DJI FPV Goggles - 1st use Review

[Jason Cole]

DJI FPV Goggles – User Review – Day#1
29th May 2017 (84 minutes’ total flight / usage time over 4 batteries).

First Impression
The first impression of the DJI Goggles was they look and feel very nice. They have nice smooth lines and are just generally a very nice looking unit. They appear to be very well built, Nice and sturdy. There is a rubber mask that goes around your face that blocks out the light if you don’t wear glasses.

Installation
This is where things went wrong. I don’t think that DJI have done their homework here. The installation instructions as they are in the goggles package are wrong, they tell you to go to the DJI site and download some software, DJI Assistant 2. This software doesn’t actually work with the goggles (as it was the wrong version), I had to find another link (on this forum) to get the right version of the software. This was very time-consuming and not an easy process. The problem is before you can use your goggles you have to activate them. I spoke to DJI tech support and feel that I knew more about the goggles than they did. That was a waste of time. After about four hours I finally got the goggles activated.

Connection
I can’t help but think that these goggles are designed for the Mavic Pro, being a Phantom 4 Pro owner, I do feel a little bit left out. If you have a P4 pro, you need to buy this separate HDMI module and install it ($100). Even after that the cable that comes in the box does not fit the controller without an adapter module. The module was $3 and should have been included in the box in my opinion. If you took the goggles away and you didn’t have this adapter you would not be able to use them.

The goggles need to be connected to the P4Pro controller via a cable, the Mavic Pro is wireless. Currently the P4 pro is not supported for head tracking. This is one of the favourite features of the goggles. This was very disappointing but DJI are promising to add this at a later date.

Comfort
The goggles do provide a very immersive FPV the experience. I would recommend sitting down to use them in a comfortable camping chair as standing up they get quite heavy on your head after around 20 minutes. I started to get sore neck and the strap at the back was pulling on my hair. When sitting down this problem was reduced. If you wear glasses, you need to make sure you wear them with the goggles as the goggles have no diopter!!!!! (I know I couldn’t believe it either). The problem for me was when I wear my glasses, the lights sneaks in either side of the glasses where the frames sit on the side of your face. This interfered with the FPV the view and was quite annoying. Because the screen is so close I also needed stronger glasses too. My regular glasses jus were not clear enough.

Flight
This is where the fun starts! Using the goggles is like sitting in the drone cockpit, there is no other way to describe it. It feels very real and is very easy to lose your sense of orientation, which is what you need a spotter at all times. Its amazing to look out the drone camera and just fly like a bird, there really is nothing like it. I did find myself several times opening the goggles to see the drone with my own eyes just to make sure it was where I thought it was.

If you use adaptive flight resolution, this does not work with the goggles and severely limits how far you can fly you drone. I found that just a couple of hundred meters away I was starting to lose signal. Using my iPad I can fly a lot further, as far as I can still see my drone.

I’m not sure but it just seems that the batteries drain fast on the P4Pro using the FPV Goggles. My batteries seemed to go flat really quickly, maybe it was just the immersive FPV experience lol It sure was fun!!!

Overall
I think the goggles are good (7/10), but I think there are a lot of things that DJI have missed as well. They are reasonably comfortable and they are crystal clear (for me with glasses).

Pros

· Amazing FPV flight experience, you are in the cockpit, as real as it gets. The only way this could be improved is a 3D version when the drones eventually have two cameras.

· The screen resolution and quality is edge to edge and simply stunning. Nice and bright, detailed and vibrant with virtually no lag either.

· The Goggles are adjustable to any head size easily and click together effortlessly.

· Easy to operate menu to use in flight with the built in trackpad on the side.

· They look nice and modern (IMO) and match the P4Pro.

Cons

· No Diopter (WTH DJI!!!) If you wear glasses you MUST use them or the image is blurry.

· If you wear glasses the light sneaks in either side of your head where the glasses frame goes from your ear to your eye. If the sun hits behind you then there is a reflection on the goggles screen that is very annoying. I don’t think DJI really thought too much of people that where glasses in the design.

· Heavy and uncomfortable over time (20+ minutes) when standing up.

· Package does not work out of the box with the P4Pro, a HDMI board ($100) & a HDMI to HDMI Mini adapter ($3) is needed. The Goggles seemed to be more designed for the Mavic than the Phantom IMO. Why not include a $3 adapter, to DJI it would have been maybe 50c but it was such a pain finding one.

· Installation is very tricky and not a simple process as the Goggles need to be activated. The software that DJI currently has on the Phantom website did not work, I had to get another link to a different DJI site and use that software to get the Goggles to activate. I also had to reboot my iMac too. No where does it say that though.

· I felt I knew more about the Goggles than DJI tech support when seeking help.

· They arrive almost dead flat, so there is a 4-6 hour wait before you can use or activate them. I know not major, but annoying as you get them and want to use them!!!

 

[desert phantom]

Good, concise review. I guess we will have to wait for the P5 for full Phantom compatibility.

With only the HDMI connection, I guess the touchpad on the goggles doesn't work?

I guess too that with the P4P+ you don't need the HDMI module?

 

[Jason Cole]

Thanks

Yes the touchpad does work but only for local goggles functions, e.g. brightness etc.

I am not sure what size HDMI module the P4P+ has, most likely still need an adapter.

 

[msinger]

Installation is very tricky and not a simple process as the Goggles need to be activated. The software that DJI currently has on the Phantom website did not work, I had to get another link to a different DJI site and use that software to get the Goggles to activate.

FYI, detailed DJI Goggles activation instructions can be found here.

 

[smiller]

The above review is incorrect in that the P4P is capable of a USB connection and does not require an HDMI adapter, and it does fully support head motion tracking. It is the P4P Plus model that uses an HDMI connection and doesn't support motion tracking.

Also activation via DJI Assistant was simple and only took a few seconds, and the initial firmware update was easy too. It is probably best to read the goggles 'tips' thread first so you will be aware of how this works... might save you a couple of hours. ;

I agree that the weight of the goggles becomes an issue pretty quickly, and that the optics (specifically the lack of any diopter adjustment) can be problematic for glasses wearers, and I think we will be reading more and more about the optical issues as the goggles get into wider distribution. I unfortunately will have to return mine because of this problem.

DJI Goggles Tips

 

[msinger]

It is the P4P Plus model that uses an HDMI connection and doesn't support motion tracking.

I was able to connect mine via a USB cable and head tracking did work. The video had like a 10-second lag though. I'm thinking this is still a work in progress and it will eventually be officially supported after a firmware update.

 

[smiller]

I was able to connect mine via a USB cable and head tracking did work. The video had like a 10-second lag though. I'm thinking this is still a work in progress and it will eventually be officially supported after a firmware update.

That's interesting, latency was very low and motion tracking worked perfectly on mine (used with P4P), in fact I was surprised at how responsive the system was. I wonder why your experience was different?

 

[msinger]

I wonder why your experience was different?

I had no trouble with my P4P remote controller. I was referring to my P4P+ remote controller.

 

[smiller]

I had no trouble with my P4P remote controller. I was referring to my P4P+ remote controller.

Ah, OK. Interesting that the P4P+ worked via USB at all, hopefully there will be a future update that makes it more usable.

 

[msinger]

Yep. I didn't expect it to work. Someone asked about it, so I gave it a shot.

 

[Jason Cole]

The above review is incorrect in that the P4P is capable of a USB connection and does not require an HDMI adapter, and it does fully support head motion tracking. It is the P4P Plus model that uses an HDMI connection and doesn't support motion tracking.

Also activation via DJI Assistant was simple and only took a few seconds, and the initial firmware update was easy too. It is probably best to read the goggles 'tips' thread first so you will be aware of how this works... might save you a couple of hours. ;

I agree that the weight of the goggles becomes an issue pretty quickly, and that the optics (specifically the lack of any diopter adjustment) can be problematic for glasses wearers, and I think we will be reading more and more about the optical issues as the goggles get into wider distribution. I unfortunately will have to return mine because of this problem.

DJI Goggles Tips

Activation would have been simple if it actually worked and DJI had the correct version of the software on the Phantom page and not just on the Mavic page. This took me hours to finally work out "Stumble across" when it should have been done correctly right from the start. I mean why do you even need to activate the Goggles anyways?

In regards to the connection, i spoke to DJI tech support (in chat) and thats what I was told, I needed the HDMI module. I found tech support to be vague at the least.

So with the USB connection, the P4Pro will support Head tracking? and will it support 1080p too?

Thanks for your reply

 

[smiller]

Activation would have been simple if it actually worked and DJI had the correct version of the software on the Phantom page and not just on the Mavic page. This took me hours to finally work out "Stumble across" when it should have been done correctly right from the start. I mean why do you even need to activate the Goggles anyways?

In regards to the connection, i spoke to DJI tech support (in chat) and thats what I was told, I needed the HDMI module. I found tech support to be vague at the least.

So with the USB connection, the P4Pro will support Head tracking? and will it support 1080p too?

Thanks for your reply

As I said, in my case activation and the initial firmware update was effortless, essentially one click. But you do have to know to use the correct (latest) DJI Assistant version and it's true that DJI doesn't always make such things clear. Likewise with DJI Chat support, it is often worse than useless in that the info you receive can be completely wrong. You're better off just asking here in the forum where at least you'll get the correct answer. A sorry state of affairs indeed, but that's the way it is with DJI sometimes.