Tech

This powerful headset can switch between virtual and augmented reality on the fly — you need to see it in action

Dave Smith

2016-03-16T14:47:00Z

You may have never heard of AMD, but you’ve almost certainly used products powered by the company’s technologies.

AMD, or Advanced Micro Devices, is one of the biggest chipmakers in the world. The 46-year-old California company makes computer chips and all the related tech needed to power applications on PCs, smartphones, tablets, and more.

On Monday, AMD surprised everyone with its newest initiative: The Sulon Q, built out of a partnership with Ontario-based Sulon Technologies.

The Sulon Q is the first and only headset that can handle both virtual and augmented reality applications — every other headset we’ve seen so far can only handle one or the other. More importantly, the Sulon Q doesn’t need a computer to power its experiences. Everything is built right into the headset.

This is the kind of solution many have been looking for: A headset that doesn’t require a separate computer and can do AR and VR interchangeably. Even the best headsets we’ve seen from Facebook (Oculus Rift), Sony (PlayStation VR), and HTC/Valve (Vive) still need a computer or console, and they can’t switch between AR and VR — so it looks like AMD and Sulon have beaten these companies to the punch in this respect.

Here’s a closer look at the Sulon Q.

Here’s the Sulon Q headset.

Unlike other AR and VR headsets out there, it doesn’t need to be connected to a computer.

There’s no external tracking systems, and no wires to get tangled. Everything’s packed in the headset.

And unlike anything else we've seen, the Sulon Q can power both virtual and augmented reality experiences.

It's best to see this unique ability in action. In this Sulon Q demo called "Magic Beans," a book starts floating in your room and a voice starts reading "Jack and the Beanstalk" aloud to you.

This is using augmented reality, since we can see virtual elements in the real world.

Once you plant a magic bean in your living room, something incredible happens.

Whoa!

Yikes!

That won't be easily fixed.

OH CRAP.

Welp, I guess I'm leaving the house today.

"Fee-fi-fo-fum! I smell the blood of a Tech Insider editor."

As you can tell, we're no longer using augmented reality. We're now in full-blown virtual reality — you can't see the real world anymore.

See, there's the giant's castle in the sky where Jack normally finds that golden harp or goose that lays golden eggs (depending on which version of this book you know).

Hey, I can see my house from here!

Eventually the giant gets tired of you and lowers you back into your house. Now we're back to using augmented, or "mixed" reality.

AMD's even kind of enough to repair your ceiling before the demo's over.

The secret sauce that makes this AR/VR interchangeability possible is something AMD calls the “Spatial Processing Unit,” which is a tiny mixed reality computer that maps your environment and tracks your gestures in real-time.

As an AR headset, Sulon Q achieves similar holographic quality as Microsoft’s HoloLens — in fact, its spatial computing applications for creation and work are also powered by Windows 10, so you can watch videos in Windows Media Player and surf the web with Microsoft Edge through this headset.

As a VR headset, the Sulon Q has the same field-of-view as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, so you can feel truly immersed in virtual environments.

Solon Q can also let you take endless walks in VR. Using small perceptual tricks, the headset takes advantage of its untethered nature to let you feel like you’re walking around big virtual worlds — even if it's just your tiny living room.

Since this headset's powered by AMD, you know the graphics are going to look excellent. The Sulon Q uses 4 computing cores and 8 graphics cores from AMD in a proprietary system architecture to render high-quality visuals while maintaining smooth and responsive experiences in both AR and VR.

Sound is an important factor in feeling truly immersed in both VR and AR, so the Sulon Q headset also comes with a pair of specialized earbuds that let you hear sounds in a 3D space.

AMD and Sulon say the Sulon Q headset is expected to ship in late spring.

There’s still much we don’t know about the Sulon Q. For example, how long can its batteries last on a single charge? Where can you download the Sulon Q’s VR and AR apps? Considering all of its technology is on board the headset, how much does it weigh?

We reached out to AMD and Sulon to get some answers to these questions. Neither company was immediately available to comment.

You can watch AMD's "Magic Beans" demo for the Sulon Q headset right here.

Virtual reality