Xiaomi has joined the virtual reality land-grab with a cheap smartphone-based headset, the Mi VR Play, which pits the Chinese mobile maker against its sometime partner Google and further hampers Facebook’s hopes of dominating the VR market with its Oculus headsets.
More than 1m consumers have already signed up to test Xiaomi’s headset, available as a beta version in China practically free of cost at Rmb1 ($0.15). It will be tested by “tens of thousands” of users, according to a spokesperson, before a full launch in coming months. Partners contributing content to its Mi VR app include glossy magazine Condé Nast Traveller and Chinese video side Youku.
The headset, made of Lycra, requires a compatible smartphone, either iOS or Android, of 4.7in to 5.7in. It is being marketed as an affordable entry-level product.