Somnium, a Czech startup, initially gained recognition for its social VR platform, Somnium Space. However, they decided to expand their horizons in late 2021, introducing the Somnium VR1 headset. This device boasted impressive specifications for its time, developed in collaboration with VRgineers, renowned for crafting high-end XTAL headsets aimed at enterprise users. Originally, the Somnium VR1 was conceived as a hybrid headset, intending to offer standalone capabilities through an onboard Snapdragon XR2 chipset. However, by 2022, they shifted focus, dedicating their efforts to make it exclusively a PC VR headset.
The VR1 is equipped with the same 2880×2880 QD-LCD panels with Mini-LED technology as seen in the Pimax Crystal. These displays offer a remarkable 20000:1 contrast ratio due to local dimming, cover 100% of the NTSC color gamut, and support refresh rates of 72Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz, with an experimental 144Hz mode also in the mix. The brightness output is 210 nits, which is roughly twice as bright as what’s offered by the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro.
Complementing these high-quality displays are the large dual-element aspheric lenses, which Somnium asserts provide a horizontal field of view of about 130° and a vertical field of 105°. This makes it the broadest available on the market, outdoing other VR headsets. While the Pimax “5K” and “8K” models once boasted wider fields, they are no longer manufactured and were known for having significant peripheral distortion.
The pursuit of an expansive field of view is the reason behind the noticeable bulkiness of the Somnium VR1, especially at a time when many of its competitors are moving towards sleeker designs using pancake lenses.
