Archos, the French consumer electronics company best known for building budget-friendly tablets, is preparing to launch a virtual reality headset. Their solution, the Archos VR Glasses, is a bring-your-own-screen headset that'll accept smartphones with screen sizes up to six inches according to a press release on the matter.
Built of robust and lightweight materials, the Archos VR Glasses will be compatible with phones running Android, iOS and Windows Phones. All virtual reality apps (more than 100 as of writing, we're told) will work with the wearable.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Archos' solution is the price. The headset will start at just $29.99, far cheaper than most everything else we've seen thus far.
The company points out that they are also working on a Bluetooth controller for gaming purposes but didn't disclose any more information on it.
We have Google, not Oculus VR, to thank for the wave of bring-your-own-screen virtual reality headsets flooding the market. Google Cardboard, a build-it-yourself enclosure that was distributed to I/O conference goers earlier this year, has spawned a number of copy-cat devices from a variety of manufacturers.
Samsung partnered with Oculus VR to create Gear VR, a headset that relies on the Galaxy Note 4 (and only the Galaxy Note 4) to provide visuals. It's supposed to go on sale sometime this fall at a rumored cost of $199.
More recently (as in, earlier this week), optics specialist Carl Zeiss unveiled its VR enclosure. The VR One is half the price of Samsung's solution and will be compatible with more than just one phone.
The Archos VR Glasses will be available starting next month.