The Lynx R1, a French mixed reality headset, has faced significant production delays, initially announced in 2020 with an open periphery design. If it had been released on schedule in 2022, it would have been the first consumer standalone headset with color passthrough mixed reality. However, due to repeated delays, it was surpassed by the Meta Quest Pro in the market, and as of now, Lynx has not shipped to all backers, while Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro have already been shipped in volume.
In a recent update, Lynx CEO Stan Larroque revealed that the company’s financial issues with its manufacturer, Compal, led to produced headsets not being delivered. This situation arose due to intended investors failing to follow through with their funding. Larroque claims that the last year has been “excruciating” for the company, with numerous frustrating experiences in raising money, particularly in the XR, hardware, and European sectors.
Despite these challenges, Larroque remains optimistic about Lynx’s future. He mentioned that the company is working with a big financial US partner to continue its work. The demand for the R1 remains high, with over 10,000 total orders, primarily for defense, industrial, and medical use-cases. Despite the delays, Larroque believes that Lynx is still doing the right things and has a great roadmap.
However, even if Larroque’s new timeline is accurate, Lynx still has a long way to go to satisfy its customers, as only 500 of over 1000 Kickstarter backers and over 10,000 total orders should be satisfied by the end of August. The story of Lynx serves as a reminder of the challenges startups face in mass-producing XR headsets at scale, with unpredictable issues along the path from impressive prototypes to shipping to customers.
