VR – Gone Baby Gone
Product announcements are a big thing in the VR world, as they are with most CE products, but moving from an announcement to an actual product release seems to be an even bigger issue that the initial product announcement. Our A/VR database contains 15 announced VR products that have yet to be released, some that have been announced quite some time ago, but one that seems to have been even more caught up in the enthusiasm surrounding the Metaverse and VR is the HalfDive VR headset being developed by Diver-X (pvt) in Tokyo. The company’s stated mission is to “maximize human output/experience through enabling human activity in its lowest energetic state”, which sounds like it might be on a low electron mobility display technology or a low refresh rate system, it’s not.
The company. Which is funded through a Kickstarter campaign, has come up with the idea of designing a VR headset that is not used sitting or standing, as are others, but is used lying down, a VR headset for your bed. Yes, the headset is designed to be used while you are laying in your bed, either on your back or on your side, with the video extoling the virtues of VR in bed. The device is specially designed to be comfortable in a reclining position, exerting little pressure from a head pillow (is Mike Lindell involved? – Just kidding…) and has both hand controllers and foot controllers. The high-end model has a feedback system that simulates wind using two internally mounted fans and a vibration generator similar to those in accessories that can be purchased for VR systems designed to be used while standing. The four speakers inside the helmet allow for immersive 3D sound and since the sound is processed in the headset itself, users can listen to audio or music from their smartphone, without the discomfort of ear buds.
The system operates under Steam VR (pvt), however there are questions as to whether other games would operate correctly given the unusual controllers and limited movement ability (the foot controller uses ankle twists to simulate movement), but more serious is the fact that despite the Kickstarter campaign generating $222,000 against a target of $174,000, the company has just issued the following statement, so it looks as if the project might not see the light of day or even the dark of night. While the enthusiasm of youth certainly has driven technology to greater heights over the centuries, it doesn’t always pan out.
“Diver-X has withdrawn (cancelled) HalfDive's Kickstarter (crowdfunding) that had been implemented for some time on 1/30. First of all, I would like to apologize for the sudden withdrawal and the delay in explaining the details of the withdrawal to the supporters. (* Since the project has been withdrawn, supporters will not be billed.).
Half Dive's Kickstarter has been canceled for the following three reasons. (Arranged in descending order of impact on cancellation).
Reason 1: Significant change in product direction. The current Half Dive specifications are to achieve our goals such as "to complete life while sleeping" and "to realize an experience close to a full dive by combining existing technologies". I came up with the idea that it was not the optimal form, and repeated hypothesis testing. (Implementation of Kickstarter is also part of the hypothesis verification.) HalfDive initially set up two use cases: "(1) VR game while sleeping" and "(2) Working while sleeping" VR. The number of HMDs and games sold is increasing year by year, and it is said to be a so-called growth market. We are confident that VR will become the standard for VR experiences while sleeping for the reasons described below, but due to content and interface (operation system) issues, it is currently only a niche experience method. Therefore, it was expected from the beginning of the project that even if only playing VR games was launched as a use case for Half Dive, it would not be possible to obtain sufficient sales volume and profits. Therefore, I was trying to break away from niche devices by setting up use cases that can be applied not only to VR users who want to "work while sleeping" but also to all humankind.
However, as I proceeded with development and hearing, I realized that the use case itself was actually a niche, and that sufficient function development was not possible to realize that use case. Especially when working while sleeping, it takes a lot of time and money to reach the fundamental fact that it is not the video display system (HMD) but the interface system such as mouse pointing and character input. I have. As a result, HalfDive use cases were later narrowed down to one for gaming. However, I realized that the interface system is more important than the video display system in order to realize and standardize the "VR experience while sleeping" as well as the work application, even though the development is proceeding with only one game application. I did. No matter how optimized and versatile it is for sleeping, it's the interface that, after all, is just a replacement for existing VR devices and provides an innovative experience. (To realize an interface that allows the same physical movement as before even under the physical movement restriction of sleeping) Here, we should focus on the development of the interface and combine it with the existing VR device. The feasibility of our goals is high, and we have come to think that we will have a better experience.
Reason 2 : Immaturity of the organizational structure For financial reasons, the design of the main components that determine the character of Half Dive, such as optics and display, was outsourced. As a result, it was not possible to manufacture the right components for the devices on the current market and the concept of Half Dive at the right cost when assuming general sale. In particular, the manufacturing cost of the optical system accounts for about half of the cost of Half Dive, which has been a bottleneck in mass production. The lack of in-house knowledge about the main components affected the specification review, and the organizational situation was such that the cost price increased significantly in the end.
Reason 3 : Cash flow problem Although it is related to the above organizational problem, we have not obtained such a technically optimal solution. We did not have sufficient financial power to cover the soaring costs. And even if it considers the support from everyone on Kickstarter and additional procurement, it is not in a state where it can be sufficiently improved, and going to mass production as it is will lead to the worst case of bankruptcy and not being able to deliver the product to everyone. I decided it was likely. And although it is not enough for mass production, it was a financial condition that I could pull it once and start over, so although it is really selfish, I decided to restart in the direction with a high possibility of success.
For the above three reasons, even if you aim for Kicistarter as it is and receive your precious money, there is a possibility that you will not be able to fully provide the experience that HalfDive sings. It was canceled because it was judged that there was a high possibility that it could not be delivered and the trust of the company would be lost.
About the future of Diver-X and Half Dive
However, we have not given up on the goals of "complete life while sleeping" and "realize an experience close to a full dive by combining existing technologies" from the beginning. First of all, we will improve the cash flow and organizational structure that were mentioned as the reason for the cancellation, steadily solidify the foundation as one startup, and we will be able to properly deliver Half Dive and other new products to everyone. I would like to try again after I can build it. In the future, we would like to not only continue the development of Half Dive and new products, but also carry out contract development. If you have any questions about hardware / software prototyping or product design, we would appreciate it if you could let us know. Last but not least, I would like to thank all the people who supported HalfDive's Kickstarter and those who cooperated with the public relations.
All Diver-X employees
The company. Which is funded through a Kickstarter campaign, has come up with the idea of designing a VR headset that is not used sitting or standing, as are others, but is used lying down, a VR headset for your bed. Yes, the headset is designed to be used while you are laying in your bed, either on your back or on your side, with the video extoling the virtues of VR in bed. The device is specially designed to be comfortable in a reclining position, exerting little pressure from a head pillow (is Mike Lindell involved? – Just kidding…) and has both hand controllers and foot controllers. The high-end model has a feedback system that simulates wind using two internally mounted fans and a vibration generator similar to those in accessories that can be purchased for VR systems designed to be used while standing. The four speakers inside the helmet allow for immersive 3D sound and since the sound is processed in the headset itself, users can listen to audio or music from their smartphone, without the discomfort of ear buds.
The system operates under Steam VR (pvt), however there are questions as to whether other games would operate correctly given the unusual controllers and limited movement ability (the foot controller uses ankle twists to simulate movement), but more serious is the fact that despite the Kickstarter campaign generating $222,000 against a target of $174,000, the company has just issued the following statement, so it looks as if the project might not see the light of day or even the dark of night. While the enthusiasm of youth certainly has driven technology to greater heights over the centuries, it doesn’t always pan out.
“Diver-X has withdrawn (cancelled) HalfDive's Kickstarter (crowdfunding) that had been implemented for some time on 1/30. First of all, I would like to apologize for the sudden withdrawal and the delay in explaining the details of the withdrawal to the supporters. (* Since the project has been withdrawn, supporters will not be billed.).
Half Dive's Kickstarter has been canceled for the following three reasons. (Arranged in descending order of impact on cancellation).
Reason 1: Significant change in product direction. The current Half Dive specifications are to achieve our goals such as "to complete life while sleeping" and "to realize an experience close to a full dive by combining existing technologies". I came up with the idea that it was not the optimal form, and repeated hypothesis testing. (Implementation of Kickstarter is also part of the hypothesis verification.) HalfDive initially set up two use cases: "(1) VR game while sleeping" and "(2) Working while sleeping" VR. The number of HMDs and games sold is increasing year by year, and it is said to be a so-called growth market. We are confident that VR will become the standard for VR experiences while sleeping for the reasons described below, but due to content and interface (operation system) issues, it is currently only a niche experience method. Therefore, it was expected from the beginning of the project that even if only playing VR games was launched as a use case for Half Dive, it would not be possible to obtain sufficient sales volume and profits. Therefore, I was trying to break away from niche devices by setting up use cases that can be applied not only to VR users who want to "work while sleeping" but also to all humankind.
However, as I proceeded with development and hearing, I realized that the use case itself was actually a niche, and that sufficient function development was not possible to realize that use case. Especially when working while sleeping, it takes a lot of time and money to reach the fundamental fact that it is not the video display system (HMD) but the interface system such as mouse pointing and character input. I have. As a result, HalfDive use cases were later narrowed down to one for gaming. However, I realized that the interface system is more important than the video display system in order to realize and standardize the "VR experience while sleeping" as well as the work application, even though the development is proceeding with only one game application. I did. No matter how optimized and versatile it is for sleeping, it's the interface that, after all, is just a replacement for existing VR devices and provides an innovative experience. (To realize an interface that allows the same physical movement as before even under the physical movement restriction of sleeping) Here, we should focus on the development of the interface and combine it with the existing VR device. The feasibility of our goals is high, and we have come to think that we will have a better experience.
Reason 2 : Immaturity of the organizational structure For financial reasons, the design of the main components that determine the character of Half Dive, such as optics and display, was outsourced. As a result, it was not possible to manufacture the right components for the devices on the current market and the concept of Half Dive at the right cost when assuming general sale. In particular, the manufacturing cost of the optical system accounts for about half of the cost of Half Dive, which has been a bottleneck in mass production. The lack of in-house knowledge about the main components affected the specification review, and the organizational situation was such that the cost price increased significantly in the end.
Reason 3 : Cash flow problem Although it is related to the above organizational problem, we have not obtained such a technically optimal solution. We did not have sufficient financial power to cover the soaring costs. And even if it considers the support from everyone on Kickstarter and additional procurement, it is not in a state where it can be sufficiently improved, and going to mass production as it is will lead to the worst case of bankruptcy and not being able to deliver the product to everyone. I decided it was likely. And although it is not enough for mass production, it was a financial condition that I could pull it once and start over, so although it is really selfish, I decided to restart in the direction with a high possibility of success.
For the above three reasons, even if you aim for Kicistarter as it is and receive your precious money, there is a possibility that you will not be able to fully provide the experience that HalfDive sings. It was canceled because it was judged that there was a high possibility that it could not be delivered and the trust of the company would be lost.
About the future of Diver-X and Half Dive
However, we have not given up on the goals of "complete life while sleeping" and "realize an experience close to a full dive by combining existing technologies" from the beginning. First of all, we will improve the cash flow and organizational structure that were mentioned as the reason for the cancellation, steadily solidify the foundation as one startup, and we will be able to properly deliver Half Dive and other new products to everyone. I would like to try again after I can build it. In the future, we would like to not only continue the development of Half Dive and new products, but also carry out contract development. If you have any questions about hardware / software prototyping or product design, we would appreciate it if you could let us know. Last but not least, I would like to thank all the people who supported HalfDive's Kickstarter and those who cooperated with the public relations.
All Diver-X employees
Half Dive - Kickstarter Campaign Announcement - Source: Japan News
- HaveDive User Experience - Source: VRScout
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