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Varjo XR-3 vs Varjo XR-4 Series
Both devices below are described from their manufacturers’ own specification pages. Where a row does not apply to one of them, it says so rather than showing a dash — that is a different statement from “the maker does not publish it”.
Varjo · Enterprise
Varjo · Enterprise
Differences you can see
Pictures first, table second. Every chart is computed from the same published fields you can read below it — nothing here is an illustration.
- Varjo XR-3
- Varjo XR-4 Series
Resolution per eye
Panels at true pixel scale, one inside the other.
The sharpest panel here has 84% more pixels per eye than the softest — that is what you gain on small text inside a scene.
Field of view
Seen from above. The grey area is roughly the human binocular field (~200°).
- Varjo XR-4 Series120° horizontal
- Varjo XR-3115° horizontal
The widest field here is 120°, the narrowest 115°. A pair of human eyes covers about 200° — even the best of these shows less than two thirds of that.
Weight
On the whole catalogue’s scale, from 30 g to 830 g.
Varjo XR-3594 g
Varjo XR-4 Series665 g*
30 g830 g
IPD range
Against the 54–74 mm range most adults fall into.
Varjo XR-359–71 mm
Varjo XR-4 Series56–72 mm
52 mm76 mm
The grey band is people, not hardware. Where a coloured bar stops short of it, that share of a team cannot set the headset to their eyes — and a badly set distance is the usual cause of headaches after twenty minutes.
On sale, and supported
Two different questions: how long you can still buy it new, and how long the manufacturer keeps updating it. The dashed line is the end of a three-year training programme (2029).
Varjo XR-3 sold 2021–2026 · support until 2026
Varjo XR-4 Series on sale since 2023 · no published end of support
20202030
Sold and supported are not the same thing. A model can leave the shelves while its maker keeps shipping software to the units you already own — and it can stay on the shelves with no published support commitment at all.
What actually differs
Computed from the two records, most decisive first.
Launch price
- Varjo XR-3
- $5495
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- —
Resolution per eye
- Varjo XR-3
- 2880x2720
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- 3840x3744
Pixel density
- Varjo XR-3
- 70 PPD
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- —
Field of view
- Varjo XR-3
- 115° horizontal
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- 120° horizontal
Weight
- Varjo XR-3
- 594 g
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- 665 g
Controller tracking
- Varjo XR-3
- None (hands only)
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- 6DoF
Availability
- Varjo XR-3
- Discontinued
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- On sale
Announced
- Varjo XR-3
- 2020-12-01
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- 2023-11-27
Released
- Varjo XR-3
- 2021
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- 2023
Support ends
- Varjo XR-3
- 2026-01-01
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- —
Business tier
- Varjo XR-3
- No
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- Yes
Swappable facial interface
- Varjo XR-3
- Yes
- Varjo XR-4 Series
- No
They match on 19 further specifications.
Full specification, row by row
32 of 87 rows differ.
| Specification | Varjo XR-3 Varjo | Varjo XR-4 Series Varjo |
|---|---|---|
| ManufacturerWho makes it — and who you buy support from. | Varjo | Varjo |
| CategoryWhich kind of product this is. It decides which rows below make sense at all. | VR — PC-tethered | VR — PC-tethered |
| Device typeWhere the computing happens, and therefore what you need to run it. | PC-powered VR | PC-powered VR |
| AnnouncedThe day it was shown, which is not the day it shipped. | 2020-12-01 | 2023-11-27 |
| ReleasedYear the model went on sale. Older is not automatically worse in this category. | 2021 | 2023 |
| AvailabilityWhether you can still order it new today. | Discontinued | On sale |
| Support endsThe date the manufacturer stops supporting it. Decisive for a fleet you are about to buy. | 2026-01-01 | Support ends: not published by the manufacturer |
| PanelThe screen type. micro-OLED gives deeper blacks and higher contrast; LCD is brighter and cheaper. | LCD | LCD |
| OpticsThe lenses in front of the panel. Pancake stays sharp closer to the edges than older Fresnel, which decides how much a trainee has to aim their head to read something. | Optics: not published by the manufacturer | Optics: not published by the manufacturer |
| Eyes coveredOne eye or both. Over a full shift this is a real difference in fatigue. | Both eyes | Eyes covered: not published by the manufacturer |
| Resolution per eyePixels delivered to each eye. Higher means small text and labels stay readable. | 2880x2720 | 3840x3744 |
| Refresh rateImages per second. Higher feels smoother and helps people prone to motion discomfort. | 90 Hz | ≈90 Hz*Road to VR, XR-4 launch specification table |
| Field of viewHow much of your view the image covers. Bigger is more immersive, not automatically better for work. | 115° horizontal | 120° horizontal |
| Pixel densityPixels per degree of view — the honest way to compare sharpness between a headset and a pair of glasses. Higher is sharper. Only shown where somebody published it; we never compute it ourselves. | 70 PPD | Pixel density: not published by the manufacturer |
| BrightnessIn a plant or outdoors, brightness decides legibility more than resolution does. | Brightness: not published by the manufacturer | Brightness: not published by the manufacturer |
| WeightThe device alone. Anything above roughly 150 g is felt within an hour. | 594 g | ≈665 g*Road to VR, XR-4 launch specification table |
| Visible field of viewWhat the eye actually sees through the optics, by axis. | 115° horizontal · 90° vertical | Visible field of view: not published by the manufacturer |
| Rendered field of viewWhat the device draws. Never smaller than what you see. | Rendered field of view: not published by the manufacturer | Rendered field of view: not published by the manufacturer |
| Binocular overlapWhere both eyes see the same thing — this is where depth happens. | Binocular overlap: not published by the manufacturer | Binocular overlap: not published by the manufacturer |
| Average pixel densityPixels per degree across the image. More is sharper. | Average pixel density: not published by the manufacturer | 32 PPD horizontal (computed) |
| Peak pixel densityThe sharpest point, usually the centre of the lens. | Peak pixel density: not published by the manufacturer | 51 PPD |
| Subpixel layoutHow the coloured dots sit in a pixel. A stripe looks cleaner on text than PenTile. | RGB stripe · 3 subpixels per pixel | RGB stripe · 3 subpixels per pixel |
| Foveated renderingWhether detail is dropped outside where you look, to save performance. | Eye-tracked | Foveated rendering: not published by the manufacturer |
| PassthroughWhat the front cameras give you: colour, grayscale, or nothing. | Colour | Colour |
| Passthrough camerasResolution, density and frame rate of that camera feed. | 12 MP per eye · 90 fps | 33 PPD |
| IPD adjustmentMatching lens spacing to the eyes. Motorised is fastest when one headset passes between people. | Motorised | Motorised |
| IPD rangeHow far the lenses travel to match eye spacing. A narrow range excludes part of any group of adults, which matters when one headset is shared. | 59–71 mm | 56–72 mm |
| Works with glassesWhether people who wear glasses can use it — fits over them, or takes prescription lens inserts. | Works with glasses: not published by the manufacturer | Works with glasses: not published by the manufacturer |
| Vision correctionHow somebody who wears glasses uses it, and in what dioptre range. | Vision correction: not published by the manufacturer | Vision correction: not published by the manufacturer |
| DimensionsWidth, height and depth of the device itself. | Dimensions: not published by the manufacturer | Dimensions: not published by the manufacturer |
| Weight with strapWith the strap it ships with — the weight you actually wear. | ≈980 g*VRcompare — Varjo XR-3 | Weight with strap: not published by the manufacturer |
| Head strapSoft band or a rigid one. Decides how the weight sits over an hour. | Rigid strap with a dial | Rigid strap with a dial |
| MaterialsShell and facial interface, in the vendor’s words. | plastic · polyurethane face cushion | Plastic · foam facial interface |
| ColoursColours the manufacturer sells it in. | Black | White |
| Haptics in the headsetVibration in the headset itself, not in the controllers. | Haptics in the headset: not published by the manufacturer | No |
| TrackingWhether content stays put in the room (6DoF), follows head rotation (3DoF) or is simply fixed. | SteamVR 2.0 or 1.0 base stations; Varjo inside-out tracking in beta | inside-out 6DoF (SteamVR base stations optional) |
| Base stationsWhether boxes have to be mounted on the walls before it works. | Optional | Optional |
| Tracking camerasHow many cameras it uses to know where it is. | Tracking cameras: not published by the manufacturer | Tracking cameras: not published by the manufacturer |
| Tracking rateHow often position is recalculated. Higher is steadier. | Tracking rate: not published by the manufacturer | Tracking rate: not published by the manufacturer |
| Depth sensorA dedicated sensor for distance, on top of the cameras. | Yes | Depth sensor: not published by the manufacturer |
| Hand trackingWhether bare hands can operate the interface, without a controller or the phone. | Yes | Yes |
| Eye trackingThe headset knows where the trainee is looking. Enables sharper rendering where they look, and attention analytics. | Yes | Yes |
| Face trackingTracks facial expression — for avatars, not for training scenarios. | No | No |
| Body trackingHow much of the body the device knows about. Estimated legs are not tracked legs. | None | None |
| Controllers includedWhether motion controllers come in the box, or are bought separately — or the device is hands-only. | No | Yes |
| Controller modelThe manufacturer's own name for the controller. | Controller model: not published by the manufacturer | Varjo Controller |
| Controller tracking6DoF controllers track position and rotation, so a hand reaches in space; 3DoF only point. “None” means hands only. | None (hands only) | 6DoF |
| Finger tracking on the controllerWhether the controller senses individual fingers, and how. | Finger tracking on the controller: not published by the manufacturer | Finger tracking on the controller: not published by the manufacturer |
| Controller inputsButtons, sticks and triggers the controller offers. | Controller inputs: not published by the manufacturer | Joystick · face buttons · index trigger · middle finger trigger |
| Controller hapticsVibration feedback in the hand. | Controller haptics: not published by the manufacturer | Yes |
| Controller powerDisposable cells or a built-in rechargeable — a fleet question. | Controller power: not published by the manufacturer | Controller power: not published by the manufacturer |
| Controller weightOne controller, as the vendor weighs it. | Controller weight: not published by the manufacturer | Controller weight: not published by the manufacturer |
| Other input methodsWays in beyond controllers and bare hands. | Other input methods: not published by the manufacturer | Other input methods: not published by the manufacturer |
| ProcessorThe processor and memory inside. This is what the performance grade above is derived from. | Processor: not published by the manufacturer | Processor: not published by the manufacturer |
| CPUCores and clocks, where the manufacturer publishes them. | CPU: not published by the manufacturer | CPU: not published by the manufacturer |
| GPUThe graphics part of the chip. | GPU: not published by the manufacturer | GPU: not published by the manufacturer |
| MemoryRAM on the device. Together with the chipset it sets how complex a scene can be. | Memory: not published by the manufacturer | Memory: not published by the manufacturer |
| SD card slotWhether storage can be added with a card. | SD card slot: not published by the manufacturer | SD card slot: not published by the manufacturer |
| BatteryRuntime as the manufacturer states it. A hot-swappable pack matters more than the figure. | Battery: not published by the manufacturer | Battery: not published by the manufacturer |
| Battery capacity (Wh)Energy in the cell. Bigger is longer, given the same power draw. | Battery capacity (Wh): not published by the manufacturer | Battery capacity (Wh): not published by the manufacturer |
| Battery capacity (mAh)The same fact in the other unit vendors use. We never convert between the two. | Battery capacity (mAh): not published by the manufacturer | Battery capacity (mAh): not published by the manufacturer |
| Charge timeFrom empty to full. Rarely stated by the manufacturer, so it usually comes from whoever timed it. | Charge time: not published by the manufacturer | Charge time: not published by the manufacturer |
| ChargerPower of the supplied charger — it decides the charge time above. | Charger: not published by the manufacturer | Charger: not published by the manufacturer |
| External batteryBattery on a cable or a puck instead of on the head. | External battery: not published by the manufacturer | External battery: not published by the manufacturer |
| Charging caseExtra runtime carried in the case the glasses ship with. | Charging case: not published by the manufacturer | Charging case: not published by the manufacturer |
| Hot-swap batteryWhether a charged battery can replace the empty one without ending the session. This is what decides if a headset can hold an all-day training station. | Hot-swap battery: not published by the manufacturer | Hot-swap battery: not published by the manufacturer |
| Runs Skillsive appsOur own statement about whether Skillsive training applications run on it today. | No | No |
| Suitable for trainingOur judgement on whether it survives real deployment: comfort, hygiene, fleet management. | No | No |
| Kiosk mode / MDMVendor tooling to enrol devices, push an app and lock the headset to it. Practically required above ten devices. | No | No |
| Business tierAn official business tier, so devices belong to the company rather than to employees’ personal accounts. | No | Yes |
| Swappable facial interfaceRemovable, wipeable face padding. A consumable, and the difference between shared use and complaints. | Yes | No |
| CertificationsIndustrial certifications stated on the manufacturer's own page. Empty means unconfirmed, never "probably fine". | Certifications: not published by the manufacturer | Certifications: not published by the manufacturer |
| PortsPhysical sockets and charging contacts. | DisplayPort · USB Type-A · headphone jack | Ports: not published by the manufacturer |
| Wi-FiThe Wi-Fi generation — it decides how well wireless streaming holds up. | Wi-Fi: not published by the manufacturer | Wi-Fi: not published by the manufacturer |
| BluetoothFor controllers, headphones and accessories. | Bluetooth: not published by the manufacturer | Bluetooth: not published by the manufacturer |
| Video from a computerWhether a computer can drive it, over a cable or wirelessly. | Video from a computer: not published by the manufacturer | Over a cable |
| AudioBuilt-in sound. Matters most where somebody has to hear a remote expert while working. | Headphone jack | Built-in speakers |
| MicrophoneBuilt-in microphone — the other half of talking to a remote expert. | Yes | Yes |
| MicrophonesHow many. An array picks a voice out of a noisy hall; one does not. | Microphones: not published by the manufacturer | Microphones: not published by the manufacturer |
| Price bandThe band it sits in, rather than a price that goes stale. | Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Launch priceThe manufacturer's launch price. Fixed history, so it never goes stale. | $5495 | Launch price: not published by the manufacturer |
| Price by configurationWhat each configuration cost at launch. | Price by configuration: not published by the manufacturer | Price by configuration: not published by the manufacturer |
| Price todayApproximate current net price in USD — a general figure, since these barely differ between regions once tax is stripped out. A snapshot from the date shown, not an offer. | Price today: not published by the manufacturer | Price today: not published by the manufacturer |
| Comfort (from reviews)How it wears over a full session. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers, not from our own testing. | Comfort (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer | Comfort (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer |
| Edge clarity (from reviews)Sharpness away from the centre of the lens. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers. | Edge clarity (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer | Edge clarity (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer |
| Tracking reliability (from reviews)How tracking holds up in poor light and fast movement. Scored from agreement between independent reviewers. | Tracking reliability (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer | Tracking reliability (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer |
| Hand tracking quality (from reviews)How usable controller-free hand tracking is in a training scenario. Scored from agreement between reviewers. | Hand tracking quality (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer | Hand tracking quality (from reviews): not published by the manufacturer |
“—” means the manufacturer does not publish that figure. “≈” with an asterisk means it was measured by somebody else — follow the asterisk for who. Prices are an indicative net figure in USD, a snapshot from the date on each model page, not an offer.
Product and company names used here are the trademarks of their respective owners and appear only to identify the hardware being compared. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any of these manufacturers. Illustrations are our own.