Sony HMZ T2

The world’s first wearable 3D screen. It works alright, but wearing it may not be fun

Look at the increasing number of people walking around with MP3 players plugged into their ears. Imagine what would happen if they did that with video: it would be an unmitigated disaster if everyone wore personal viewers while walking the streets. But it would be a wonderful thing to have on long-distance flights. Of course, it will not kill MP3 players—even the TV could not kill the radio—but it could upstage them in the near future. Such devices are getting better by the day, and now Sony says it has come out with the world’s first wearable 3D TV.

It is a nice device for watching 2D and 3D content and playing games. You get to watch the images on a full 45° cinematic widescreen, OLED screen and hear the track with virtual 5.1 surround sound. The viewer gives you a display that is the equivalent of a 19-metre screen being seen from a distance of 20 metres.

It is great to look at and seems to have endless possibilities, but all is not well with this beaut. While it weighs only 330 gm, I felt that it was heavy, especially on the nose bridge. This could be because I don’t wear prescription glasses, and hate 3D glasses too. But perhaps one could get used to them over time.

Sony has paid a lot of attention to user comfort. The headset is adjustable and also has headband and forehead support for a secure yet gentle fit. But for me, the weight issue kept cropping up even while truly immersed in the on-screen action.

What really bothers me is that at this price Sony offers only a 720 p resolution display. I would have expected full HD. And while it is not an optical issue for me, this wearable screen does not seem to support dioptre adjustments. How would I use it if I had weak eyesight? Perhaps this product is aimed at a very niche market, and guys in that market do not need this feature.

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