Positional tracking comparison: Lenovo Mirage Solo vs Vive Focus
In this period, I’m so lucky that I have on my desk two great 6 DOF standalone headsets that have been lent to me: the Lenovo Mirage Solo and the Vive Focus. Both headsets are able to track your position in space, to offer you a virtual reality where you can move potentially wherever you want, with the headset continuously tracking you. A world scale tracking that allows a new kind of applications, also considering that thanks to the frontal cameras, it will also be possible to use these devices to create mixed reality applications (as I did with the Focus). But… what device performs the best positional tracking? Follow me and you’ll discover it.
Most people think that the tracking technologies of both headsets offer the same performances. Actually, the performances are similar but not equal. When I tried the Vive Focus for the first time, I noticed that the tracking was a little sloppy: I mean, it works well, but it doesn’t appear completely smooth as the one of the Rift or the Vive. I thought that it was a problem of all the standalone headsets, but when I started the Mirage Solo for the first time, I noticed that this little problem was not present. I had the impression that Mirage Solo’s tracking was a bit better, but I thought that a more thorough test was needed to compare the two headsets.
That’s why I went to a little terrace next to my office and I decided to do a simple test to verify the tracking accuracy: I started from a precise point in the real and in the virtual world and then I walked 25-30 meters in one direction and then I tried to return back to the same position in the virtual world, to verify if I was able to return to the same position in the real world as well. I know, it was not a test with precise quantitative data but was perfectly ok to give me the idea of how the tracking drifted over time.
Here you can see me walking back and forth on the terrace. I made various tests for every headset, but all in the same conditions, that were very challenging for a standalone headset: outdoor setting and sun lighting directly the cameras of my poor devices.
As you can see, I also risked the life during this experiment: since I had to test the devices within a virtual scene, I couldn’t use the passthrough mode and so I almost stumbled across a wall various times, with my buddy Max yelling at me everytime I was going to die for the VR community 🙂
The results of these simple tests have been:
- The Lenovo Mirage Solo shows a smoother positional tracking;
- The Lenovo Mirage Solo drifts very little over time and space, while the Focus drifts a bit more;
- Both headsets showed robust tracking and continued tracking me over time, with the exception of moments when I directly looked at the sun or put some hands in front of the cameras.
So, both headsets showed a good tracking, that offered continuous tracking over time, wherever I moved: world scale tracking is already here. I also tried to go upstairs and downstairs and everything continued working, even in outdoor conditions, so kudos to both Google and HTC. But Google’s technology showed better performances over time. While walking, I did notice nothing, but slowly the Focus drifted over time, so when I tried returning to the initial position, I was always on a slightly different point. In these walking tests, it drifted something like 1-2 meters on the horizontal plane and 50cm on the vertical plane. The Mirage Solo, instead, showed really little drifting, sometimes it was really unnoticeable. You can see the difference between the two technologies in the following images.
As you can see, we have a winner: the Lenovo Mirage Solo. In case of standard use of a standalone headset, e.g. to use VR in your office, the headsets have similar performances, but if you need to use VR in warehouses or other big spaces, my advice is to use the Mirage Solo.
And, honestly, I think that this win is pretty obvious: Google is working on SLAM technologies since a lot of years (the name “Tango” means something to you? It is a project from 2012) and has also been able to develop an AR framework working with only the RGB camera of your phone (ARCore), while HTC has just started working on that. It is obvious that it needs more time to get to the same level. This makes me wonder about the upcoming Oculus Santa Cruz: will it have a tracking worse than the Google’s one for the same reasons, or since Facebook is investing a lot of money in AR, it will offer the same performances? We’ll discover that in some months: I’m ready to go out and have some VR walks again…
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Great article, very interesting.
You’ve identified the key difference; Google’s Worldsense is a mature SLAM technology which has benefited from application of their huge resources, especially machine learning.
The lesson? Never rule out Google…many see them as the “uncool dad’s of technology” but you can’t argue with their AI research and development, especially Demis Hassabis ”Deepmind” which was born here in Camden town, London off the back of his early games development. I remember visiting their offices when he was making his political simulator game “Republic” as I was interested in doing some games testing for them.
Does make me wonder how good the HTC headset would have been if they had continued their partnership with Google 🤔
I had the same idea: I don’t know why they broke the partnership. I think it was a political decision to make the Focus a completely Chinese headset… Google is not well seen from the Chinese govt. But the Focus with Worldsense tech would have been really a perfect headset!
You’ve highlighted the problem that Google and Facebook have in China, their services are not welcome. Hence Oculus clever partnership with Xiaomi to sell “Go” headset in Chinese market.
Yes, Oculus has been very smart. The problem is that actually all the runtime is by Xiaomi, so Facebook has no power there in any case.
I see that HTC is trying to push a lot VR in China, so I guess that there is also the hand of the government behind this decision. I think that China wants to have its positional tracking, hand tracking, etc… without relying on us Western people’s solutions
I got to finally try the HTC Vive Focus yesterday 🦄
Software was definitely Chinese; an interesting experience trying the positional tracking, ergonomics and display. A rare occasion to try this unusual hardware (marketing staff from HTC let me try), I asked when/if focus will get western release? Not good news for consumer but development kits can be purchased.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5cf152b4b69a9cca17977754fa082b7ef21e93736297087b5b938f1b085549ca.jpg
I’m going to publish my review this week… the Focus has some interesting points of strength… and some problems. IMHO it is a great device for innovators, but not for Western consumers, due to the lack of good western apps
My initial thoughts from my quick (5 minutes) session.
Tracking was “interesting” with some ‘jitter’ (shimmering) although lighting was perhaps not the best. The controller was weird, it seemed to “snap” from location to location as I moved around. I tried positional tracking by focusing on a large gold trophy in the application, and crouched down, moved back and forth, up and down, working well but not any immediate presence.
Graphics were surprising, in that not any better /sharper than my previous Daydream View and Pixel XL combination, in fact the application I tried (football) had noticeable aliasing and seemed poorly optimized.
Ergonomics? Seemed comfortable and very easy to don the headset.
I have mixed feelings, perhaps with the Daydream platform leveraging content like Virtual virtual reality, Dreadhalls, Eclipse Edge of Light, Bladerunner Revelations…would have been much more interesting?
As they say, “Content is king!”
Very close to my thoughts. Having it here on my desk I also appreciate the experimentations with cameras and other stuff like that. It is impossible to get this in 5 minutes. I see it as an awesome device for devs. Regarding consumers, they had better choose the Go
Yes the experimental aspects for keen developers are very interesting.
6DOF controller experiments show the”standalone future”, although from looking at Qualcomm white papers on Snapdragon, the 845 will be first to natively support 6DOF headset and 6DOF controller tracking.
For consumers, I see both the Focus and Mirage DOA, sadly. There simply isn’t enough quality content to justify the relatively high entry cost, especially Focus rumoured around £500-600 with limited applications. Even Mirage with Daydream/Worldsense is lacking enough depth/breadth of content to get the sales traction.
Perhaps both of these devices are part of the “road to vr” for developers and enthusiastic early adopters/technicians to experiment with; and may be looked back on with fond memories in years to come?
Maybe. Regarding the Focus, I think that HTC + the Chinese Govt. have huge plans for the enterprise sector, so they won’t be desperate if consumers won’t fall in love with it. Google… Google and Lenovo have to understand what they want to do with their headset.
Google seems to have taken a “Valve” approach to Daydream 2.0 ( Euphrates/Worldsense) by having Lenovo take the financial risk of building+distributing the new headset. Very similar to valve’s approach with HTC and the Vive.
Google just provide the updated OS; and didn’t provide even any new applications for the Mirage solo launch, or really do anything to promote the Solo. Its this approach that have left many enthusiasts (and message to consumer) that Google has gone cold on VR; at least in short term as Daydream feels like an empty platform rather than the pinnacle of a global technology giant!!
Yes, it is strange. We live in an era of “reference designs” and “frameworks”, but we need companies to actually take the risk to do stuff. If Google doesn’t help in pushing the Solo and the Solo becomes a flop, all the Worldsense stuff becomes useless. I really don’t get the choice.
I believe from my contact with Google, they “pivoted” away from VR due to poor result with Daydream, and focus on artificial intelligence/machine learning.
Poor availability and low sales of Daydream compatible “Google pixel” smartphone strangled it’s opportunity to take market share, and many smartphone did not have high fidelity sensor package and suitable display technology to be compatible. The Samsung juggernaut of GearVR rolled straight over Daydream, no doubt…
Google has almost unlimited resources, but perhaps not the business leadership to truly believe and invest in virtual reality, despite bites of the pie with Tiltbrush, YouTube VR, Daydream, etc.
Nice experiments there, Tony! Btw we need to play some 1v1 football on that terrace someday 😉 Without headsets! Wait… or maybe… can you imagine an augmented football match, adding virtual goal-frames, spectators, firework effects, and stuff? It would be awesome! And quite cumbersome, but the ping pong from Leap Motion’s Project North Star will be history after this haha
Project approved! An Italy vs Uruguay match, it would be fantastic!!
I’m in! I promess not to bite any italian like Luis ‘El Depredador’ Suarez…
Ahahaahha really? I was ready to put some sauce on my shoulder to make it even tastier.. 😀