“The solution offers interactive gaming, allowing users to play SteamVR™ games through mobile VR headsets”

ZEISS, an international leader in the fields of optics and optoelectronics, today announces the launch of ZEISS VR ONE Connect. The solution will enable interactive gaming using a mobile VR headset. It features high-quality hardware with a comparatively low investment. Compatible with SteamVR™, a large number of exciting VR games are immediately available in the platform.

ZEISS VR ONE Connect bridges the gap between PC-connected VR gaming and mobile VR by connecting the smartphone in the mobile VR headset to a gaming PC. The system allows users to connect and play games through SteamVR™, which currently has roughly 300,000 users. ZEISS VR ONE Connect allows more interactive gaming possibilities than ever before through a mobile VR headset. The product may be used with iOS® and Android™ smartphones.

“This mobile solution is unparalleled in the VR space,” said Franz Troppenhagen, senior product manager at ZEISS. “Now users can have access to games on SteamVR™ at a fraction of the cost of traditional desktop enabled systems, in addition to having access to traditional mobile VR apps and 360 video content.”

A current smartphone (iOS® or Android™), VR Ready PC and a mobile VR headset is required for operation. The smartphone is slid into the ZEISS VR ONE Plus headset, or another mobile VR headset unit. A USB cable connects the smartphone to a VR-capable computer, allowing the use of games and other content on the SteamVR™ platform. The two wireless 3DoF (degrees of freedom) controllers and the smartphone are linked via Bluetooth®. Built-in sensors in the controllers, together with the three sensors of the smartphone, allow intuitive interaction with the VR environment and thus a seamless immersion in the virtual world.

“The market demands that we bring VR from a niche market and make it available to the public, and that means providing entry-level solutions based on smartphones so that everyone can have access to this technology,” said Dave Hodgson, North America sales representative for ZEISS. “Our approach demonstrates that this is feasible, without compromising interactive gaming VR capabilities. ZEISS VR ONE Connect will further democratize the VR industry.”

ZEISS VR ONE Connect* is set to be available at major US retailers including Best Buy and GameStop in Q4 for $129. To stay up-to-date on the availability of the ZEISS VR ONE Connect, visit www.zeiss.com/vrconnect and register for the ZEISS VR newsletter.

About ZEISS:

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the optics and optoelectronics industries. The ZEISS Group develops, produces and distributes measuring technology, microscopes, medical technology, eyeglass lenses, camera and cine lenses, binoculars and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. With its solutions, the company constantly advances the world of optics and helps shape technological progress.

ZEISS is divided up into the four segments Research & Quality Technology, Medical Technology, Vision Care/Consumer Products and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology. The ZEISS Group is represented in over 40 countries and has more than 50 sales and service locations, upwards of 30 manufacturing sites and about 25 research and development facilities around the globe. In fiscal year 2015/16, the company generated revenue approximating 4.9 billion euros with around 25,000 employees. Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. Carl Zeiss AG is the strategic management holding company that manages the ZEISS Group. The company is wholly owned by the Carl Zeiss Stiftung (Carl Zeiss Foundation).

Further information available at www.zeiss.com.