within it. Akriti Rana's review reported movement of a 5-inch Redmi 3S Prime and stressed centering the phone in front of the lenses.[11] Display resolution and pixel density depend on the inserted phone.[7]
Fit and controls
The three-way strap described in early reviews has an adjustable band around the head and a top strap. Hook-and-loop fastenings adjust the fit.[11] Glasses could fit inside the review units, although Jonnalagadda found the space tight.[10][8] Comfort reports differed: Charara described forehead pressure, while Usama Jawad found that extended use put uncomfortable weight on his nose. Both reported light entering from the sides.[7][12]
Jawad also encountered missed button presses that required opening the viewer and repositioning the phone.[12]
Content library
Xiaomi's Mi VR app presented panoramic, 2D and 3D video, with a 3D interface for selecting content. The company's global product page identifies the app as available in China only. Its Chinese page describes navigation using head movement together with the viewer's button.[4][6] Contemporary coverage named Youku and Conde Nast Traveller among its content partners.[10]
Jawad's 2016 account lists iQiyi among the Chinese app's content providers.[8]
Outside that service, reviewers used Cardboard applications and games. Jawad tested his purchased viewer with a Nexus 5X running Android 7.0. His package's instructions specified Android 4.4 or later and a 4.7-5.5-inch display, narrower than Xiaomi's product-page size recommendation.[12] In India, launch coverage also described viewing 360-degree YouTube videos and Mi Live VR livestreams. Mi Live was introduced there as a separate live-streaming application.[1] These descriptions concern the software and services offered at the time.
Inside the box
Jawad's September 2016 unboxing documented a headset, a three-way strap and a folded cardboard insert with Chinese instructions and a QR code for Xiaomi's VR app. His subsequent review described the black box's wording as "Go Explore" and recorded an included-item list, manufacturer's address and instructions on its back.[8][12] Package contents varied: Rana's Indian review reported that the adjustable straps were not included in the local package.[11]
The QR code for downloading Xiaomi's app was different from the viewer-profile QR code used by the Cardboard app. Jawad reported that the latter was absent from his package and that he obtained one elsewhere. This was a limitation of that reviewed package, rather than evidence that every version lacked a profile code.[8]
Lens protection
The reviewed units had blue protective plastic on both sides of the lenses to protect against fingerprints. Jawad removed these films before wearing the viewer.[12]
Release history
Xiaomi announced Mi VR Play on 4 August 2016.[2] Its Chinese public-beta campaign offered selected testers a unit for RMB 1. The campaign required a purchase qualification and payment within the stated deadline; the price was a beta offer.[3]
| Period | Documented event |
|---|---|
| September 2016 | Jawad's unboxing records buying a unit at a local shop before publication on 27 September.[8] |
| December 2016 | Xiaomi announced an Indian price of Rs. 999 and a sale scheduled for 21 December. Rana's review, updated on 24 December, described the viewer as available in India.[1][11] |
| April 2017 | Mi VR Play 2 was announced as a separate successor.[5] |
Early coverage described the black viewer and announced planned denim, floral, leopard and camouflage designs. Those reports establish announced customization plans, rather than the release date or availability of each design.[10]
Cost
The original viewer was marketed at the inexpensive end of smartphone VR. Jonnalagadda described a price of about US$15; Jawad reported contemporary retail prices around US$15-25. These historical prices varied by seller and differ from the RMB 1 beta offer and the Indian launch price.[10][12][3][1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Ketan Pratap (2016-12-19). "Xiaomi Mi VR Play Headset With Zipper Design Launched at Rs. 999". Gadgets 360. https://www.gadgets360.com/wearables/news/xiaomi-mi-vr-play-headset-with-zipper-design-launched-at-rs-999-1636852. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jon Russell (2016-08-04). "Xiaomi announces its first VR headset — but you can’t buy it yet". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/04/xiaomi-mi-vr-play-virtual-reality-headset/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "小米VR新品1元公测". Xiaomi. https://hd.mi.com/y/07291m/index.html. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 "Mi VR Play". Xiaomi. https://www.mi.com/global/mivr1c. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Tasneem Akolawala (2017-04-11). "Xiaomi Mi VR Play 2 Headset With New, Softer Fabric Casing Launched". Gadgets 360. https://www.gadgets360.com/wearables/news/xiaomi-mi-vr-play-2-headset-with-new-softer-fabric-casing-launched-1679928. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "小米VR眼镜玩具版". Xiaomi. https://www.mi.com/mivr1c. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Sophie Charara (2016-09-27). "Xiaomi Mi VR Play review". Wareable. https://www.wareable.com/xiaomi/xiaomi-mi-vr-play-review. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Usama Jawad (2016-09-27). "Xiaomi Mi VR Play: Unboxing and first impressions". Neowin. https://www.neowin.net/news/xiaomi-mi-vr-play-unboxing-and-first-impressions. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "小米VR眼镜玩具版参数". Xiaomi. https://www.mi.com/mivr1c/specs. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Harish Jonnalagadda (2018-07-20). "Xiaomi Mi VR Play review: Bringing VR to the masses". Android Central. https://www.androidcentral.com/xiaomi-mi-vr-play-review. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Akriti Rana (2016-12-24). "Xiaomi Mi VR Play: PreMIum Casing, Affordable VR Experience". TechPP. https://techpp.com/2016/12/23/xiaomi-mi-vr-play-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Usama Jawad (2016-10-02). "Xiaomi Mi VR Play review: A pleasant surprise". Neowin. https://www.neowin.net/reviews/xiaomi-mi-vr-play-review-a-pleasant-surprise/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.