FOVE Shipping Delayed: Issuing Refunds For Next 30 Days

February 20, 2016June 7, 2022 Richard Daniel 2542 Views Eye-Tracking, FOVE, FOVE VR, VR

The World’s First Eye Tracking
Virtual Reality Headset.

Last July, FOVE launched a successful Kickstarter totaling over $480,000 in pledges. That meant nearly 1,500 backers were expecting to get their hands on a FOVE headset on the predicted shipping date. Originally, FOVE had promised a March shipping date for the early bird pledges,
followed by a May shipping date for regular pledges. However, according to a recent
update on FOVE’s Kickstarter page, shipping has been delayed from Spring 2016,
to Fall 2016.

According to FOVE’s most recent update, the challenges to meeting those deadlines have included sourcing hardware, mass production, and Lighthouse integration. “The
biggest obstacle was when the production of our prototype’s camera sensors for
eye-tracking was discontinued. We needed to find an alternative, which works in
stereo with enough brightness and custom lenses with appropriate FOV,” says FOVE. With trouble sourcing IR LEDs, lenses, and
OLED displays, one question comes to mind:

Will the specs stay true or improve from the original?

Display: 5.8 in. (14.7 cm)
Resolution: WQHD (2560 x 1440)
FOV: 100+ Degrees
Frame Rate: 60 fps (90 fps projected)
Eye Tracking: 120 fps per eye
“In order
to avoid further delays we are making the painful decision to drop Lighthouse
support for this Kickstarter release.” Since Valve has extended its
shipping date, it only makes sense that it would directly affect FOVE’s
Lighthouse integration.

There is a LIGHT at the end of
the tunnel.

FOVE has
stated that they believe that Lighthouse is one of the best positional tracking
solutions out there, and hope to integrate it into future models of their
headset. They also stated that they will be developing their own optical
tracking solution. Early-bird backers will still be the first receptors of the
headset, followed by other backers in the order of their backing date. Pre-orders
will open up shortly after. “We
understand that some of you may have backed us more for our Lighthouse support
than our eye tracking, and this news may be an even bigger disappointment. In
light of our delay and our decision to drop Lighthouse, we will issue refunds
for all who request them for 30 days from today. If you are among this group,
please send us a message by 11:59 PM on Mar 20th, 2016 PST and we’ll get that
taken care of.””One question to keep in mind if you’re thinking of a refund–Would you sacrifice design and quality if it meant you would receive your headset earlier, or would you opt for a delayed release with better design and implementation?”

Delays are never fun, but it’s very generous that FOVE has offered an
option for backers to request refunds. One question to keep in mind if you’re thinking of a refund–Would you sacrifice design and quality if it meant you would receive your headset earlier, or would you opt for a delayed release with better design and implementation? The ideal
solution, in my opinion, would be for companies to overshoot their release date,
and announce a surprise early release, rather than promising a release date and
having to delay. Regardless, FOVE is still at the forefront of eye-tracking VR
headsets, and we are excited for their release.