The I-Glasses is another one of the many Head-Mounted Displays which is stretching the virtual reality market to the consumer.
The I-Glasses weigh only 8 oz., making it light enough to wear for a long period of time and small enough to be used anywhere. Since the I-Glasses also accepts any video output, the makers have suggested several creative uses for them, such as individual viewing on airlines or the dentist office during an appointment.
The PC version (which we tested) comes with an external tracking system, which plugs easily into your computer's video board. This makes setup and portability a snap but the actual "virtual reality" tracking seems to be slowed a little by this external system rather than an internal board.
A particularly innovative feature is the removable display shield. This allows users to focus on the display in front of them or on their surroundings by actually looking through the displays. This is especially helpful in virtual reality applications to minimize motion sickness, which can occur if peripheral vision is obscured.
The actual LCD displays are bright although limited in its resolution. The displays appear to be 80" at 11 feet away (in size comparison) but you can't get over the fact that your eyeballs are actually about an inch away from the screen.
Even though the I-Glasses are portable, the resolution has a long way to go in it's similarity to an actual monitor. The lightweight plastic frame could be more rugged, especially if intended for public use, and the connector cord could be made longer. Additionally, some eye fatigue did occur after extended use (about a 1/2 hour) but no users reported any sort of motion sickness. While Virtual I-O's technological marvel includes a great deal of room to improve, the I-Glasses are a great first step in bringing VR home.
