Wait, are you looking for a sleek black version of the Apple Vision Pro? Well, you won’t find it there. But the Play For Dream MR? That’s a different story. Dubbed by some as the “Android Vision Pro,” this new headset turned quite a few heads at the CES 2025 show last week.
Originally launched in Asia last year, Play For Dream, a company out of China, is aiming high, setting its sights on the western market with its mixed reality headset that heavily draws from the Vision Pro’s design. They kicked off a Kickstarter campaign in September, pulling in quite the sum—2,271,650.00 Hong Kong dollars, which is about $292,000 USD.
This headset is stuffed with modern XR features. Imagine a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset powered by Android 15, along with dual 3,840 × 3,552 micro-OLED displays that run at 90Hz. Add to that eye-tracking, automatic IPD adjustment, both wired and wireless PC streaming, and a Quest Pro-inspired battery at the back with Touch-like controllers.
In essence, this headset seems to have it all—even mimicking the Vision Pro’s user interface.
Beyond just borrowing design ideas, Amanda Watson, a former Quest engineer, got to try the Play For Dream MR firsthand. She shared on X that it was “absolutely the best all-around HMD demo I saw on the floor today.”
“It really is like an ‘Android Apple Vision Pro,’ but it’s executed so well. The performance, optics, user interface, and media capabilities are top-notch,” Watson added. She left Meta in 2022.
During her stint at Meta/Oculus, Watson contributed significantly to various Quest projects, including the tethered Link and Air Link, Meta’s Wi-Fi streaming tool. Fun fact: she was the only developer on Air Link for 13 months until its launch. So, if Watson deems something good, you might want to pay attention.
She mentioned that it supports both USB and wireless PCVR streaming—though the USB feature still needs refining in terms of frame rate and latency. But these are relatively new additions. However, basics like controller movement and resolution? Those are solid.
The controllers, similar to those of the Touch, left a positive impression too. Although they mentioned hand tracking, it wasn’t demonstrated. Importantly, the headset’s pancake lenses had superb distortion correction. Watson noted this as a major plus in her book.
Founded in 2020 under the name YVR, Play For Dream has already introduced two VR headsets in China, the YVR 1 and YVR 2, both in 2022.
While there’s no specific release date or price for the Play For Dream MR yet, the company has indicated it will be under $2,000. If you’re curious, keep an eye out on their website for more detailed specs and ordering information when it becomes available.
