The Totem VR headset Kickstarter has launched. Vrvana, formerly ‘True Player Gear’, is seeking $350,000 CAD to get a dev kit of the product into the hands of developers. I sat down with Vrvana CEO Bert Nepveu to learn more about the Totem headset and get my eyes on the first working prototype that’s been shown to the public.

vrvana totem vr headset (3)

Vrvana has been been teasing their headset for some time. Last week was the first time we got to see a functional prototype. If the company delivers what they’re promising, the Totem will offer some very interesting unique selling points when compared to other VR headsets we’ve seen so far. Chief among them is a stereo-pair of front-facing cameras for 3D passthrough video and inside-out positional tracking, dual on-headset headphone plugs, per-eye lens focus, and hardware acceleration.

vrvana totem vr headset (8)

The Totem also aims to use a low-persistence 1080p display with an RGB sub-pixel structure (as opposed to the pentile structure seen on the Rift DK2 and Gear VR). As I haven’t yet had my eyes on the panel that the company intends to use, it isn’t clear if it will indeed look better than pentile of the same resolution, but Vrvana seems to think it will go a long way in reducing the ‘screen door effect’ (being able to see the unlit space between pixels).

I’ll have more detail from my hands-on time with the Totem prototype soon, for now, catch a 20 minute interview with Vrvana CEO Bert Nepveu.

The Totem Kickstarter will run for 28 days. Here’s a breakdown of the core reward tiers (all prices USD):

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$400 – Super Early Bird Special (limit 50)

Get a Totem developer headset. Shipping to North America, and EU. Shipping and handling not included.

$425 – Early Bird Special (limit 100)

Get a Totem developer headset. Shipping to North America, and EU. Shipping and handling not included.

$450 – Get a Totem Developer Headset First (limit 3000)

Be the first: you will be part of the first production run. Shipping to North America, and EU. Shipping and handling not included.

$495 – Get a Totem Developer Headset

Shipping to North America, and EU. Shipping and handling not included.

$500 – Limited Offer Special Deal (limit 50)

Get a Totem Developer Headset and a pair of custom fit eers™ stereo ear buds. Shipping to North America, and EU. Shipping and handling not included.

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • SuperDre

    Hmmm.. with so many different players, it’s getting hard to decide were to put your money, especially on some unproven company with not really real names behind them.. I do think they might have a good product as the no external camera tracking and 3D ‘seethrough’ are a plus compared to the current external camera of the Oculus DK2, but looking at the video, I seems to me the (positional) tracking isn’t as smooth as the DK2..

  • Gerald Terveen

    Really curious how well the inside-out tracking works.

  • Curtrock

    As a fellow Canadian, I wish this team much luck & success. I have gone “all in w/Occulus” as far as where my $$$$ are invested, so I won’t be buying a Totem. I have to say, the onboard positional tracking idea w/ stereo pass-thru cameras seems to make a lot of sense. Of course, the proof of good implementation is yet to be seen. I look fwd to comparing this to the RIFT, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope the CV1 had the same features that the Totem is claiming…