We tried Xiaomi’s cheap VR goggles

We jumped into virtual reality with Xiaomi and enjoyed it.
 

As I indicated last time, I ordered a smaller Xiaomi package for myself. At home, the reason I spent money was to order to have something to write about, but in the background it was also there to buy things I had long wanted to try out. That was it Xiaomi Selfie Stick presented in a previous article, meaning we call it a Bluetooth self-portrait stick in Hungarian. 🙂

My second test subject, as you can see from the title, is VR goggles, plus cheap VR goggles. The stuff, like all Xiaomi products, came in a white box. It’s not the usual quality, hard cardboard box, it’s just so thin, pretty crappy something. We see the glasses at the beginning, and as usual, a lot of Chinese text awaits us at the back.

Opening the box, we find the glasses. The cover is made with some strange, textile-like surface. Its touch is quite spry, but that's not a problem, at least it doesn't slip out of our hands. A strange and unique solution is to put the phone in a zippered "pocket". Not sliding, snapping, etc. Opening the pocket reveals a small package, in which we find the strap of the glasses. Nothing extra, a rubbery, velcro solution, cheap, easy and simple to fit on our head and holds well.

Inside, near the lenses, there is a knocking, hard plastic, but there are rubber pads where the phone rests, so you don't have to worry about scratches. There is a soft sheet made of polyfoam-like material on the inner side of the opening front panel, which holds the phone in place. This won't scratch our mobile either. There are openings on both sides of the front panel, which I think is good for cooling as well, since graphically demanding applications can generate significant heat. Of course, the openings also have other functions, the phone can be "seen" through them if you use a VR application that also uses the phone's camera.

In the case of spectacles, I cannot write more than one sentence about the installation. You put on the strap, put on the phone and it works. However, setting up your phone is a different dough.

Anyone who has used VR goggles with a phone knows that it is worth downloading the Google CardBoard application first. This allows you to easily try on the glasses and set the type of glasses on your phone. This is usually done by the manufacturer of the glasses placing a QR code somewhere on the packaging. This is scanned with the phone and the program also adapts to the glasses. Well, we can also find a QR code for Xiaomi, but that’s not even by accident for the feature mentioned above.

Following the QR code, we can download a VR app to our phone, which will take us to the Xiaomi VR app. It's worth downloading the program, but I'm speaking in advance, you can only speak Chinese. At first I was a little annoyed by it, especially that I was the first to open videos of Chinese girls in swing dresses that were probably loaded into the app online from a Chinese server, so then approx. They ran at 3-4 fps. If you’re patient, you might want to look around the program because you can download countless apps, there are quite a few good games too. I also checked the Google store, but Xiaomi's program is not available from there, so I didn't find it in Hungarian, but in English. (if someone was smarter than I was, please let me know!)

Using the glasses is easy anyway. The user interface of the programs usually works in two ways in the case of VR. Either we look at the given menu and after a while it is activated, or we look at it and press the button on the top of the glasses. This is a mechanical solution, essentially "touching" the display, as if we had nudged it.

Now, most importantly, experience what it feels like to use Xiaomi glasses. I already had some similar glasses on my head, more expensive ones. I wouldn’t write that they’re cheaper either, because only the cardboard solution is cheaper than the Xiaomi glasses (it’s true, I’ve tried it too, but I’d rather not recommend it to anyone).

When I took the glasses out of the box, I was a little surprised because the distance between the lenses and the eyes could not be adjusted. It used to be basic to be able to shoot the lenses to the size of our head, not everything to be ghostly. The glasses are very easy to insert, as you only need to pull the zipper around. The front cover is not very strong, but it holds the phone in place. it is worth taking care not to headbang in the glasses, because then the mobile will slip. Of course, it can't fall out, it won't scratch, and by reaching through the two front openings, we can easily slide the mobile back into place.

So, before I turned it on, I had my doubts about the unadjustability of the lenses, but either I’m lucky and the glasses were right on my head, or the Chinese did something very well with these glasses because everything is as perfect as it is. I used it with a 5,5-inch full HD phone. This resolution is already enough for a VR goggle, although you can see the pixel grid on the screen for a bit, but that when you start using the programs will no longer show up. which, in turn, I noticed was that the angle of view was somehow wider than that of glasses in a similar price range. I felt much less like looking at the world through diving goggles. Okay, this isn't an Oculus either, but believe me, a 5-10 degree difference in viewing angle counts a lot, plus or minus. There were two small problems with the glasses. One is that it wasn’t tailored for a European nose, so I had to manage a bit before it became comfortable and didn’t want to flatten my nose. The other is that there was a little infiltration of light on both sides of my temple. I tried the glasses during the day as well, I wouldn’t say it would have been particularly distracting, but in bright light it would have already ruined the experience.

Overall, Xiaomi’s glasses were a big positive disappointment for me. out of the box, I have already described it to myself in advance, as the adjustment of the lenses was very important for the glasses I used before. Now I didn't need it for some reason. Unfortunately, I already have to use glasses for reading, which is important now because I’ve tried the stuff with and without glasses. I’m happy to report my reading glasses fit under it, so anyone who needs this accessory for sharp vision can feel free to buy the Xiaomi VR as well.

In the end, what is currently $ 12, or $ 3100, remains. It really isn’t a lot of money for it, and in terms of the experience it provides, it’s well worth it.

I ordered from here: Original Xiaomi VR Virtual Reality 3D Glasses - BLACK

Editor's rating

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