When you buy one of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) PlayStation VR headsets you’re presented with a question. To fully enjoy virtual reality (VR) you also need sound, so you can use the earbuds that are supplied in the box, or – if you have some – a decent set of over-ear cans to enjoy the 3D spatial sound developers have carefully crafted. If you’re in the former camp and are looking to move away from the earbuds to a new set of headphones bionik will be releasing its Mantis solution next month.
Aiming for a happy medium between earbuds and big over-ear cans, bionik’s Mantis headphones have been designed specifically for PlayStation VR, as an integrated – and detachable – solution very similar to that of Oculus Rift. The headphones simply clip onto the headband of the headset and then plug into the audio jack.
“Our goal with Mantis was to make the immersive PlayStation VR experience more visceral and profound by blocking out distractions and reducing the amount of gear you need to put on,” said Amir Navid, bionik’s SVP Product Development. “Sound is an integral part of how we experience our surroundings. It taps into our emotions, it changes how we feel about things. The Mantis allows you to experience this powerful new technology with all your senses engaged. It integrates seamlessly with the PSVR hardware with minimal size and weight and allows you to suspend disbelief and focus on the virtual environment created.”
The Mantis headphones will launch on 1st August with a suggested retail price of $49.99 USD, available through Amazon.
Aside from possibly upgrading their audio solution, over the next few weeks PlayStation VR owners will also be looking at expanding their content libraries as a bunch of videogames are coming out. Fantastic Contraption launched this week, with SUPERHOT VR, Dino Frontier, CastleStorm VR, Theseus and Archangel all due out soon.
For the latest updates on PlayStation VR, keep reading VRFocus.
via Mint VR