Former Quest Engineer Praises Vision Pro Imitation

Wait, did you think the Apple Vision Pro was available in black? Not quite. Enter the Play For Dream MR, a sleek, black mixed reality headset that has tech enthusiasts buzzing. With some people dubbing it the ‘Android Vision Pro’ because of its Android-powered operating system, Play For Dream made quite an impact at CES 2025 last week.

Initially, this intriguing gadget made a splash in Asia last year. The company behind it, based in China and named Play For Dream, had set its eyes on capturing the Western market. They launched a Kickstarter campaign in September, successfully raising HK$2,271,650, which is about $292,000 USD.

The Play For Dream MR is truly a tech lover’s dream. It boasts a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset running on Android 15, features dual 3,840 × 3,552 micro-OLED displays with a smooth 90Hz refresh rate, offers eye-tracking, automatic IPD adjustment, wired and wireless PC streaming, and has a Quest Pro-style rear-mounted battery and Touch-style controllers. It’s got just about everything—even the user interface inspired by Vision Pro.

Beyond the design similarities, Amanda Watson, an ex-Quest engineer, had the chance to experience the Play For Dream MR first-hand. She shared her excitement on social media, describing it as “absolutely the best all-around HMD demo I saw on the floor today.” Watson left Meta in 2022, but her expertise makes her praise significant. According to her, it’s effectively an ‘Android Apple Vision Pro’ with excellent execution, great performance, top-notch optics, and impressive UI and media capabilities.

During her tenure at Meta/Oculus, Watson was involved in various Quest projects, including the tethered Link and Air Link, the company’s Wi-Fi streaming tool. She even led the development of Air Link solo for 13 months before its release. So, when Watson vouches for something, it’s worth taking note.

She mentioned testing the USB streaming feature, saying while it showed promise, it still felt like a work in progress regarding frame rate and latency. Nevertheless, basic functions like controller motion and resolution were spot-on.

Watson also praised the Touch-style controllers and pointed out the headset’s pancake lenses had remarkable distortion correction, which she valued highly. Although they claimed the headset supports hand tracking, she didn’t get to see it in action.

Founded under the YVR name in 2020, Play For Dream has already rolled out two standalone VR headsets—the YVR 1 and YVR 2, both hitting the Chinese market in 2022.

The Play For Dream MR is still keeping its release date and price under wraps, but the company has hinted it will be priced under $2,000. If you’re curious or want to keep an eye on ordering opportunities, be sure to visit Play For Dream’s website for the latest updates and detailed specifications.