Over the last year, we’ve heard relatively little about Sony’s SRH-S1 MR headset, which was initially teased at CES 2024. However, the company has now confirmed both the launch date and pricing for this enterprise-focused product.
Developed in tandem with Siemens, the SRH-S1 is poised to make its debut in February 2025. Sporting a price tag of $4,750, it’s clear that this device is aimed squarely at the industrial sector. You’ll be able to place an order starting January 23rd, 2025, directly through Siemens.
While previously marketed to attract creative professionals, it seems Sony and Siemens have shifted their sights toward industrial applications. They’re pitching the SRH-S1 as a way to “enable the industrial metaverse,” meaning it’s designed to enhance fields like product design and manufacturing by utilizing Siemens’ robust mixed reality toolkit.
The SRH-S1 boasts some impressive specs, featuring a 13.6MP resolution per eye from Sony’s proprietary ECX344A OLED microdisplay and a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset. Sony promises “proprietary rendering technology” for instantaneous 3D object rendering, which could be a game changer for users needing high-speed processing.
As a mixed reality device, it also includes passthrough video, an adjustable visor, and ergonomically designed controllers meant for natural 3D interactions. These controllers are particularly interesting, as they come in a stylus-type pointer and ring form, which seems intuitive and novel.
Siemens hasn’t been idle, either. Over the past year, they’ve refined their Immersive Engineering tools to better serve SRH-S1 users. These tools are crafted to facilitate the design of 3D assets in CAD, interaction with models, and even allow remote, multi-user design reviews through Siemens’ NX X platform, which is cloud-based.
Senior VP of Product Engineering Software at Siemens Digital Industries Software, Bob Haubrock, commented, “After unveiling the HMD at CES last year, our teams have developed tools that redefine the use of mixed reality in engineering. We’re not just enabling global collaboration with intricate 3D models; we’re enabling co-creation directly with vital 3D CAD data, all in a secure and controlled environment.”
And while eyes are on the SRH-S1, Sony also hinted at a more creative-focused headset named XYN, announced at this year’s CES. Unlike the SRH-S1, the XYN doesn’t yet have an official price or release date and remains a prototype. Interestingly, it seems to be a variation of the SRH-S1, differentiated by its sleek black design as opposed to the SRH-S1’s grey. Sony, however, remains tight-lipped about this particular product, fueling curiosity about what’s to come.
