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Time 12 minute read — Calendar 2022-02-14 — Person George Singer — Pricetags #update and #timeline

The Simula One: Portable Linux VR Computer

Over the past 4 years, our team has been working to bring Linux Desktop to VR. Now for the first time, Linux enthusiasts can have a portable VR headset capable of running Linux Desktop applications.

See the Simula One in Action

Click here to see our video demonstration: https://youtu.be/a3uN7d51Cco.

Replace your PC/Laptop with our portable "VR Computer" (VRC)

The Simula One is a productivity-focused, standalone VR headset built on top of Linux Desktop. It provides comparable functionality to any Linux laptop or PC, but with the power of VR:

  • Portable VR computing, wherever you are able to walk and think

  • 6DOF hand tracking allows you to interact with and manipulate windows with your hands

  • AR Mode (via high-resolution passthrough cameras) allows you to see your keyboard/hands/surroundings while working

  • Connects with bluetooth keyboards/mice via bluetooth module

  • Contains the highly customizable, open-source SimulaOS Linux distro

  • More than 10x the screens than PCs & Laptops

  • Better work immersion/focus than PCs & Laptops

  • Promotes better posture & freedom of movement than PCs & Laptops

  • Compact form factor saves desk space

  • Still supports tethered gaming on other platforms

Enjoy the power of Linux Desktop with SimulaOS

SimulaOS provides the Simula One with a highly customizable, open-source VR Linux distro.

  • Linux apps. Compatible with any app that runs on Linux Desktop (apps like Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice, Emacs, Vim, …)

  • Especially clear text quality. Displays especially crisp text (via our text-specialized rendering methodology)

  • Built on open-source. SimulaOS is built over the Godot game engine and NixOS (for reproducible headset configurations, and easy system rollbacks in case things go wrong).

  • Comes pre-installed. SimulaOS is pre-installed on the Simula One, but can be removed/replaced with other Linux distros for users who want different configurations.

Headset specs

  • 35.5 PPD

  • 2448x2448 per eye display resolution

  • 100° FOV

  • 90 Hz refresh rate

  • 55mm-77mm IPD

  • Features dual wide-angle high-resolution RGB cameras for AR passthrough

  • Supports Tethered Mode for gaming on other platforms (Windows/SteamVR)

Detachable compute pack specs

  • i7-1165G7 Processor (EDIT: We are now providing i7-1165U Processor (12th Gen))

  • 16 GB Memory

  • Iris Xe graphics

  • 1 TB SSD

  • Wi-Fi 6

  • Bluetooth 5.2

  • 3.5mm Audio Jack

  • Exposed ports: 1x USB4 (including Thunderbolt 4), 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2/DP Alt-Mode, 2x USB-A 3.2

  • Comes pre-installed with SimulaOS Linux VR distro

Higher pixel density than any other portable VR headset

The single most important metric of a VR Computer is its display PPD ("Pixels Per Degree"), which provides a standardized way of measuring how clearly (e.g.) text and other fine details are rendered in the headset. The Simula One offers a higher PPD of than any other portable headset currently on the market (35.5 PPD).

Especially clear text quality

Using a special rendering methodology, our dev team has made text quality on the Simula One especially crisp:

The left image is a VR terminal without our special rendering applied; the right is the same terminal with our special rendering applied. This tech, combined with our extremely high pixel density, makes the Simula One the best VR headset for office work, allowing for significantly longer sessions without uncomfortable eye strain or fatigue.

Features detachable compute pack

The Simula One's compute element can be detached from the back of the headset. This can be useful for things like

  • Using the Simula One in non-VR mode

  • Docking the compute unit onto your desk

  • Removing some weight from the headset

Get more done with unlimited screens

Remember the first time you used a dual monitor setup, and experienced how much more space you felt? Simula gives you an unlimited number of screens, with each screen having an unlimited size.

Depending upon the task you're working on, this can have an accumulating impact on your productivity over time. Here are some examples of things that get considerably easier with unlimited screen real estate:

  • Viewing different locations of a spreadsheet or large document across space

  • Data entry

  • Drafting emails using source materials

  • Comparing multiple things (drafts, images, products, etc) side-by-side

  • Editing source code in multiple places with compilation window(s) next to it

  • Monitoring a program while simultaneously watching how it uses resources

  • Planning out a day with your TODO list next to your calendar and email client

  • Working while consuming media (you would never do this though, right?:)

Work with more focus & immersion

Have you ever noticed it's sometimes easier to work in a private office than it is a public area or high-distraction environment? The Simula One allows you to take this one step further. No matter where you are, you can put it on, and it's just you and your work. VR Computers are great for immersion in a way that's hard to describe until you try one for yourself. They're especially good for distracting work environments, and when you want to signal to you and your coworkers that you're "locked down and focused".

Enjoy more privacy

Ever tried to get something done in an airplane or train car? It can sometimes just feel weird working on sensitive things out in the open. The Simula One allows you to work privately, knowing that other people can't snoop over and see any sensitive info on your screen.

Compute with better posture & freedom of movement

Laptops and monitors force you to keep your body oriented in the same position for several hours a day. Often times this promotes bad back and neck posture.

Simula instead gives you the ability to move windows or even your entire workspace around at will, allowing you to change positions and achieve more ergonomic working stances throughout the day. You can even experiment with supine computing without purchasing any expensive desk setups.

Use Tethered Mode for gaming on other platforms

The Simula One headset can be tethered to any PC (Windows/Linux) for a more traditional gaming experience. Simply detach the compute pack, plug into your gaming PC, and enjoy (e.g.) SteamVR gaming. Requires controllers from other VR platforms.

OPTIONAL: If you are interested in our VR headset only for gaming, you can purchase a "Tethered Only" headset which excludes the Linux compute pack.

Use the Simula One with wireless keyboards & mice

The Simula One is compatible with bluetooth keyboard & mice

Control apps with your hands and eyes

Retain full control of your desktop with only a keyboard and your hands (mouse not necessarily needed).

  • Control mouse cursor movement with your eye gaze

  • Use special hand gestures to manipulate and interact with windows

Use AR Mode to see your keyboard & surroundings

Need to see a key on your keyboard, or locate your coffee? Use Simula's "AR Mode" passthrough view, which allows you to see your surroundings from VR with high-resolution, front-facing cameras.

Travel with the power of a full desktop

Whether you're sitting in an airplane seat, a hotel desk, or a coffee shop: the Simula One gives you the power to take your full desktop with you no matter where you need to be.

Use the Simula One while outside

The Simula One avoids laptop screen glare, and is usable even when it's sunny outside. Enjoy stationary computing while in your back yard, sitting at a park, or on an urban balcony.

Use the Simula One in "pancake mode" when working outside of VR

Need to work outside of VR? You can plug a traditional monitor into the Simula One's compute pack and navigate it like a traditional computer.

Avoid the hassles of gaming headsets

The Simula One avoids the many problems associated with VR Desktops on gaming headsets:

  • No cord tethering required
  • No WiFi tethering (with bandwidth limitations and latency issues)
  • You are not limited in the number of screens you are able to use
  • No grainy/pixelated text
  • 100% native Linux Desktop support, with all hardware & software optimized specifically for VR Desktop

We're 100% focused on VR Computing, not other agendas

Our product is 100% focused on VR computing. No gaming platforms, social networks, data gathering operations, or other agendas.

Simula One VR Computer (VRC)

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Tethered-Only Edition

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Founders' Edition

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Work in The Future

From Iron Man to The Minority Report, our Sci-Fi has been promising us for decades a future of always-on spatial computing with omnipresent screens. The Simula One allows you to be one of the first people alive to experience high-fidelity VR Computing.

Join our open-source community

Receive support, software updates, and UX improvements from our dev team and community.

If you have any questions about our product or timeline, drop into our Discord and we'll answer.

Our team

The Simula One headset is being crafted by a team of engineers across the U.S. and Germany (our manufacturing based in Germany). Our backgrounds span across mechanical, electrical, & software engineering, and include experience in hardware crowdfunding campaigns. We have been actively developing Simula's open-source software since 2017, and have been working on our headset hardware since 2021.

While most people believe that the future of VR/AR is in games & entertainment, the truth is that it's also going to change the way we work. Unfortunately, very few startups are focused on the intersection of office productivity and VR, and almost none are focused on Linux. Our mission is to build an productivity-focused VR/AR platform on top of Linux to augment human intelligence.

Updates throughout the duration of the project

Simula's team is committed to providing transparent updates to all backers throughout the duration of our project. Previous updates include:

Discussion & press

See comments about our software, hardware, & team:

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