Forbes: China's virtual reality helmets have no other advantages except cheapness

Beijing time, March 30th, Forbes website published an article saying that Chinese companies are very interested in the virtual reality (VR) market. They have launched VR helmets one after another. These helmets are very cheap, but the experience they provide is not good. In general, Chinese VR helmets lag behind the West in technology. The purpose of Chinese companies hastily launching prototype products is to seize the market and compete for early users.

Here is the full report:

VR is supposed to be an immersive experience, where viewers feel like they are part of the scene, rather than outside of it. But the VR headsets I tried recently didn’t live up to that expectation. I tried a device from LeEco, and the objects I was looking at sometimes became blurry or simply disappeared from view.

Virtual reality is a nascent technology, and as hundreds of Chinese companies compete for fans, they have launched prototypes that analysts say offer disappointing experiences. Still, users are paying for the products because they are so cheap.

LeEco's VR device costs only 149 yuan. It is a helmet that can provide VR streaming content through a smartphone app. Baofeng Technology also offers a similar product for 179 yuan. On Alibaba's Taobao website, some manufacturers sell VR helmets for as low as 59 yuan. Samsung Gear is priced at US$99 (about RMB 640).

Some high-end helmets support richer content, but their prices are not expensive. The Shenzhen 3Glasses helmet is priced at 2,000 yuan, and the Shanghai DeePoon helmet is priced at 1,799 yuan. Both helmets are developed for desktop games, and their competitors are Sony PlayStation VR (priced at 399 US dollars), Facebook Oculus Rift (priced at 600 US dollars) and HTC Vive (priced at 799 US dollars).

Analysts believe that Chinese companies launch products first and then worry about quality issues. Zheng Xi, senior market analyst at IDC China, said that Chinese companies hope to attract early users with prototype products to gain a foothold in emerging markets, but their technology lags behind that of Western companies. Zheng Xi said: "Chinese companies do this to enter the market as quickly as possible, and the experience they provide is limited." According to Zheng Xi's forecast, by the end of this year, China will ship 480,000 VR devices, an increase of 475% over 2015.

LeEco admits that its products are not perfect. Li Dai, a company executive, said the team is developing new products with more advanced technology and more content. Li Dai also said that the reason for launching products early is mainly because competition is becoming increasingly fierce and the VR market is large enough for anyone.

Although the viewing experience is far from satisfactory, users can't wait to try out future devices. Zhou Penghua, a 25-year-old investment industry employee who recently bought a Baofeng device, said: "Sometimes the video is not clear and the operation is a bit difficult. I just want to try something new, and I will definitely buy one when a better product comes on the market."

Some of China's largest Internet companies have yet to start producing VR devices, hoping to use the new technology to enhance their existing businesses. Recently, Tencent began recruiting developers to develop VR games and content. This month, Alibaba also established a research and development lab to dabble in emerging technologies, which can be used in shopping and entertainment. Alibaba has also invested in Magic Leap, which develops devices that can superimpose 3D images on the real world. Magic Leap has been valued at $4.5 billion, but it has not yet launched any products.

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.