Somnium, a startup based in the Czech Republic, initially gained attention for its social VR platform, Somnium Space. However, a significant shift occurred in late 2021 when the company introduced the Somnium VR1 headset, boasting an impressive specification sheet for its time. They partnered with VRgineers, renowned for their top-tier enterprise XTAL headsets, to bring this vision to life. Initially, the Somnium VR1 was envisioned as a hybrid headset capable of standalone operation using an onboard Snapdragon XR2 chipset. However, by 2022, they redirected their focus towards creating a purely PC VR headset, abandoning the standalone concept.
The VR1 is equipped with the same 2880×2880 QD-LCD with Mini-LED panels as found in the Pimax Crystal. These displays offer an impressive 20000:1 contrast through local dimming, cover 100% of the NTSC color gamut, and support refresh rates of 72Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. There’s even an “experimental” mode that pushes it to 144Hz. With an output brightness of 210 nits, it outshines both the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro, almost doubling their brightness levels.
Complementing these advanced displays are large dual-element aspheric lenses, which Somnium claims provide a field of view of approximately 130° horizontally and 105° vertically—wider than any other VR headset currently available. While past models like the Pimax “5K” and “8K” offered even broader views, they are no longer produced and suffered from significant peripheral distortion.
Somnium’s emphasis on a broader field of view is the reason the VR1 remains bulky, especially during an era where slimmer VR headsets with pancake lenses dominate the market.
