Sony’s 3D HMZ headset goes second-gen, now much lighter

Practically a man cave for your head, Sony’s OLED-based HMZ-T1 3D headset is getting upgraded, with a much needed lighter design and support for your own headphones heading to the new model in October.

One of the only companies with its own consumer-ready 3D headset, Sony doesn’t really compete with anyone when it comes to the HMZ headset.

We played with it early this year, and while it had some problems – most notably the price – the first-generation Sony HMZ headset was an impressive experience, and the closest thing to bringing science fiction to modern day that we’ve seen yet.

The second outing of Sony’s 3D OLED headset features a few similarities paired with some much needed changes, with twin OLED screens (one for each eye) and virtual 5.1 surround running through its two ear pieces rounding out the two obvious things that haven’t changed.

While the look hasn’t been touched, Sony says that the new headset is lighter, weighing only 330 grams, compared to the 420 it pressed on your noggin before.

That’s good news, because the weight of the first headset made it uncomfortable for long periods of time.

Some key changes have been made to the headset, too, with a 24p True Cinema mode added to make movies appear more like it would on the big screen, a “clear” mode to show fast-action gaming sequences more smoothly, a wireless remote to better control the sound and video quality, and a 3.5mm headphone jack added so you can plug whatever pair of headphones you want in.

It’s probably worth noting that even with reduction in weight, the design of the HMZ-T2 is largely the same as the T1, making it next to impossible to use big headphones with the headset. If you’re plugging in your own, best to stick with something small, probably with either an earbud, earphone, or intra-aural canal phone design.

Sony hasn’t given us a price as of yet, but we’re expecting the HMZ-T2 to replace the T1 when it lands in October, with a similar $899 recommended retail price.