DJI Goggles - discontinued, what's the story?

CelticRambler · 05-06-2021 9:03am #1

Looking for a VR headset that would be compatible with my Mavic Pro, I came across references to the DJI Goggles from a few years ago, but all info suggests they are now discontinued. I'm sure at least part of that is so as not to compete with the new FPV product, but I don't want to replace a perfectly good product with a new one, especially as I don't use it all that often.

There are a (very) few secondhand Goggles available on eBay and the like - but are they any good? Were they discontinued because they were crap, because no-one bought them, or for other reasons?

I'm not actually looking for the FPV immersive experience, just trying to achieve a better view of the image from the drone as none of the phone/tablet screens I've tried can compete with the bright sunlight we have in these parts (continental Europe) :cool:

Homer · 05-06-2021 9:05am

They are actually illegal on this country (and UK also) so that’s possibly why there’s limited availability of second hand ones.

CelticRambler · 05-06-2021 9:09am

VR headsets are illegal? :eek:

Nah - they're selling the new ones in Harvey Norman, so they can't be that illegal!

Homer · 05-06-2021 9:14am

Well…. Not in the eyes of the Gardai but the IAA. You must maintain visual line of sight with your drone at all times. With a VR headset on that is obviously not possible so they are not allowed.

Homer · 05-06-2021 9:15am

Sorry should have said “against the rules/regs” rather than illegal lol

CelticRambler · 05-06-2021 9:21am

Homer wrote: »

Well…. Not in the eyes of the Gardai but the IAA. You must maintain visual line of sight with your drone at all times. With a VR headset on that is obviously not possible so they are not allowed.

Ah, right.

Well, I suppose that means it's unlikely anyone on boards.ie would have had experience of using them, so I'll probably have to continue my quest alone!

Happy to hear of any other suggestions for improving "in the field" visibilty of the monitor.

stuff.hunter · 06-06-2021 8:15am

I'm not sure thats valid as flying fpv youve got better visibility where drone is and what it does than 'regular' flying and cant recall anything about it on IAA website...

CelticRambler · 06-06-2021 8:56am

It's "swings and roundabouts" really. On the DJI website, they do in fact recommend having an ungoggled "spotter" beside you to keep an eye on things. To an extent, that makes sense, as the VR headset doesn't show you what the drone sees, but what the camera sees, and there are plenty of crash videos on YouTube demonstrating how easy it is to fly sideways or backwards into an obstacle while the camera is looking the other way.

On the other hand, if (like me) the only way to get a clear view of what's on your screen is to get yourself into the shade and out of sight of the drone, then the argument for not wearing a headset because of the line-of-sight falls apart. As anyone who's flown a small drone would know, it's also damned difficult to see it against a textured background at even relatively short distances, but being able to see it's position on the map and/or using visual references from the camera makes it easier to find in the sky.

In any case, all I really want is a clearer view from the camera while filming moving subjects in manual mode. The ability to control the drone's flight through head movements would (maybe?) be a bonus, leaving my fingers free to control the camera.

22-09-2021 3:51pm

Old tread, I know.

Building an FPV racer for my daughter atm and was looking into FPV goggles as a an second stage upgrade later.

FPV goggles may well have been illegal before the new/current EASA rules in place since start of this year.. Perfectly legal if you have another person with you who can keep the vehicle in visual sight, "unmanned aircraft observer"

DJI Goggles - discontinued, what's the story?

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