Imagine watching a movie by simply sliding the headband on a pair of over-the-ear headphones over your eyes. Yes, this exists. The Dashbon Mask is a movie theater in your headphones.
“It’s like watching an 80 inch screen from 1 meter away,” Andrew Lin, founder of Dashbon, told iDigitalTimes. “That's the closest analogy I can draw.”
Virtual reality headsets steal the spotlight, but the unfortunate reality is the average person can’t afford one. The practicality hasn’t come to fruition with gaming-centered VR systems like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Playstation VR. Dashbon’s Mask has a reasonable price tag ($399). Whatever you see on your smartphone reflects to the projection in the Dashbon Mask. Each eye has 1366 x 768 pixel resolution with a 45-degree field of view. It’s a simple to use, portable enhancement for any viewing experience.
Lin and his team of engineers developed the Mask to fill a void in the private entertainment industry. “People compare it to the Facebook’s Oculus Rift, it’s completely different. The mask is really mobile centric,” Lin said.
Mobile doesn’t just mean Dashbon’s Mask is smartphone compatible, it also means it’s practical and portable weighing just under a single pound. Expect an accessory headband to come along with the Mask to make the viewing experience more comfortable for all types of users. High-end VR headsets, like the HTC Vive, require fidgeting with headphones over the headset while trying to avoid tangling yourself with a massive cord. It can be a fairly frustrating user experience, especially if you wear glasses.
You won’t have to worry about that at all with the Dashbon Mask. Simply use the HDMI adapter to connect the Mask to your smartphone and you’re good to go. Glasses aren't necessary because you can adjust the optics to your vision impairment. Dashbon’s optical system supports a diopter correction of +2 farsighted vision to -6 nearsighted vision.
Games that utilize the smartphone as a remote control are better suited for the Mask. Lin suggests mobile games like Real Racing 3 . As for a game like Clash of Clans, Lin says players will still be able to glance down and touch the screen.
No power is necessary when using the Dashbon Mask as a pair of standard headphones – simply plug in the 3.5mm audio jack connection and enjoy. But make sure your Mask is charged before you flip the switch to video mode. You’ll get a 4-hour viewing session out of one full charge.
This isn’t Dashbon’s first 2-in-1 product. Before the Mask launched at CES 2015, Dashbon launched their first product, a portable boombox projector called Flicks. Plug your Chromecast, Roku or Amazon TV stick and project 100” HD video from 8 feet away.
“We are just people who love camping. That's all. Previously, before we came up with the products, we always would bring projectors, speakers and power supplies. We just want to bring less stuff. That was the major driving force to develop the products,” Lin said.
Dashbon will also be launching a new accessory for the Flicks boombox in the coming weeks. Lin revealed he’s working on a ‘Magic’ 80-inch pop up screen to pair alongside the Flicks projector. The screen folds into a disc 35-inches in diameter and props itself up with no accessories.
It’s not VR, but right now the Dashbon Mask sounds like the ultimate consumer-friendly wearable gadget for gaming and entertainment. Lin said the Dashbon Mask is expected to ship sometime between late-August and September.
