The cost of the HoloLens dev kit currently is abysmal, to say the least, for the commonly curious that want to experience the next step in technology. With a $3000 price tag, HoloLens is currently being focused on building app support and improving its method of media. This means that it will still be quite some time before augmented reality is a household experience. However, a small company in the Netherlands wants to fix that (via Android Authority.)
In an effort to bring the future to more hands, Aryzon is an AR headset that is easy to use, cheap, and available. The viewer using a smartphone as the initial device, inserting it into a manually constructed kit, and using the Aryzon’s app to pull it all together. Basically, it is the “Cardboard of AR”.
It’s worth noting that while the setup does let the user experience AR, it’s not nearly on par with the HoloLens itself particularly in terms of content. While the team has ambitious goals, it is still small. There is currently only one dedicated app developer and a Unity developer. As professionally put together as the proposal seems, Aryzon hopes to build up a stronger community and more applications with the open source SDK.
Aryzon is compatible with almost any Android or iOS phone. Sorry, no Windows Phones with augmented reality just yet. According to the FAQ, most ‘modern’ smartphones within the last two years shouldn’t have an issue running the augmented reality experience.
The Kickstarter has already met its humble $27,942 goal. In fact, as of writing this article, it’s nearly doubled more than asked for with 1,247 backers and a month left. If you’re looking to join in the Kickstarter, you can purchase an Aryzon Headset kit for $32. Earliest deliveries will be in August 2017 with more to come after September.
