Somnium, a Czech startup, originally carved its niche with the social VR platform known as Somnium Space. However, in late 2021, they made waves by announcing the Somnium VR1 headset, a device boasting impressive specs for its time. Teaming up with VRgineers, famous for their top-tier XTAL headsets designed for enterprises, Somnium initially envisioned the VR1 as a versatile headset with standalone features, thanks to an onboard Snapdragon XR2 chipset. By 2022, however, they shifted their focus, choosing to refine it into a dedicated PC VR headset instead.
The VR1 features the same impressive 2880×2880 QD-LCD with Mini-LED panels found in the Pimax Crystal. These displays are equipped with a 20,000:1 contrast ratio via local dimming, a 100% NTSC color gamut, and offer refresh rates of 72Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. There’s also an “experimental” mode at 144Hz for those willing to push the envelope. Brightness reaches 210 nits, about double what the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro deliver.
The headset pairs these vibrant displays with large dual-element aspheric lenses, which Somnium touts as offering a horizontal field of view around 130° and a vertical view of 105°. That’s broader than any VR headset currently on the market. While the Pimax “5K” and “8K” models offered wider views, they are no longer being produced and had notable peripheral distortion.
Somnium’s emphasis on such an expansive field of view explains the bulkiness of the VR1, even as the industry trends towards slimmer headsets with pancake lenses. This focus sets it apart in a landscape increasingly dominated by compact design.
