VRgineers XTAL 3 Mixed Reality
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| VRgineers XTAL 3 Mixed Reality | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | PC VR |
| Platform | SteamVR, OpenXR |
| Developer | VRgineers |
| Manufacturer | VRgineers |
| Announcement Date | 5 January 2022 |
| Release Date | April 2022 |
| Price | US$11,500 (2022 price of the mixed reality version) |
| Display | |
| Display | 2 x LCD binocular (fast-switching 4K LCD panels) |
| Resolution | 3840x2160 per-eye |
| Refresh Rate | 75 Hz at 3840x2160 per eye; 120 Hz at 2560x1440 per eye |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 180° horizontal, 90° vertical |
| Horizontal FoV | 180° |
| Vertical FoV | 90° |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Proprietary VRgineers lenses with image warping correction; corrective lens inserts available |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| IPD Range | 60-76 mm hardware adjustable (automatic) |
| Passthrough | Two front-facing high-resolution video passthrough cameras (described by VRgineers as 4K) |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | Inside-out (two infrared cameras); compatible with OptiTrack, ART and Vicon external tracking |
| Eye Tracking | Yes, with one-dot calibration |
| Audio | |
| Camera | Two passthrough cameras, two infrared tracking cameras |
VRgineers XTAL 3 Mixed Reality is a virtual reality and mixed reality head-mounted display released in 2022. It is the mixed reality (MR) version of the XTAL 3, a PC-tethered headset made by VRgineers for professional and military pilot training.[1] VRgineers developed the headset together with a team of international Air Force pilots.[2]
The MR version adds two front-facing video passthrough cameras to the XTAL 3's pair of 3840 x 2160 per-eye displays and its 180 degree horizontal field of view. With the cameras, a trainee in a physical cockpit replica can see their own hands and the real instrument panel while the rest of the scene is rendered virtually.[1] From April 2022 it sold for US$11,500, compared with US$8,900 for the VR-only XTAL 3.[3]
Announcement and release
VRgineers announced the XTAL 3 in VR and MR versions on 5 January 2022 in Las Vegas.[1] The headset was launched at CES 2022,[4] where UploadVR tried it.[5] The launch press release describes the XTAL 3 as "a game changer in enhanced pilot training" and says the mixed reality technology lets pilots "learn proper motor skills, and practice standard procedures".[1]
According to MIXED, the headset has been on sale since April 2022, at US$8,900 for the VR version and US$11,500 for the mixed reality version "with high-quality 4K cameras". The same report says the customers are mainly in the industrial and military sectors.[3] In a 2023 company history, VRgineers describes the XTAL 3 MR as "our first Mixed Reality Module" and says it was launched in 2022.[6]
Design and hardware
Displays and optics
The XTAL 3 has two fast-switching LCD panels with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels per eye. They run at 75 Hz at full resolution or at 120 Hz at 2560 x 1440 pixels per eye.[5][3] VRgineers gives the field of view as 180 degrees horizontal and 90 degrees vertical.[1] The headset uses VRgineers' own lenses, and the company says that together with "advanced warping algorithms" they produce undistorted images. Prescription wearers can add corrective lens inserts.[1] The headset adjusts the interpupillary distance automatically.[5]
Mixed reality cameras
The MR version has "two front-facing pass-through high-resolution cameras".[1] VRgineers says the mixed reality camera delivers 4K resolution to each eye, matching the resolution of the headset's displays.[6] The cameras let a pilot see their hands and interact with a physical instrument panel.[1] The central cover of the headset is removable and reconfigurable. According to VRgineers, this makes it possible "to change the headset from purely virtual to mixed reality", or to replace the inside-out tracking with Ultraleap hand tracking.[1][2]
Tracking and eye tracking
For inside-out tracking, a pair of fast-switching infrared cameras sits on the lower edge under the central cover. The headset also works with external tracking systems from OptiTrack, ART and Vicon, and VRgineers said in January 2022 that it planned to add Lighthouse tracking later that year.[1][4]
The built-in eye tracking system uses what VRgineers calls "one-dot calibration" to set the interpupillary distance, and it supports foveated rendering.[1] VRgineers CEO Marek Polcak said: "Our new one-dot calibration removes the biggest obstacle to the wide adoption of foveated rendering technology."[1] The headset frame is made of lightweight compounds.[1]
Software and features
UploadVR reported that the XTAL 3 works with SteamVR or OpenXR applications.[5] In April 2022 VRgineers released a pilot training system that pairs the XTAL 3 with Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D simulation platform. VRgineers said that "Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D version 5 supports XTAL 3 mixed reality technology out of the box".[7]
Use in pilot training
The XTAL 3 MR is used in flight simulation setups in which a physical cockpit replica is combined with a virtual outside world. The April 2022 trainer was created for the F-15, F-16 and F-35 and was then extended to other modern aircraft.[7] Polcak said: "Such a setup, with a fully operational cockpit and XTAL mixed reality solution combined with Prepar3D is less expensive than a standard dome installation and has a smaller footprint."[7] In the same announcement, U.S. Navy aviator Bryant Church said that flying with the XTAL in a full-motion hydraulic simulator "literally felt like I was back in the cockpit".[8]
In its review of 2022, VRgineers reported that XTAL headsets had been installed for the Brazilian Air Force at the Aeronautics Computing Center in São José dos Campos and at the Pirassununga Air Force Academy.[9] In November 2022, VRgineers and DigiFlight announced the Advanced Mixed Reality Apache Trainer, a trainer with pilot and co-pilot gunner crew stations for the Apache helicopter, which they planned to present at I/ITSEC in Orlando.[10] VRgineers said that all of its simulators use its virtual and mixed reality XTAL headset.[11]
Reception
David Heaney of UploadVR tried the XTAL 3 at CES 2022. He wrote that earlier XTAL models had noticeable lens distortion outside the center of the view, while on the XTAL 3 the field of view was wider and "the distortion was gone". He called it "the most immersive VR headset I have ever used". UploadVR described the XTAL 3 as a US$10,000 headset intended for enterprise and public sector training such as flight simulation, and reported that VRgineers was in initial talks with consumer electronics companies such as Razer about a more affordable headset.[5] The hands-on report does not discuss the mixed reality cameras.
Successors
In November 2023 VRgineers launched the XTAL 3 CAVU MR, a mixed reality headset with 24-megapixel image sensors connected by optical cable to a Xilinx FPGA PCIe card. VRgineers said it delivers mixed reality images in 1 millisecond. The company said the system would be available for purchase in 2024 for selected partners, such as the U.S. Navy under an SBIR Phase II program. The same announcement described the XTAL 3 NEO Mixed Reality Headset as "currently the most affordable solution for pilot training on the market".[12]
As of September 2026, VRgineers' product overview lists three headsets: the XTAL 3 VR, the XTAL 3 NEO mixed reality headset and the limited-edition XTAL 3 CAVU. No product is sold under the XTAL 3 MR name.[13] The XTAL 3 NEO has two embedded video passthrough cameras and uses Ultraleap infrared hand tracking. VRgineers does not list a price and sells it by quote.[14]
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Display | 2 x LCD binocular (fast-switching 4K LCD)[5] |
| Resolution | 3840x2160 per-eye[5] |
| Refresh rate | 75 Hz at 3840x2160 per eye; 120 Hz at 2560x1440 per eye[3] |
| Field of view | 180° horizontal, 90° vertical[1] |
| IPD range | 60-76 mm hardware adjustable (automatic) |
| Passthrough cameras | Two front-facing high-resolution cameras[1] |
| Tracking | Inside-out (two infrared cameras); OptiTrack, ART and Vicon compatible[1] |
| Eye tracking | Yes, one-dot calibration, foveated rendering support[1] |
| Price | $11500 (US$11,500 for the mixed reality version, 2022)[3] |
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 1.14 1.15 1.16 "Introducing the XTAL 3 - The World's Most Advanced Virtual & Mixed Reality Simulation Headset". PR Newswire. Vrgineers. 2022-01-05. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/introducing-the-xtal-3---the-worlds-most-advanced-virtual--mixed-reality-simulation-headset-301454694.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Introducing the XTAL 3 - the world's most advanced virtual & mixed reality simulation headset". Vrgineers.com. Vrgineers. 2022-01-17. https://vrgineers.com/2022/01/17/introducing-the-xtal-3-the-worlds-most-advanced-virtual-mixed-reality-simulation-headset/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Jan Wöbbeking (2023-01-06). "High-end VR headset Xtal 3 gets wireless version". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/high-end-vr-headset-xtal-3-gets-wireless-version/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Vrgineers introduces XTAL 3 VR and MR headset". Vertical Mag. 2022-03-07. https://verticalmag.com/press-releases/vrgineers-introduces-xtal-3-vr-and-mr-headset/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 David Heaney (2022-01-10). "CES Hands-On: XTAL 3 Finally Delivers Distortion-Free Wide Field Of View VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/xtal-3-ces-hands-on/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "From VR Hero to XTAL 3 Mixed Reality: The Evolution of Vrgineers' Headsets". Vrgineers.com. Vrgineers. 2023-08-31. https://vrgineers.com/2023/08/31/from-vr-hero-to-xtal-3-mixed-reality-the-evolution-of-vrgineers-headsets/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Puja Mitra (2022-04-26). "Vrgineers Releases State-of-the-Art Mixed Reality Pilot Trainer". Engineering.com. https://www.engineering.com/vrgineers-releases-state-of-the-art-mixed-reality-pilot-trainer/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Vrgineers Releases State-of-the-Art Mixed Reality Pilot Trainer". Vrgineers.com. Vrgineers. 2022-04-29. https://vrgineers.com/press-release/vrgineers-releases-state-of-the-art-mixed-reality-pilot-trainer/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "The Best of 2022: A Year with Vrgineers". Vrgineers.com. Vrgineers. 2023-03-13. https://vrgineers.com/2023/03/13/the-best-of-2022-a-year-with-vrgineers/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Advanced Mixed Reality Apache Trainer from Vrgineers and DigiFlight". PR Newswire. Vrgineers. 2022-11-23. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/advanced-mixed-reality-apache-trainer-from-vrgineers-and-digiflight-301684079.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Advanced Mixed Reality Apache Trainer". Vrgineers.com. Vrgineers. 2022-11-22. https://vrgineers.com/press-release/advanced-mixed-reality-apache-trainer/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Vrgineers Launches XTAL 3 CAVU MR Headset with Advanced AMD and NVIDIA Chips". PR Newswire. Vrgineers. 2023-11-22. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vrgineers-launches-xtal-3-cavu-mr-headset-with-advanced-amd-and-nvidia-chips-301994683.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "XTAL Virtual and Mixed Reality Headsets". Vrgineers.com. Vrgineers. https://vrgineers.com/xtal-virtual-and-mixed-reality-headsets/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "XTAL 3 NEO - Mixed Reality headset". Vrgineers.com. Vrgineers. https://vrgineers.com/xtal-3-neo-mixed-reality-headset/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.