摇滚明星投身虚拟现实，挑战谷歌

皇后乐队头发凌乱的吉他手布莱恩•梅，从2008年以来，一直担任伦敦立体公司（London Stereoscopic Company）的董事，该公司的前身引领的立体图片卡潮流，风靡了一个半世纪。

如今，为了追求原公司“再创神奇”的使命，梅推出了支持智能手机的Owl Stereo Viewer。梅拥有Owl Stereo Viewer的专利。不熟悉梅的音乐生涯的人或许不知道，他绝对是最理智的摇滚明星，还拥有天体物理学博士学位。

Owl虚拟现实智能手机套装（Owl VR Smart Phone Kit）与谷歌的Cardboard不同，其可以将任何智能手机固定在用户眼睛前方的特定距离，通过特殊镜片观看。此外，该款产品还支持调焦，按照公司的说法，可以提供“理想的光学几何结构，用于完美观看左右并排格式的3D图像。”

这款产品并不像Cardboard可以带来身临其境的感觉，因为其无法遮住周围的光线，但伦敦立体公司指出，这款产品可持续通畅地访问手机控制功能和耳机插口。

这款产品将在六月中旬上市销售，价格为25英镑（37美元），比Cardboard贵10英镑。但其采用了更结实的“高级聚丙烯”制成，可快速折叠。布莱恩•梅将负责销售。

梅在新闻发布会中表示：“到目前为止，用户面临的选择，要么是过于昂贵的、超出许多人承受范围的虚拟现实眼镜，要么是价格虽然很低，但3D效果并不理想。Owl智能手机套装将改变这种情况；任何人只需要用很低的价格，即可享受到虚拟现实体验，还可以进入立体公司创建的神奇世界。”（财富中文网）

译者：刘进龙/汪皓

Since 2008, Brian May, the tousle-haired guitar-slinger from Queen, has been a director of the London Stereoscopic Company, which in its original incarnation served a stereoscopic, picture-card fad a whole century-and-a-half back.

Now, in his quest to “recreate the magic” of the original firm, May has launched a smartphone-friendly version of his patented Owl Stereo Viewer. For those unfamiliar with his music career, May is firmly on the cerebral end of the rock star scale while also holding a doctorate in astrophysics.

Rather like Google’s GOOG 0.72% Cardboard virtual reality viewer, the Owl VR Smart Phone Kit holds a smartphone (any smartphone) a certain distance in front of the user’s eyes for viewing through special lenses. It also features adjustable focus, giving what the company claims is “the ideal optical geometry for perfect viewing of side-by-side 3D images.”

It doesn’t look quite as immersive as Cardboard as it doesn’t shut out surrounding light, but the London Stereoscopic Company does note that it provides constant, unobstructed access to the controls on the phone as well as the headphone socket.

When it goes on sale in mid-June, it will cost £25 ($37)—£10 more than Cardboard. But then again, it’s made out of sturdier “high-grade polypropylene” and has the benefit of being quickly collapsible. Also, Brian May’s selling it.

“Until now, users have had the choice of an expensive VR viewer that puts it out of reach of many people or a very low cost alternative that just doesn’t do the format justice,” said May in a release. “The Owl Smart Phone Kit changes all that; for a very modest outlay, anyone can now enjoy the VR experience, and also gain access to the fascinating world of Stereoscopy.”