The Mirage Solo lacks integrated speakers, a feature I really enjoy on the Oculus Go. However, I had to jack the volume up to 75 percent to really get that immersive feeling I was looking for. Using the included pair of earbuds, I found the HMD's audio provided decent sound. Instead, you'll have to rely on a pair of headphones and the audio jack on the side of the device, otherwise you're going to have a rather muted experience. AudioĪlas, Mirage solo lacks integrated speakers, a feature I really enjoy on the Oculus Go. A pair of volume buttons sit along the top right of the peripheral, and there's a USB Type-C port at the bottom to recharge.
A quick press of the Home button returns you to the main screen, while a longer press recenters both the controller and the headset orientation. The large circular depression at the top of the controller makes for a quick and responsive touchpad, with the Apps and Home buttons directly below it. The controller's beauty lies in its simplicity. Thanks to its rounded sides and bottom, the peripheral fits comfortably in my hand. The Mirage Solo uses the same light-gray plastic controller as the Daydream View.
That "with Daydream" logo on the headset isn't just for show. Where the Mirage Solo does match the PC-powered rigs is in its 110 degree field of view, which affects how immersive a VR experience feels. That's better than the Go ,which can vary between 60-72 Hz depending on the app, but not the Vive or the Rift (90-Hz). However, the Mirage Solo has only a 75-Hz refresh rate. Regarding resolution, both devices deliver 1280 x 1440 pixels per eye, which is better than the 1080 x 1200 per eye (2160 x 1200) provided by the Rift and the Vive. But the Mirage Solo's panel is a QHD IPS display with 70 percent color gamut, while the Go has a WQHD, fast-switch LCD display. Both the Mirage Solo and the Go have 5.5-inch, 2560 x 1440 displays.
Fresnel lenses, if you're unfamiliar with the term, essentially means a series of concentric circles are etched into the lenses, offering better detail than a conventional lens. Regarding the lenses, the Mirage Solo uses a pair of Fresnel-style lenses, similar to the Go and the Rift. It also has more RAM at 4GB, compared with the Go's 3GB. And while it's not rocking the current Snapdragon 845 found in the Galaxy S9, the Mirage Solo's 835 is more powerful than Go's Snapdragon 821 chip. This is the same CPU found in older flagship phones like the Galaxy Note 8 and Google Pixel 2. Just like Go, in order for Lenovo and Google to cut the cord, they had to outfit the Mirage Solo with its own processor - namely a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. One thing the Daydream platform is still missing is Voice Search, which is confusing to me since Google is putting the feature in just about everything these days, including headphones. Best of all, the Mirage Solo's setup process is totally self-contained, unlike the Oculus Go that requires initial assistance from a smartphone app. From there, I lifted my chosen object to reveal desert critters, including a few mice and a bug or two. In another, I pressed the top button on the controller to choose a specific rock or log. For instance, I used the controller as a flashlight to spot cute woodland creatures as they make their way through a nighttime forest. It takes about 4 to 5 minutes, and is actually charmingly fun. Similar to the Daydream View, before you start playing with the headset, you'll have to do a wee bit of setup to calibrate the controller and headset. Since I'm reviewing a test version of the Mirage Solo, Lenovo sent it over with specific demos pre-loaded and no real setup. But ultimately, I wore it for 2 hours with no ill effect. I attempted to slide the headset outward so it didn't rest against my face too much, but that left the image out of focus.
The feeling became much more present once I switched from my contact lenses to my glasses.