SimHQ.com - Technology Zone - Review: Emagin’s Z800 Head Mounted Display

Head mounted displays (HMDs) have been around for quite some time now. Unfortunately they have not gathered much of a following for numerous reasons. Weight, eye strain, low resolution, price, and a host of other quirks have kept this technology out of mainstream production. One of the latest attempts at HMD technology is the Emagin Z800 3D Visor. If you have had the chance to view their web site you may have noticed statements like, “Get inside the game,” or, “they like it! they really like it!” That may be the case, but us flight simmers tend to need a lot more than the average gamer when it comes to performance. Let’s face it, in the combat flight genre, situational awareness is the name of the game. So, how does the Z800 work out for a flight nut?

System Requirements and What’s in the Box

The Z800 has a surprisingly small amount of “musts” when used in 2D mode. A PC compatible computer or laptop with a USB port, Windows XP, CD-ROM or DVD drive, 10MB a hard drive space, and a monitor resolution of 800 x 600 with a refresh rate setting of 60 Hz.

If you want to use the Z800 for 3D stereovision you must also have a NVIDIA 3D accelerator card using Forceware drivers.

Emagin Unit

The kit contains a Z800 3DVisor with controller, 1’ VGA connector, 2’ USB cable, two 2 foot audio cables, earbud headphones, a built in noise canceling microphone, carrying case, lens cleaning cloth, software and documentation CD, and a spiral bound Quick Start Guide.

Case and Cables

Go To Page 2

Click here to go to top of this page.