Play For Dream MR hands-on: Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 headset is a lighter and cheaper Vision Pro clone

Apple’s Vision Pro has had a mixed critical reception, and apparently, a subpar commercial reception. But apparently I’m more exceptional. I bought a Vision Pro for personal use and I really like it. I use it every day, and even after a few months of using it, sometimes I still find myself awestruck by the immersion of giant images and videos playing in front of my face. But I have one big gripe: it’s too heavy at 1.4 lbs. The weight is so significant that I use the Vision Pro almost exclusively when I’m lying face up in bed or reclining on a couch with headrests. Of course, this is a bummer, because I had really hoped to use the Vision Pro as a desktop workstation.

So when I first tried the newly announced MR headset from Shanghai-based firm Play For Dream (formerly known as YVR), I was blown away. Despite looking very, very similar to the Vision Pro (and doing practically the same things), the Play For Dream headset feels much lighter on my head. I thought for sure the headset was lighter, but it turns out it’s actually about the same weight as the Vision Pro. By placing a small battery pack on the back, the weight of the headset is distributed evenly between the front and back, rather than weighing down the front of my face like the Vision Pro does.

For optics, the Play For Dream headset actually produces sharper, higher-resolution visuals than Apple’s headset. Oh, and did I mention it’s cheaper too? We are still months away from being able to buy it. Despite the copycat visuals, which I admit will cause eye rolls, the Play For Dream MR looks like a very attractive alternative to the Vision Pro and a great showcase of the future of AR or MR headsets as envisioned by Qualcomm.

Hardware

Comfortable to wear, but with an unoriginal look

Chinese tech brands are often mocked on social media by mainstream Western techies for blatantly copying Apple, an accusation I find overblown but can’t deny. And so, when I saw the Play For Dream headphones, I let out a sigh. Why did the Shanghai firm have to make the device look so much like the Vision Pro? From the overall shape of the outward-facing viewfinder, to the mesh eyepiece, to the rotating crown on the top right, to the heat vents, the design looks straight out of Cupertino. I didn’t bring my Vision Pro for a side-by-side comparison, but the Play For Dream MR looks practically like a black Vision Pro.

The front of the headset is made of aluminum, which is slightly lighter than the stainless steel used by the Vision Pro. The rear headband is made of plastic, with a small battery inside the back that allows the headphones to be used for an hour completely wirelessly. There is an external battery pack just like the Vision Pro that provides additional time. Still, it’s nice to have the option to go completely wireless.

Play For Dream MR runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, the six-month-old silicon designed to power MR/AR/XR devices. It’s a capable processor with support for up to 4.3K resolution per eye and up to 12 cameras. The Play For Dream almost takes this power to the max: it features 11 cameras and a pair of BOE-sourced MicroOLED displays that boast 4K resolution per eye, for a total resolution of 8K.

The cameras, along with seven sensors and 22 LED lights, help map the space around the user, as well as track hand and eye movements — just like Vision Pro.

I should point out that during my demo I was using a prototype that didn’t have eye or hand tracking, so I had to control it using controllers, which the company says will be an optional purchase. The controllers are well built, with an analog stick and pressure-sensitive triggers. The controllers basically serve as laser pointers, allowing me to navigate the UI.

Software

Immersive views and Android apps

The headset runs the company’s proprietary software based on Android 14, which means it will be able to run Android apps. It can also be connected to a Windows computer to project a virtual desktop of up to five windows. I didn’t get a chance to ask if it will support Mac.

During my demos, I was able to open several windows from a Windows laptop, with three displays floating in front of me wirelessly. I also played this boxing game where I used the controllers to punch. But the kicker was watching high-quality 8K space video (shot with a professional-grade camera) that felt the most lifelike I’ve ever seen—significantly more so than on Vision Pro. In the video, a woman stands and blows bubbles. The 8K resolution was sharp enough that she looked real for a second before my brain registered that she wasn’t staying there. It looked life-sized, and because the space video was shot in the same room, the video blended well into the room.

I also consumed some VR content that was even more immersive because instead of trying to feed me video from my environment, all the computing power of the headset just had to play a 360-degree video. Play For Dream MR does an impressive job of designing the room, with things staying in place even when moving around.

Early thoughts

I walked out of the demo room excited to get my hands on one. It’s basically Vision Pro, but with Android, and it feels lighter in my head, even though it really isn’t. I think the Vision Pro’s software is still more polished in terms of animations and transitions, but simply in terms of image sharpness, the Play For Dream headset is better.

The company has partnered with IMAX to offer IMAX content for the headset as well. But I’m very excited to be able to take the headphones to a coffee shop to do my work and save myself from the neck of the laptop.

Unfortunately, Play For Dream MR won’t go on sale until October, with the first markets being China, Singapore and Malaysia. The company said it will roll out to Southeast Asia next, likely in Thailand and Vietnam. No word yet on US or European availability. There’s also no official price, with the company only promising it will be under $2,000.