Lucid VR Reveals Updated 4K LucidCam VR Camera, Developer Kits Shipping Now

During CES 2017, Lucid VR revealed the updated revision of the upcoming LucidCam VR camera. We first caught wind of Lucid VR’s LucidCam in November 2015, when the company ran a campaign on Indiegogo to fund the production of a portable Full HD Stereoscopic 180-degree video camera. 

“We have focused on a simple user experience and design so you can produce 3D VR content easily and fast--from individual VR short movies to live concerts to exciting adventures like skydiving and skiing, and all that from your own perspective,” said Han Jin, co-founder, and CEO of Lucid VR. “LucidCam will change the way we empathize with other people by seeing life experiences through their eyes. We at Lucid believe in a world where everyone has access to the experiences of the few, where our ability to see the extraordinary is not limited by distance, physical ability, savings, or courage.”

Lucid VR’s crowdfunding campaign surpassed its funding goal, and the company went on to find a manufacturing partner. In April, Lucid VR announced that it had aligned with Taiwan-based Wistron Corporation, which ultimately led to an overhaul of the LucidCam’s specifications. LucidCam’s Indiegogo page advertises a 3D, 180-degree, Full-HD per-eye camera, with the ability to snap images at up to 2K per eye and record video at 30fps. It also lists 16GB of internal storage.

Lucid VR told us back in April that the upgrades to the LucidCam effectively doubled its specifications. After Wistron had gotten involved, Lucid VR installed image sensors with double the resolution of the original design, increased the recording framerate to 60fps, and increased the internal storage space to 32GB.

The basic LucidCam captures 180-degrees at a time, but Lucid VR has a solution for 360-degree capture. The company offers a tripod mount the holds three LucidCam cameras in a triangular pattern. Two cameras cover 360-degrees, but three cameras provides overlap between neighboring cameras. Without overlapping frames, you’d always see a defined seam where the two videos meet.

The upgrades to the camera ultimately led to a delay in production. Lucid VR’s Indiegogo page pledged to ship LucidCam cameras to backers by July 2016. When Wistron came into the picture, Lucid VR changed its tune to “aiming for December 2016,” but even that date slipped by without a release. Lucid VR didn’t miss the second mark by much, though. The company is currently shipping a “limited number” of developer kits to content creators, and plans are in motion to ship the consumer version, which you can preorder today for $399, in Q2.