It also might be the ONLY mainstream Android VR headset after ‘Google Cardboard’.
It’s clear that Nothing has made a big impression on the global tech scene, especially with all the chatter around their next move. Sure, the Nothing Phone (3) is in the pipeline and set to launch early next year, but it sparks curiosity like, “What if they unveiled a foldable phone? (Hint: it would be amazing) Or as designer Ratan Pande suggests – What about a VR headset?
Honestly, both a foldable phone and a VR headset could be groundbreaking areas for Nothing to shake things up. Why? Because these industries are kinda on the downslide, mostly because there’re not many thrilling products out there. Enter Nothing. The VR headset, designed by Pande, started as more of an aesthetics exercise to see how the brand’s unique design that we know so well might work in a category they aren’t in. And the outcome is pretty intriguing, especially with the Glyph Interface front and center, along with several other cool details!
Designer: Ratan Pande
The Nothing VR Headset looks pretty simple from the outside, flaunting that transparent design language that we’ve come to know and love. Its shape isn’t all too different from, let’s say, the Meta Quest, with a white block sitting on your forehead. The front is see-through, showing a good amount of circuitry inside (most likely faux pieces meant just for looks), aside from two cameras up front, and some other added lenses on the sides likely for obstacle awareness.
The Glyph Interface is the first thing that catches your attention. Taking inspiration from the Phone (1) and (2a)’s glyph patterns, the two clusters of LED strips (one around each eye) function as notification lights – they don’t just inform the wearer, they let others nearby know what’s happening. While it’s debatable what each glyph signifies, it’s easy to picture them lighting up when pass-through mode is activated, thereby alerting those around that the user is aware of their environment. Additionally, I can imagine the glyphs going wild with light when you’re racking up points in a game. Oh and there’s also a red LED that indicates when the user is recording.
On the back, the design features a layout that anyone who’s worn VR headsets will find familiar. There’s a comfy padded eyepiece, along with a simple three-strap system to keep everything stable. Inside, fresnel lenses provide the VR experience, giving you sharp visuals without a hefty price tag.
It’s quite thrilling to think about what this device might cost. Seeing as Nothing tends to dive into a category with a super competitive price, this should be under $300 to really grab some market share from Meta. As one of the few Android makers possibly creating a VR headset, it could sync perfectly with the Android ecosystem, capitalizing on over 3 billion Android phones that’d work effortlessly with the VR headset, enabling users to access apps, play games, scroll through social media, watch films, and even tackle some work tasks! Will Nothing drop a VR headset? Probably not anytime soon, since they are still trying to cement their status in the phone market… but who knows, right?
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