clear-vuIf you’re one of the few people who’s always thought that the main reason HMD’s never took off was because they were expensive, then you might want to pay attention to a new product coming out of Optinvent.

France’s Optinvent (a spin-off of Thomson S.A.) … is now promising to deliver a full-fledged HMD for less than $200 by the end of next year. In addition to their trend-setting good looks (to be further refined in the final version), the company’s so-called Clear Vu goggles make use of a reflection system that displays images in the wearer’s field of vision rather than completely obstructing it, which the company says opens to the door a whole host of augmented reality possibilities — like heads-up GPS directions, for instance.

Detailed specs are MIA so far, but they claim to be equivalent to a 71-inch screen at 2.5m away.

via Optinvent promises to offer Clear Vu HMD for less than $200.