Qiyu Dream Pro VR all-in-one machine hands-on experience report: the hexagonal all-round warrior in the 4K era

The hottest concept in the field of science and technology right now is the "metaverse". In its infancy, VR/AR devices, which serve as the bridge connecting the metaverse, have also sprung up like mushrooms in the past few years. Each company has brought out its unique skills, allowing this field to gradually emerge from the bubble period and show a steady upward trend.

At the end of last year, iQIYI's Dream Blossom (formerly "iQIYI Smart") officially launched its new VR all-in-one machine Dream. This VR all-in-one machine uses Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chip and supports 6DoF spatial positioning. The price is only 1,999 yuan. Once it was released, it had a huge impact on the entire VR all-in-one machine market in terms of price, performance, and experience.

According to IDC data, global AR/VR headset shipments reached 11.23 million units in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 92.1%, of which VR headset shipments reached 10.95 million units, breaking the industry's important turning point of annual shipments of 10 million units. Among them, in the fourth quarter of 2021, its omni-channel sales increased by 475.9% year-on-year, and its market share reached 22.5%, ranking first in the industry. From a full-year perspective, in the online e-commerce channel, iQIYI's VR shipments accounted for 27.4%, ranking second in the industry.

Half a year later, iQiyi Qiyu launched a new flagship VR all-in-one machine: Qiyu Dream Pro, bringing VR all-in-one machines into the era of 4K for all.

Optimize the appearance to make wearing experience more comfortable

The outer packaging of Qiyu Dream Pro still uses a simple white paper box. The front of the box is printed with a product picture, and the back of the box lists some game cover pictures of the Qiyu VR platform. There are currently a variety of VR platform games, including "After the Destruction: Winter", "Future of the Living: Sound Project", "Arizona Sunshine", "Crisis Action Team 2" and other popular games.

When I first got the Dream Pro, the console body and the handle still used the contrasting color scheme of pure white with black embellishments. Compared with the previous Dream, the appearance of the headset has not changed much, and the body size and button positions are also the same as the Dream. The only difference is that the color of the outer ring of the four cameras responsible for spatial positioning on the headset has changed from white to black. It is simple and looks full of technology, which is also in line with the aesthetics of young people today.

The top of the Qiyu Dream Pro headset is equipped with a Type-C charging port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a row of long heat dissipation holes. The bottom is the volume adjustment button, and the side of the body is the power button and status light. There are also four spatial positioning cameras around the Qiyu Dream Pro headset. Even if you wear the Dream Pro headset, you can still see the surrounding objects through the camera to prevent collisions and other dangers.

Like most all-in-one VR headsets, Dream Pro also uses a hidden stereo speaker design, which allows you to get a good sound experience without using headphones. However, the open speakers can still be heard by others in a relatively quiet environment, so players who care about sound effects or privacy can wear headphones.

The cushioning material of the forehead of Qiyu Dream Pro is the same as Qiyu Dream, which is still made of sponge material. However, the back of the head of Qiyu Dream Pro has been changed from the previous sponge material to silicone material, and the contact area with the head is larger. A large area of ​​hollowing is also added, so there will be no stuffy feeling even in summer. It can also be disassembled for easy cleaning.

The space inside the host eye mask is also quite sufficient, so users who wear glasses can also use it normally. In addition, like Qiyu Dream, Qiyu Dream Pro can also be put on to simply adjust the tightness of the headband to adjust the field of vision to the clearest state. The operation is simple and easy to understand, and both adults and children can adjust it to the most suitable position.

Qiyu Dream Pro comes with two symmetrically designed operating handles. Both handles are ergonomically designed, with reasonable button design and comfortable grip. In addition, there are wrist straps at the ends of the two handles to prevent the handles from falling out of your hands when you are too immersed in the game.

Configuration is further upgraded, 4K screen experience is better

In terms of hardware, Qiyu Dream Pro can be said to be the flagship configuration among all-in-one VR machines. It is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chip, 8G LPDDR4X 2133MHz memory and UFS3.1 flash memory, and there are two capacity versions of 128G and 256G for users to choose from. This time we got the Qiyu Dream Pro standard version priced at 2499 yuan, with 8+128 configuration. If you buy the Qiyu Dream Pro Premium Edition priced at 3099 yuan, you will not only have a large storage space of 8+256, but also get 20 additional popular VR games.

The biggest upgrade of Dream Pro this time is mainly reflected in the screen. It uses a combination of LCD screen + aspherical lens, supports 72Hz and 90Hz refresh rates, and the resolution has been increased from 2560*1440 of Dream to 3664×1920 pixels, 773ppi, reaching 4K level, so both clarity and smoothness have been further improved, and the experience effect is exceptionally outstanding.

In addition, Qiyu's self-developed "Qiyu Chasing Light" computer vision 6dof VR interactive technology solution is adopted, which enables fast positioning, stable tracking, and rapid feedback. Compared with 3DoF, the positioning is more accurate, and there is basically no difference between the game and the real environment. Any movement of the hands can be perfectly reflected in the game.

In addition, Dream Pro has added a PC streaming function, supports a 90Hz refresh rate in streaming state, and supports both wireless and wired connection methods. After connecting Dream Pro to a computer, you can experience thousands of VR games on the Steam platform.

The VR world brings a different viewing experience

After booting up and entering the system, and after entering a series of settings, you will enter the VR world. In the VR world of Qiyu Dream Pro, it is a complete new scene, and you can see the whole picture by turning your head. Thanks to the new flagship configuration, the smoothness and clarity of the entire picture in the VR world have reached a very high level in the industry, without any lag.

The controller operation is similar to the mouse operation, using the ray method to select, and the control accuracy is also satisfactory. If you forget the button operation, just hold the controller in front of your eyes, and the system will prompt the function of each button. Even if you operate a single controller, you can easily operate the entire system, and it is not difficult to get started.

Qiyu Dream Pro has built-in IQUT Future Cinema 2.0, which can achieve a 3000-inch giant screen effect and supports HDR, Dolby Atmos, AI picture quality enhancement and other functions. It also supports internal local video playback and mobile phone screen projection viewing.

Thanks to iQiyi's powerful film and television resource reserves, all kinds of theater blockbusters can be watched with Dream Pro. When playing movies, especially after selecting IQUT picture quality, the display effect is very delicate. The visual impact brought by the huge screen cannot be replaced by TV and curtain. Without headphones, the built-in stereo speakers can bring an excellent sense of space.

When playing, the default playback scene is a simulated movie theater scene. Looking around, you can see very real seats, as if you are sitting in a private movie theater. If you don't like this perspective, you can also choose the "eye tracking" mode, which allows the entire display to be presented directly in front of your eyes. No matter how you turn your head, the perspective will not change. It is very suitable for watching movies while lying in bed.

Immersive experience makes VR games more realistic

For the newly upgraded Qiyu Dream Pro, the most anticipated thing is the gaming experience. Different from traditional games, VR games bring a sense of reality that cannot be replaced by traditional games. As Qiyu VR gradually introduces more and more high-quality games, there are currently nearly 70 games to choose from, covering multiple categories including action shooting, music, adventure, sports, and leisure games, such as "After the Destruction: Winter", "Moving Future: Sound Plan", "All-in-One Sports", "Crisis Action Team 2", etc., which can meet the needs of every player.

After the Fall: Winter

As a 3A VR masterpiece, After the Fall: Winter is the latest work of Vertigo Games, the team behind the classic VR game Arizona Sunshine. The game is set in the snow-covered ruins of Los Angeles 20 years after the Cataclysm. Due to the excessive use of genetically modified drugs by humans, a huge biochemical crisis has been triggered, bringing with it a terrifying species called the Snowborn. They have invaded our cities and civilization, and humans are on the verge of extinction. As one of the survivors among humans, you will take on the last hope for the revival of human civilization, and the task of saving humanity has suddenly fallen on you.

In the actual game trial, thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chip, the game runs very smoothly on Dream Pro, the shooting is stable and accurate, and the 4K resolution brings a better gaming experience, excellent picture effects, and a refreshing shooting experience. Compared with "Arizona Sunshine", the zombies' movements are faster and more flexible, with a full sense of oppression, and there is also an excellent online system, which is definitely worth playing.

"Music Future: Sound Project"

"Music Future: Sound Plan" is a music VR game developed exclusively by Qiyu. It adopts the gameplay of music + rhythm + cutting blocks. The game has 6 modes of play, including extreme challenge (continuously challenging high-difficulty songs for four weeks), level-breaking (with city as the theme, level-breaking with different categories of songs), free mode (freely choose songs, background, difficulty, etc.), sports (there are four modes: light, heavy, expert, and professional, and the difficulty is generally high), and theme competition.

There are also a variety of backgrounds to choose from in the game "Music Future: Sound Project", including 89 popular songs, including music by singers such as Jay Chou, Lee Seung-hyun, and Zhang Yixing.

In the game, players swing their lightsabers to hit the falling notes. The whole picture style and special effects are very cool and immersive. Thanks to the support of 6DoF by Qiyu Dream Pro, there is no need for too much learning cost when playing the game. It is easy to get started and all levels of difficulty are very friendly to players.

Crisis Team 2

Crisis Action 2 is the new version of the popular VR game Crisis Action. This VR FPS shooting game can be regarded as the leader in this field, and both games have been incorporated by major VR platforms. Different from the cartoon pixel style of the previous generation, Crisis Action 2 has a more delicate style and the scenes in the game are more realistic. Players will become special police and engage in street battles with criminals. The task of the game is to eliminate all criminals, but at the same time, you have to dodge bullets and protect your teammates and hostages. The rhythm is very fast, and you may be KOed by the opponent if you are not careful when playing for the first time.

In addition, Crisis Action Team 2 also has an online zombie mode, and the immersive feeling brought by VR can sometimes really make people feel nervous. At the same time, this is also the smoothest and most exciting FPS shooting game I have experienced on VR devices so far, with smooth movements, realistic pictures, and precise handle operation. Although it does not have the gorgeous operation and story background of 3A big games, this immersive battle is enough to make players' blood boil and unable to stop.

In addition, for players who want to lose weight, Qiyu Dream Pro has also added specific types of sports and music programs, which can help players to exercise intensively through a unique way of playing, thus playing a good role in losing weight and reducing fat. Qiyu Dream Pro has also launched a cashback activity for punching in. As long as you use Qiyu Dream Pro for 30 minutes of exercise every day, you can complete the punching in for the day. You can get rewards for punching in for 30 days, 100 days, and 300 days in a row. After completing 300 days of continuous punching in, you will directly get a 3,000 yuan shopping card reward, which is quite tempting.

After the experience, it is a VR product worth recommending

At present, it seems that if the VR field wants to continue to develop, in addition to excellent hardware technology and rich platform resources, it will take a lot of time to popularize, although VR devices are just in the early stages of development. However, as a VR all-in-one device priced at 2,500 yuan, Qiyu Dream Pro is very competitive in terms of audio-visual experience, game fluency, and wearing comfort. It can be said that it has lowered the threshold for VR devices and can also show unlimited potential. The flagship configuration and relatively rich resources can also allow it to continue to bring freshness to players for a period of time. Whether it is a new player or a player who has tried VR all-in-one products before, it is very worthwhile to experience.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.