Setup & Content

Photo by Road to VR

Setting up the Mirage Solo is quite easy; you’ll log into a Google account and see a handful of familiar Android options. While Daydream presents you with a VR-specific front-end, it’s clear that the headset has a quite mature foundation thanks to its basis in Android; it supports a much wider range of deeper features than Go, for instance, including multiple user accounts, VPNs, storage management, battery management, and more. Oh and there’s a micro-SD card slot for expanding storage, which will be a godsend to anyone who really makes good use of the headset.

Content wise, the headset draws upon the Daydream store. Every Daydream application (even older apps not updated for 6DOF) is supported by the Solo. Aside from a section in the store called ‘WorldSense Powered Experiences’, there’s no clear indication about which individual applications make use of the headset’s 6DOF tracking capability. There’s no search function for the app store either, and no web browser, which is odd considering Google is involved.

Experience

Image courtesy Google

The Solo’s interface (which is identical across other Daydream headsets too), deserves a call out for its looks and simplicity. I much prefer it to the over-designed interface used by Go and Gear VR. The interaction design is consistent and easy to understand, and the whole thing feels buttery smooth, whether it’s whisking between menus or jumping in and out of VR apps.

While the Mirage Solo’s more powerful processor seems to generally lend the headset to graphically better looking titles than the Go, at twice the price, it needs to provide twice as much value to really feel like a good investment. Despite competent hardware (foiled in many ways by poor ergonomics) the Mirage Solo, like the Go, feels like it’s missing ‘must-have’ content among its claimed “more than 350 apps.”

While 6DOF head tracking definitely adds a little immersion and comfort to any VR experience, the headset is missing apps that are truly defined by the feature—apps which make you say ‘I’m glad I paid a $200 premium over a similar headset for this feature’. Yes there are apps which ask you to gently lean from side to side to dodge a projectile (like Merry Snowballs), or duck to avoid a tree branch (like Extreme Whiteout), but the best apps on the platform aren’t designed for, or drastically enhanced by, 6DOF.

It’ll take a concerted effort to build those apps, and that means convincing developers that it’s worth their time, when there are so many more mobile 3DOF headsets they could be building for. Don’t get me wrong—6DOF is amazing and it’s what everyone should want, but the reality is that games need to be specifically designed to make use of 6DOF; simply slapping it in as a bonus doesn’t add much to what you could get for half the price. In time, Daydream could grow a strong library of great games that make people realize how much more engaging made-for-6DOF content can be, but that isn’t the case today.

Disclosure: Lenovo provided Road to VR with Mirage Solo headset.
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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."
  • Justos

    Content is king. No games no sale, why is that so hard google?

    • dk

      it has all the daydream apps ….plus 6dof …which can be updated to work even better…..but the lack of 6dof hand interaction is unfortunate
      …but without 6dof a headset is just a cardboard demo toy

    • gothicvillas

      Put it this way. 3dof is a puke fest. 6dof is vr standard. I’d rather have 5 6dof apps than 100 3dof. As for me, neither one of them i like. Vive focus on the other hand…

      • ShiftyInc

        “Put it this way. 3dof is a puke fest.” This comment alone makes me wonder if you ever tried it, cause it’s anything but puke fest.

        • Raphael

          3dof or 6 never made me vomit over anyone or anything.

      • David D. Taylor

        Respectfully, as someone who is incredibly prone to motion sickness, I’m not sure what 3DoF apps you were playing to make the whole collection a puke fest. There were a couple apps that made me a bit sick… usually rollercoster or flight simulators… but the majority of 3DoF didn’t make me sick.

        On the other hand, I do agree that 6DoF is substantially better experience.

  • Nate Vander Plas

    I was really hoping this would be a better review! 6DOF in a portable headset was a really great promise. Sounds like they delivered on that point, but if it hurts to wear… Does anyone know if it’s possible to get Google’s “Welcome to Light Fields” on it?

    • dk

      I don’t think there is a version for daydream and before 6dof daydream it would have been pointless …..btw the desktop app requires 7gb free space ….maybe at some point

  • Thank you again Ben for the critical but fair review. Sadly, too many headset designers are taking the lazy way out with using Fresnel lenses and I noticed that the Samsung Odyssey has they same issue with the “sweet spot,” which can be aggravating in an action game which requires you to focus your weapon. How does the 6DOF compare to the MSXR 6DOF since they both use a stereo SLAM variant? Funny that you can’t create boundaries, since this is the advantage with an all-in-one, and one of the great things I have found with my MSXR & my “VR Beltpack” that you can walk around just about anywhere as long as enough clutter (or patterns on the walls & floor) and of course no objects or walls to bump into. Of course this adds about $500 to the cost of the headset, but it performs better than a mobile experience based on a Snapdragon 835. Looking forward to creating a lightweight “runners” type backpack with the Intel Hades Canyon as soon as it comes in. If successful, I will either make the plans free or start a Kickstarter for a frame/harness/power circuit kit. All you would need to do is supply the readily available Li-Ion battery pack.

    • Peter Petropolis

      How does the 6DOF compare to the MSXR 6DOF since they both use a stereo SLAM variant?

      Simple. The MXYZPTLK version of LMKNW is part of AARP and NJUJ; when combined they work in SLAMBAM synch.

      • I assume you would call this SARCASTIC HUMOR, right Peter?

        For your benefit, here is acronym dictionary:

        6DOF – Six Degrees of Freedom (3 axis’s of rotation + 3 axis’s of translation)

        MSXR – Microsoft Mixed Reality

        SLAM – Simultaneous Location and Mapping

        Li-Ion – Lithium Ion

        VR – Virtual Reality

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  • MarquisDeSang

    Fresnel lens is the best lens whe done properly. Proof is the amazing Oculus Go lens. PS: I find that the Go has better VR games than PC VR.

    • gothicvillas

      Ok :)

    • Raphael

      Fresnel is based on ancient technology. It really belongs in light-houses or solar farms. The future of VR is NOT using ancient lenses with tiny viewing spot, lens reflections/glow. There is hope on the horizon and it does not involve fresnel.

      • MarquisDeSang

        So why does the Oculus Go use Fresnel and it is perfectly focused everywhere, no precise sweet spot? Fresnel is the future because above 90 fov it is needed and it can have a much needed bias to concentrate more pixel in a specific region.

        • Raphael

          LOL. Fresnel will be dumped at some point when true next gen lenses arrive. Carbon nanotube. Octopus Go uses Fresnel and ALL fresnel have a sweet spot. The impact of the sweet spot depends entirely on the distance of lens, the number of rings and the magnification. So if there is “no sweet” spot as you claim, it would be only through very careful design unlike the clumsy optics of Vive or even the CV1 dual element workaround. So no… Fresnel is not the future of VR. It has too many negatives.

          • rushmore69

            Production process is still problematic and comically expensive. Yield for this type of glass is worse than chip wafers a few years ago. Probably five years away for consumer level mass devices. Hens the Fresnel compromise.

          • Raphael

            Nevertheless fresnel is not the future.

          • Peter Petropolis

            Hens the Fresnel compromise.

            huh?

          • I agree after reviewing dozens of lens designs for my own mobile headset. I settled on a 42mm aspherical PMMA that is very close to the eye. There are some exotic materials that reduce optical/chromatic aberrations even further but they are very expensive. Also, you need a doublet design to minimize edge distortion, which also increases overall weight. In the end it is all a trade-off that sadly Fresnel lenses right not provide the best weight/optic/price performance.

          • Raphael

            The good news is that next-gen lenses are being developed and eventually products will come to market and prices fall.

            Back in the mid 2000’s I used to place a large fresnel lens in front of my display for immersive gaming. It was always a trade-off between magnification/ring density. Imagine a future where we could ditch lenses completely and project data directly into the eye.

          • Do you have any articles or companies you know of who are investing time into researching new lenses? I would really like to contact them.

    • rushmore69

      Catch is the battery life is weak, no micro sd and the display has weak contrast and the lines with moving objects are as bad as the dots with pentile. Pick your poison ;)

      I have the 64GB Go and the Gear VR with S8 and still deciding if keeping the Go, for the reasons noted above.

      • Nicolas Grignon

        in term of sharpness, how the Go compares to the GVR? (I have the gvr with a S6)…

  • The Vive Focus has the same problems regarding Viveport: most apps are just porting of 3DOF ones and you don’t get the value of buying a 6DOF device

  • rushmore69

    75% more, since same 64GB is $50 more. I would gladly by the Go with same features: 835, 4,000 MAH battery and micro sd slot. Prefer Oculus though, since have Gear VR with the S8. Been comparing both for several days. Main issue with the Go is battery life is about 55% less than the S8 with the Gear VR. Image quality seems to net out. With the Go you get lines and the Gear you get dots. The Gear though blows the Go away for color and contrast. The Go though total was $250, but wimpy battery, chipset and no micro sd slot.

    • dk

      well in 2 years they might update the go with the Solo specs …and it will be like 250

  • Till Eulenspiegel

    This headset and the upcoming Vive Daydream headset will failed because of the price. 6DoF should be reserved for PC driven headsets, what’s the point of mobile processors doing 6DoF?

    A mobile standalone headset should be cheap and know what it is – a mobile device, trying to do PC driven VR will make it looks inadequate.

    3DoF is a sit-down passive VR experience, it is a more relax VR experience that can be use for a longer period without fatigue. 6DoF is a standup active experience, while it is more immersive – it’s also exhausting.

    • dk

      no 3dof should have died with the dk1 and cardboard/plastic headsets for 3dof phones ……and now it will die in 2 years with the next gen Go when they update the cpu and add 2 cheap cameras…..and google is already selling it
      3dof was supposed to be a demo of something similar to a vr headset …without full head movement it just isn’t a real full vr experience ….and eventually mobile headsets will get close to desktop ….or they will get an optional video connection to a pc
      https://youtu.be/-WEP29MH8bw

      • Till Eulenspiegel

        If 6DoF is cheap, sure – but not now, it’s critical to get VR mainstream and the trick is keeping the price down. In geek culture: the best technology is the criteria, but in the mainstream price will always be the first concern. I have no doubt 6DoF will eventually be the default for all mobile headsets but that’s in the future.

        • dk

          yep it will be ….the go just needs to be updated with a 2 years old sd835(or an equivalent) and 2 wvga cameras …..and at that point getting a 3dof headset instead of 6dof wouldn’t make sense ……just like how today getting a dumb phone instead of a smart phone doesn’t make sense
          ….if nothing else in a year a used Solo will be like 250-280

  • dk

    • Great demo, and I guess I am not the only one using 6DOF in my backyard anymore. This also answers my questions about its ability to do stereo SLAM as well as MSXR. The only problem is the lack of visual horsepower that can be scaled up with MSXR depending on the PC you hook to it, as in the case with my ‘belt VR system.’ The other main advantage is the 6DOF hand controllers, but there shouldn’t be any reason a similar system could not created here. I just wished Google would have created a separate stereo SLAM module to use with a Pixel/Daydream headset. I’d pay $100-$150 for a 6DOF add-on.

      https://youtu.be/hM8uwzmhaJY

    • One other question Steve, is the “safety feature” a setting in Daydream control panel? Or a developer feature?

      • dk

        u go to the developer tab in the settings and turn off the safeguard ……so apps need to be designed with the tracking in mind and maybe they need to update the system…..right now they r just betting on the existing apps with additional head tracking
        but u can run around a big room like with the focus …the hardware can do it

  • Peter Petropolis

    Right on the heels of the Oculus Go launch, the Lenovo Mirage Solo is here.

    Do you have it backwards?

  • JesuSaveSouls

    It actually goes way beyond positional tracking as when you go into the dev settings it lets you also force 6dof for most apps and remove the safety limits that then allows you to roam far and free.

  • Rob Goulet

    I have a gently used Lenova Mirage Solo for sale! LOL