VRHow / Headsets / NVIS and Sensics research headsets
NVIS and Sensics research headsets: documented models and specs
NVIS: nVisor SX and nVisor SX111
The archived NVIS datasheet calls the nVisor SX a stereoscopic HMD for advanced visualization and simulation, medical imaging, location-based entertainment and research. It documents 1,280 × 1,024 pixels per eye, 24-bit color, 60° diagonal field of view, reflective FLCOS displays, 55–73 mm IPD adjustment and about 1 kg weight. The same sheet describes SXGA DVI or analog video at 60 Hz, AC 100–240 V input and optional external or internal motion-tracker mounting. Those are the sheet’s requirements and capabilities, not a claim that a modern PC will drive the unit without legacy hardware.
The exact name nVisor SX60 appears in archival and secondary cataloguing, but the accessible first-party-era datasheet is titled “nVisor SX.” To avoid silently merging generations, this page treats SX/SX60 as the documented 60° SX variant and does not attach SX111 specifications to it. An independent Science Museum Group record identifies a separate nVisor SX111 made by nVis Inc. in the United States in 2014. Its catalogue gives the HMD’s boxed-system context and records the headset itself at 1.3 kg, with a separate advanced video-control unit at 2.4 kg.
Sensics: piSight and zSight
WorldViz’s Vizard documentation is useful archival evidence that Sensics hardware was intended for multi-display simulation software. It identifies piSight and xSight configurations by model code, including piSight 76-21, 83-22, 99-31b, 103-32b, 120-31, 123-32, 145-41b and 164-41, plus xSight 6123, 4083, 3120 and 2076. It also lists zSight 60 and zSight 70 and says zSight units expose a built-in orientation sensor through the software interface. The documentation does not provide a single universal resolution, FOV, weight or PC requirement for all of these configurations, so none is inferred here.
A contemporary Road to VR report documents the exact Sensics zSight 810 as a ruggedized professional HMD. That report gives dual 1,280 × 1,024 OLED displays, 60° diagonal FOV (47° horizontal and 38° vertical), and a 10,000:1 contrast ratio. It reports an operating range of −20°C to +55°C and resistance testing against shock, vibration, rain, salt fog and other adverse conditions under the cited STD-810 standard. These details belong to zSight 810, not automatically to zSight 60/70 or piSight.
| Maker / exact documented model | What the sources establish | Availability caveat |
|---|---|---|
| NVIS nVisor SX / SX60 | Research/simulation HMD; 1,280 × 1,024 per eye; 60° diagonal FOV; 60 Hz SXGA DVI or analog; about 1 kg | Archival documentation; no current retail offer verified |
| NVIS nVisor SX111 | Separate nVisor model; Science Museum record says nVis Inc., made 2014; HMD recorded at 1.3 kg | Museum collection record, not a sales listing |
| Sensics piSight / xSight variants | Multi-panel HMD configurations documented for Vizard; exact model codes listed above | Software documentation does not establish present manufacture or sale |
| Sensics zSight 810 | Professional ruggedized HMD; dual 1,280 × 1,024 OLED; 60° diagonal FOV | 2013 specialist coverage; not a current price or availability claim |
Source and scope caveat: NVIS is now part of Kopin, which directs NVIS product enquiries to Kopin’s training and simulation business. That corporate notice does not say that the nVisor models above remain in production. Sensics’ archived product evidence is thinner than NVIS’s: model names and software integration are verifiable, while broad family-wide specifications, prices, support windows and current sourcing are not.
These were professional/research HMDs, not plug-and-play substitutes for a Quest, Vive or other modern consumer headset. Confirm the exact model, controller/video electronics, tracker, cables, software and service status before treating a used unit as usable. For other documented headsets, see the VRHow headset directory.