Open source VR headset with SteamVR support is available to build for $ 200

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Two friends have developed a headset that hobbyists can build based on open source software and self-designed hardware. The headset supports SteamVR.

Max Coutte and Gabriel Combe claim they were 15 years old when they started developing a DIY VR headset that would eventually become the Relativty. They designed a motherboard with an Atmel SAM3X8E ARM Cortex-M3; the printed circuit board and components together cost $ 25.

The firmware is written for Arduino SAM boards such as the Due and is therefore compatible with that board or other boards with processors that support ArduinoCore. The description of Relativty assumes the use of two 2.9 “screens with a resolution of 1440×1440 pixels that can display 120fps, but hobbyists can easily use cheaper screens. The position tracking with a camera is still experimental and could be improved.

The two have posted a full description for the build on Github and the source code of the firmware is also there. According to them, the cost of construction will be around $ 200. The used screens cost about $ 55 each. The pair are now working on a new VR headset that they are building from the ground up and which should appear commercially.

Relativty
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