Game over?
Initially, I thought that the HMZ-T1 would also be ideal for gamers – until I tried it and quickly realised that wearing the headset meant I couldn’t see the controller in my hands. If you can use a gamepad without looking it at, you might be fine – but I was hopeless. The headset is probably best thought of as a passive entertainment device.
Passive viewing?
Sony hasn’t wasted the opportunity to integrate quite a decent sound system into the HMD. I found its audio performance nearly as immersive as its video. Over-ear headphones deliver faux 5.1 signal processing which is rather effective. You can choose from four presets: cinema, game, music and standard. The system goes loud and yet remains clear, with definite wraparound image placement.
Ultimately, it’s difficult to know where the HMZ-T1 is going to take Sony. Certainly the engineers I’ve talked to who are involved in the project are already talking about second generation improvements which will see the size of the optics and associated electronics reduced, thereby making the entire headset rather more manageable. So I guess that at least means there’s a development road map.
Stay in your seat and everything will be fine...
Verdict
As a 3D viewer today, it’s an interesting (albeit expensive) alternative to regular stereoscopic TVs. Indeed, if it weren't for the eyewatering price, it would have a much higher rating. Yet purely from a brand point of view, I think its good to see Sony back with some new iconic technology – there’s been a gaping void since Aibo the robot pooch was unceremoniously put down. The HMZ-T1 may have a whiff of folly about it, but the smell is curiously sweet. ®
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Sony HMZ-T1 3D head mounted display
COMMENTS
DROP THE HEADSET AND COME OUT....
THIS IS THE SONY POLICE! DROP THE HEADSET AND COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP.
What? What did I do?
YOU HAVE CONTEMPLATED MODIFYING OUR HARDWARE IN A MANNER NOT SUPPORTED BY OUR EULA.
But I bought and paid for....
YOU BOUGHT NOTHING. YOU PAID FOR A LIMITED LICENSE TO USE OUR HARDWARE TO VIEW OUR CONTENT IN MANNERS WE APPROVE - A LICENSE WHICH IS NOW VOIDED.
But I was only
<he's resisting boys - GET HIM>
"720p for £800 ... I'm still laughing!" That's 720P per eye on 0.7 inch monitors. Your just too stupid to be impressed by that right ??
Push the button...
"I thought that the HMZ-T1 would also be ideal for gamers – until I tried it and quickly realised that wearing the headset meant I couldn’t see the controller in my hands."
So, presumably, you can't touch type either?
Crosstalk/double imaging
"Because OLED panels refresh around 100x faster than LED panels (response time is quoted at just 0.01 milliseconds), left/right screens don’t overlap and double imaging is avoided."
Surely the lack of crosstalk has sod all to do with the refresh rate, and more to do with the fact that instead of a single screen rapidly flicking between left/right eye images, there's a separate physical screen for each eye? Don't get me wrong, a high refresh rate is a Good Thing, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of 3D images in this instance. I also nearly face-palmed when I read the bit about not being able to look at a controller whilst wearing them, as per several other commenters. Please can we have this sort of kit reviewed by someone who actually knows what they're on about in future?
No TV and No Licence
If you lived alone and got rid of your TV set you could dump this thing in a drawer when the TV licence man coes around. It would effectively pay for itself in a few years :P
