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The headset and 360 cameras powering Alcatel's VR dream

We take a look at Alcatel's phone-free VR headset, together with a couple of 360-degree cameras to capture video for it.

Andrew Lanxon
Andrew is CNET's go-to guy for product coverage and lead photographer for Europe. When not testing the latest phones, he can normally be found with his camera in hand, behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food. Sometimes all at once.
Andrew Lanxon
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Alcatel has shown off a new VR headset, that it calls Vision. Unlike its previous headset however, this one doesn't need a phone to power it. It has its own screens, its own processors and even its own app store where you can download content.

We took a close up look at the new kit at IFA, along with two new cameras that plug into your smartphone and shoot video in 360-degree for you to watch back on the headset.

The Vision is going on sale globally towards the end of the year with the steep expected retail price of roughly 499-599 euros. That converts to about £425-510, $560-670 or AU$740-890.

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The headset is reasonably light in weight, making it comfortable to wear. It has a battery built in so you don't need to be tethered to a plug socket.

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It has its own OLED displays at the front, providing a 2K resolution in total.

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There's a port on the back for your headphones.

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The 360-degree cameras both cost around 99 euros (£85, $110 or AU$150) and are functionally both identical.

The slight differences in size and shape are apparently just down to your own taste -- the quality is the same between the two.

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Both cameras have micro-USB ports on the bottom to connect directly to your phone. There's no Wi-Fi connection here.

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The cameras sit easily on your phone, letting you hold it up to take 360-degree photos or videos.

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Alcatel will also sell this bizarre-looking contraption, which is essentially a selfie stick for the 360-degree camera, that requires you to use a rather inelegant USB extender cable.

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