VRgineers VRHero 5K
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| VRgineers VRHero 5K | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | PC-Powered VR |
| Developer | VRgineers |
| Manufacturer | VRgineers |
| Release Date | 2017 |
| Price | US$6,000 (September 2017) |
| Successor | VRgineers VRHero 5K Plus |
| Display | |
| Display | 2 x LCD |
| Resolution | 2560x1440 per-eye (5120 x 1440 combined) |
| Refresh Rate | 60-90 Hz |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 150-170 degrees (depending on IPD and focus, per VRgineers) |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Custom-designed lenses with adjustable focus |
| IPD Range | hardware adjustable (manual) |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | Tracking-system neutral; extensions for OptiTrack, AR Tracking and HTC Lighthouse |
| Audio | |
| Audio | Built-in sound card with audio jack |
| Microphone | Integrated |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | DisplayPort 1.2 video cable (up to 100 m); USB 2.0 for data |
| Device | |
| Dimensions | 116 mm (height) x 289 mm (width) x 155 mm (depth) |
| Weight | 850 g (goggles); 230 g (head mount and counterweight) |
| Input | 8 programmable buttons |
VRgineers VRHero 5K is a virtual reality head-mounted display released in 2017. It was the first headset from VRgineers, a company based in Prague, Czech Republic, and Los Angeles, and was built for enterprise work such as automotive design, architecture and training rather than for consumers.[1][2][3][4] The headset connects to a computer's graphics card over DisplayPort[5] and uses two LCD panels with 2560 x 1440 pixels per eye, for a combined resolution of 5120 x 1440. VRgineers gave its field of view as 150 to 170 degrees, depending on the IPD and focus settings.[6]
Early customers were carmakers. VRgineers named BMW, Audi, Volkswagen and Skoda as buyers in October 2017.[3] In December 2017 the company launched the VRgineers VRHero 5K Plus, which kept the same resolution but replaced the LCD panels with OLED displays.[7][8]
Development and release
According to the company's 2017 website, the idea behind VRgineers started to come together about three years earlier in an office workshop. The company, VRgineers, Inc., was co-founded by Marek Polcak of the Prague hardware and software developer Quanti, together with Vaclav Bittner and Martin Holecko of Etnetera Group.[1] Its current website gives 2017 as the founding year.[9] The VRHero 5K was developed at the company's research and development lab in Prague.[1]
UploadVR described the VRHero as "newly announced" in a hands-on report published on 19 July 2017. By then VRgineers was already manufacturing units for industrial and enterprise clients, and BMW was a paying customer.[4] In September 2017 the Czech technology site Lupa.cz reported that the headset cost US$6,000, that Skoda and BMW had bought the first units and that VRgineers was in talks with Audi and others. According to the same report, the team had about 20 people and produced a new prototype every quarter. Headsets were still assembled in the company's Prague offices, while printed circuit boards and plastic covers were made by partners, and VRgineers shipped a headset within 30 days of an order. The company planned to build and deliver hundreds of units in 2017 and thousands the following year. At that point VRgineers was funded by Etnetera and expected its first larger seed investment.[10]
On 17 October 2017 VRgineers announced that it had integrated the NVIDIA VRWorks software development kit into the VRHero 5K. The release, datelined Munich, Prague and Los Angeles, said that VRgineers had exhibited in the VR village at NVIDIA's recent GTC Europe conference, where Polcak had also spoken. In the release, Polcak listed the headset's main features as "dual-screen 5K resolution; 170-degree field of view; our patented custom-built optics; the ability to display 16K images and videos; and adjusting both focus and IPD".[3]
Successors
VRgineers launched the VRHero 5K Plus in December 2017. CzechCrunch reported that it was first delivered to existing customers who had pre-ordered, with new orders to be handled in the first quarter of 2018.[8] The company's specification sheet from that time covered both models and stated that the main difference between them was the display: LCD in the VRHero 5K and OLED in the 5K Plus.[7] Road to VR described the 5K Plus as an upgrade over the initial VRHero "5K" headset that VRgineers had debuted in 2017. Besides the move to OLED, the Plus had improved lenses and better SteamVR Tracking and latency. Road to VR also noted that both versions used the same external design.[2]
In August 2018 UploadVR reported that the company's next headset, the VRgineers XTAL, was "taking the place of the VRHero" in the VRgineers lineup.[11] As of September 2026, the VRgineers website lists XTAL headsets and the Somnium VR1 among its products and does not list the VRHero.[9]
Design and hardware
Display and optics
The VRHero 5K has two LCD panels. VRgineers' 2017 specification gives a resolution of 5120 x 1440 in total, or 2560 x 1440 (Quad HD) per eye, and a refresh rate of 60 to 90 Hz.[6][7] The company described the LCD version as offering "stable colors" and fine detail from its high pixel density, in contrast to the OLED panels of the later 5K Plus.[7] Road to VR pointed out that the "5K" in the product name refers to the total horizontal resolution of 5,120 pixels split across two 2,560-pixel-wide displays; the vertical resolution is 1,440 pixels, not the 2,880 or so of a 5K television or monitor.[2]
The lenses were designed by VRgineers, which called the combination of its software, lenses and display layout "Crystal Clear VR" and said the result had no screen-door effect.[5] The company's later specification sheet described them as custom-designed aspherical lenses.[7] Focus is adjustable, which the specification sheet says compensates for up to 2 dioptres, and the lens spacing can be adjusted independently to match the wearer's interpupillary distance.[6][7] The stated field of view is 150 to 170 degrees, with the exact figure depending on the IPD and focus settings.[6]
Connectivity, audio and controls
The headset uses a single DisplayPort connection for video and USB 2.0 for data.[5] The DisplayPort 1.2 video cable can be up to 100 m long, and the standard package included a 5 m cable. Other listed features were a built-in sound card with an audio jack, an integrated microphone, eight programmable buttons, and a multicast capability for connecting several headsets to one computer.[6]
Dimensions and weight
VRgineers lists the goggles at 116 mm high, 289 mm wide and 155 mm deep. The goggles weigh 850 g, and the head mount with its balance counterweight adds 230 g. Basic and military-grade head mounts were offered, and the company listed regular and military-grade "nightvision" head straps.[6] The later specification sheet says the military-grade mount was for uses such as 6DoF simulators.[7] The standard package (goggles, headstrap and cable) weighed about 3 kg in total.[6]
Tracking
VRgineers described the VRHero as "tracking neutral" and offered extensions for OptiTrack, AR Tracking and HTC's Lighthouse system.[6] Lupa.cz likewise reported that the headset could be used with different tracking devices.[10]
| Specification | VRHero 5K |
|---|---|
| Display | 2 x LCD[7] |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1440 per eye (5120 x 1440 combined)[6] |
| Refresh rate | 60-90 Hz[6] |
| Field of view | 150-170 degrees, depending on IPD and focus[6] |
| Optics | Custom-designed lenses; adjustable focus[6] |
| IPD | Independently adjustable[6] |
| Video connection | DisplayPort 1.2 (cable up to 100 m)[6] |
| Data connection | USB 2.0[5] |
| Audio | Built-in sound card, audio jack, integrated microphone[6] |
| Controls | 8 programmable buttons[6] |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 116 x 289 x 155 mm[6] |
| Weight | 850 g goggles; 230 g head mount and counterweight[6] |
| Tracking | Tracking neutral; OptiTrack, AR Tracking, HTC Lighthouse[6] |
| Price | US$6,000 (September 2017)[10] |
Software and features
VRgineers shipped the VRHero with SDKs for Unreal Engine and Unity, and with a configuration for Autodesk VRED.[6][5] The later specification sheet also listed a headset configuration utility, plugins for ESI IC.IDO and MetaVision, and optional C++ libraries for customers' own rendering engines.[7] The standard package included software and firmware updates and help with setting up the customer's VR installation.[7] Polcak told Lupa.cz that customers were buying a combined hardware and software implementation for their work rather than a device alone, which could include data security and integration with other company systems.[10]
The October 2017 NVIDIA partnership added support for VRWorks, NVIDIA's set of APIs, libraries and engines for VR developers.[3]
Applications
VRgineers aimed the VRHero at automotive, aerospace, architecture and manufacturing companies, for design, prototyping and training. In 2017 its website said that Skoda, Opel, Audi and BMW had VRHero installations.[5] According to the company's October 2017 announcement, carmakers used it to speed up design and prototyping and to evaluate possible new models, and VRgineers was expanding to architecture, training and simulation clients.[3] Lupa.cz described how car companies use VR to view planned models at full scale and change surfaces, equipment and colors before building physical prototypes.[10]
Reception
In his July 2017 hands-on for UploadVR, David Jagneaux wrote that he came away with "mostly positive impressions". He found the clarity of the 5K display striking and said that in a 360-degree scene of a car interior he could read the speedometer, radio dials and logos without squinting or leaning in. The main problem he reported was a low frame rate: in a game-like demo built with Unreal Engine, "the framerate was too low to make it playable in a real game setting". He noted that the headset was aimed at industrial and enterprise clients rather than gamers, and that it used LCD displays, with OLED planned for later in 2017.[4]
Lupa.cz called the image quality very good in September 2017, while adding that a higher resolution would not hurt in future.[10]
Specifications
- Display: 2 x LCD
- Resolution: 2560x1440 per-eye
- Refresh Rate: 60-90 Hz
- Field of View: 150-170 degrees, depending on IPD and focus
- IPD Range: hardware adjustable (manual)
- Price: US$6,000 (September 2017)
The full specification list is in the table under Design and hardware.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Our story (archived 30 December 2017)". VRgineers. VRgineers, Inc.. 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171230054013/http://vrgineers.com/our-story/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ben Lang (2018-02-01). "Hands-on: VRHero "5K" Plus Aims for Visual Fidelity Above All Else". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/hands-on-vrhero-5k-plus-aims-for-visual-fidelity-above-all-else/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "VRgineers VRHero 5K HMD Integrates NVIDIA VRWorks to Deliver Enterprise-Grade Performance". Vrgineers.com. VRgineers, Inc.. 2017-10-17. https://vrgineers.com/2018/03/25/vrgineers-vrhero-5k-hmd-integrates-nvidia-vrworks-to-deliver-enterprise-grade-performance/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 David Jagneaux (2017-07-19). "Hands-On: The VRHero Is A 5K Resolution Headset From VRgineers". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/vrhero-vrgineers-5k-headset/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "VRHero 5K (archived 9 September 2017)". VRgineers. VRgineers, Inc.. 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170909190347/http://vrgineers.com/vrhero/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 "Technical Specification (archived 27 August 2017)". VRgineers. VRgineers, Inc.. 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170827183344/http://vrgineers.com/technical-specification/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 "VRHero 5K (Plus) Technical Specification (archived 30 December 2017)". VRgineers. VRgineers, Inc.. 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171230054112/http://www.vrgineers.com/technical-specification/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Michal Ptáček (2017-12-06). "Čeští VRgineers uvádí na trh nové brýle pro virtuální realitu se špičkovým OLED displejem". CzechCrunch. https://www.czechcrunch.cz/2017/12/cesti-vrgineers-uvadi-na-trh-nove-bryle-pro-virtualni-realitu-se-spickovym-oled-displejem/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "About Us". Vrgineers.com. VRgineers, Inc.. https://vrgineers.com/about-us/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Jan Sedlák (2017-09-04). "Čeští VRgineers stvořili brýle pro virtuální realitu. Už je má BMW nebo Škoda". Lupa.cz. https://www.lupa.cz/clanky/cesti-vrgineers-stvorili-bryle-pro-virtualni-realitu-uz-je-ma-bmw-nebo-skoda/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ David Jagneaux (2018-08-15). "Hands-On: VRGineers XTAL Is A 5K, 170-Degree FOV Headset With Hand-Tracking". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/hands-on-vrgineers-xtal-is-a-5k-170-degree-fov-headset-with-hand-tracking/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.