Man, Varjo’s doing that thing again where they’re flipping the script on us, right? So, next year, they’re basically ditching those third-gen XR gizmos like the XR-3, VR-3, and the Aero. Why? Who knows, but they’re all about the XR-4 Series now. I mean, it’s a move, isn’t it?
Anyway, XT Today caught wind of this and Varjo’s like, “Yeah, we’re all in on the XR-4s.” These came out late 2023, so not ancient but not brand new, you know?
They’re rolling out updates for Varjo Base (which sounds like a cool sci-fi base, but it’s not). You’ll get those bells and whistles until January 2026. After that? Nada. It’s like, you’re on your own, buddy.
Picture this: back in 2021, those third-gen things were the talk of the town. But then they veered away from just catering to the Scrooge-McDuck-kind-of-rich businesses. The XR-3 and VR-3 were hefty in price, sure, but they had their charm—mostly for businesses drowning in cash, though. Aero, ah, that was them trying to be cool with the average Joe who happens to have an extra two grand lying around. Or maybe a bit more if you think about subscriptions and extras.
Flip to Aero’s debut—2021, right? It came in at $2,000. Honestly, not budget-friendly, but SteamVR compatibility was there, so that’s something. The reviews? Mixed bag, but mostly good. Ben Lang from Road to VR went bananas over how clear it was. For VR sim fans with deep pockets, this was like finding a unicorn—or maybe just a really fancy horse. Whatever, it made people happy.
Fast forward and here we are, third-gens are basically ghosted, their production lines silent. Varjo is all about those XR-4s now, leaning back into enterprise stuff. So, you got your XR-4 standard, Focal Edition, and Secure Edition—sounds like a menu, doesn’t it? The prices are spicy: around six to thirty-two thousand bucks. Not exactly pocket change, obviously. And, oh, some previously free features now hide behind a paywall called ‘Varjo Base Pro’. More cash for goodies like enhanced mixed reality? Well, that’s corporate life for you.
So, there it is. Varjo’s playing their own game, and who knows where it’ll go next?
