HorizonWeb_med4-longThe VR headset race has seen many entrants in the last two years other than Oculus’s Rift. But none has managed to convincingly best the Rift’s raw technical specifications quite so dazzlingly as the InfinitEye 210 Degree, dual 720p HMD that I was lucky enough to try first when I visited the team in Tolouse back in October of 2013. I was impressed and to this day have never experienced quite the same expansive FOV.

Now, a new VR headset has appeared sporting a very similar approach to that monster virtual reality device. Horizon V claims to be the world’s first ‘UHD’ (Ultra High Definition) virtual reality headset. The unit sports dual discrete 4K (3840 x 2160) panels and claims to deliver an InfinitEye-equalling 210 degree horizontal field of view with 90 degrees vertical.

As if all that wasn’t enough, the device supposedly also houses Dual 4k front-facing cameras – presumably for a window on the world to flip to once you have the HMD on – and perhaps augmented reality applications some way down the track.

If Something Sounds Too Good to be True …

Too good to be true? We reached out to Stephane Portes from InfinitEye for comment on the Horizon V. Stephane told me that this project is absolutely not affiliated with InfinitEye in any way, but does use their HMD design renders. Therefore, please treat this device with extreme caution – we’d recommend not sending any money to this company before we’ve confirmed their legitimacy.

We’ll do our best to try and establish the HMD’s credentials as soon as we’re able and report back soon. If you’ve any information concerning Horizon 4K, drop us an email at info@roadtovr.com.

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Paul James
Based in the UK, Paul has been immersed in interactive entertainment for the best part of 27 years and has followed advances in gaming with a passionate fervour. His obsession with graphical fidelity over the years has had him branded a ‘graphics whore’ (which he views as the highest compliment) more than once and he holds a particular candle for the dream of the ultimate immersive gaming experience. Having followed and been disappointed by the original VR explosion of the 90s, he then founded RiftVR.com to follow the new and exciting prospect of the rebirth of VR in products like the Oculus Rift. Paul joined forces with Ben to help build the new Road to VR in preparation for what he sees as VR’s coming of age over the next few years.
  • Gerald Terveen

    Blackrock Microdisplay Industries … Bethesda … how interesting ^^

  • Sven Viking

    Wow, great! I just preordered twelve of them using bitcoins!*

    * No I didn’t.

    An unknown company with a site suddenly popping up with implausible hardware, no videos, using someone else’s images without permission and encouraging pre-orders in untraceable currency including $400 to “keep your place in line”, is a company I would be slightly wary of.

    Why no “dev-kit”?
    We don’t believe in keeping gamers waiting for years while we promise a future product. We intend to have our HMD gamer/consumer-ready for a hungry VR market that has waited long enough for HD VR.

    Kindly allowing customers to more quickly begin playing no content. Their FAQ also appears to say a single HDMI1.0 connection will be fine for both 4K displays (but you’ll need HDMI2.0 for higher refresh rates).

    If it’s genuine, they’ve outdone themselves in making it look like a total scam.

    • Sven Viking

      Check the Reddit thread for a lot more information:

      http://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/28wzmu/horizon_v_vr_hmd_with_dual_4k_displays_dual_4k/

      For example, there are photos of their team on the web site that are random images collected from around the Internet.

      Despite attempted excuses below I’d say any money sent to these fraudsters will not be seen again. They claim their website just went up too early with incorrect and placeholder information, but they still won’t remove their payment links.

  • Sven Viking

    One or two of what I’d suspect are fake accounts trying to make the fake headset seem popular, refundable and resale-able at a higher price:
    https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=663149.0

    I sure hope they haven’t actually taken 1000+ pre-orders.

  • Bilou

    This is an obvious fake. They took the infiniteye prototype image, darkened it, and added one of the first image you found when you type “horizon” on Google image to hide the infiniteye logo(http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs42/f/2009/104/f/7/Horizon___Widescreen_Wallpaper_by_hameed.jpg).

    • Yeah, I browsed around for their images over at Reddit. Played with the levels. Their logo, as noted, is just pasted on top of the InfinitEye render. The motion tracker LEDs are just painted on. Most images on the site seem to be generic or picked straight from the web. Their image folder is even browsable… enjoy!

      I wouldn’t trust these guys with my laundry.

  • Frank

    I live within walking distance of their company office. I emailed them and offered to try out the prototype (with pictures of me using it) and report back to roadtovr.com. I would like nothing better than to have their product be legitimate.

    • Paul James

      That would be great Frank, thank you!

      I’ve received a response from Kevin Geiger, CEO of Horizon VR who has explained that due to various errors the website went live early.

      I’m waiting for some more details from him and I’ll put up another article hopefully soon. My advice is still to avoid sending money until things are clarified. As Kevin puts it in his email: “we’re in damage control”.

      I’ve advised him to take down payment options until specs and shipping dates are clarified and that he swings by this subreddit to try and answer any questions.

      • snake0

        Went live early LOL
        That’s the oldest excuse in the book.

        Obvious scam is obvious

      • Frank

        Hi Paul, if/when I get contacted I’ll tell you right away. – Frank

      • Pontianak

        While it may or may not actually be relevant… the address is a “virtual address”. If you check this link here…. http://www.davincivirtual.com/loc/us/maryland/bethesda-virtual-offices/facility-484

        A virtual office for virtual reality? Fitting… sorta. Still smells scammy!

        • BloodShed

          Actually, I found that specific address (suite 200) is registered to a recruiter called HireStrategy:

          http://www.hirestrategy.com/contact/bethesda_map_directions.aspx

        • Frank

          How cool is that? I’ve never heard of Virtual Addresses before (I live a sheltered life). I assumed that it was legit because of the Bethesda address (very expensive area to conduct business). I suspect that I won’t be receiving an invitation to try out the prototype anytime soon. That’s too bad. I was really hoping that it was legit. Hope springs eternal.