Over the past year, details about Sony’s standalone MR headset, the SRH-S1, have been sparse since its unveiling at CES 2024. However, this enterprise-targeted device now has a set launch schedule and price tag that potential users should definitely be aware of.
Launched in partnership with Siemens, the SRH-S1, which has a no-nonsense name, is gearing up for its release in February 2025. Priced at $4,750, the primary target market is clearly industrial. Interested buyers can place their orders starting January 23rd, purchasing directly through Siemens.
Last year, Sony and Siemens introduced the headset with an appeal to creative professionals. Now, their sights are set on industrial applications. With the SRH-S1, they aim to “enable the industrial metaverse,” leveraging Siemens’ high-fidelity mixed reality tools to revolutionize product design and manufacturing processes.
The SRH-S1 boasts an impressive display and technology specifications. It features dual 13.6MP (3,552 × 3840) per-eye visuals using Sony’s ECX344A OLED microdisplay, complimented by a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset. Furthermore, it incorporates what Sony describes as “proprietary rendering technology” for real-time 3D object rendering.
As a mixed reality device, the headset also comes with passthrough video capabilities and a flip-up visor. It includes specially designed ergonomic controllers for intuitive 3D interactions, coming in the form of a stylus-like pointer and a ring.
In the last year, Siemens has enhanced its suite of enterprise-focused Immersive Engineering tools. These allow SRH-S1 users to design 3D assets in CAD, interact with virtual models, and conduct multi-user design reviews remotely using their NX X cloud platform.
Bob Haubrock, Senior VP of Product Engineering Software at Siemens Digital Industries Software, highlighted the progress: “Following last year’s CES preview, our teams have crafted a toolset that transforms the use of mixed reality in engineering. We’re not only supporting global collaboration through high-fidelity 3D models, but also enabling secure and managed co-creation on crucial 3D CAD data.”
In related news, Sony recently announced at CES that they are planning to release a creative-focused headset for prosumers, named XYN. Details on its pricing and launch date remain under wraps. While Sony is keeping specs under lock and key, XYN seems to be a variant of the SRH-S1, distinguished by its sleek black design as opposed to the grey finish of the SRH-S1.
