VR.cam 02 webcam review: a great budget option for live streaming VR in 2024

01.03.2024

The VR.cam team are an up and coming VR company based in France, made up of an technical team with plenty of experience in live streaming and broadcast. Their aim is to offer good quality VR streaming at an affordable price. This is the follow-up to the previous model, the VR.cam 01 (out of stock), but this new camera is geared more toward the public sector and mainstream entertainment, such as live events, concerts and theatrical productions. Does it succeed?

Performance

This camera uses VR180 rather than 360, meaning it’s designed for a particular type of VR experience that involves looking ahead, rather than behind. The 4K resolution isn’t up there with the Canon EOS 8K quality, but for the price it’s pretty impressive.

As you’d expect, it isn’t great in low-light conditions, so it’s better used for daytime activities, with plenty of natural light, unless you have a good lighting set-up for indoor evening events.

It’s particularly good for vlogging. You can set it up on your desk, plug into your computer and vlog away in VR to your heart's content.

Sample video:

Design and build quality

The VR.cam 02 is a 4k binocular USB-C webcam camera, with a resolution of 3840×1920 @ 30FPS. It consists of two wide-angle fish-eye lenses, to capture a 180 degree view. The design is clean and simple, with no extra frills.

It’s nice and lightweight, coming in at just 63g. It’s 40mm high, 92mm wide and 24mm deep, making it portable if required, plus it won’t take up too much space on your desk.

You plug it in via USB-C and it simply works. No need to install any software. Also, there’s no external power supply, so make sure your laptop is fully charged.

The IPD is 63mm which is fine for most VR, although many users prefer a 65mm distance.

We’re aware of an issue where in some conditions, such as low-light or complex textures, the mjpeg compression process can produce unsightly artefacts. In which case, the user should reduce the resolution to 3600×1800 or 3408×1704.

Ideal usage scenarios:

Vlogging from home
Nature scenes, eg a bird’s nest outside your window, or a mountain view
Work presentations - deliver a presentation in VR for added impact
Live stream from multiple perspectives with two or three cameras

Price and Value for Money

The low price of $200 is a major selling point, and could be a great route into VR for many people, especially if you want to start simple by vlogging from home, or capturing scenes in nature.

At the same time, this means the VR.cam 02 is a pretty simple device. There’s no LED screen or way to attach an external power supply, but that’s to be expected. The 4K video quality is fine for live streaming, and while the 30FPS framerate is at the low end for VR, it should be acceptable for most intended purposes.

It might be no frills, but it does come with a 2-metre USB-A to USB-C cable, plus a tripod.

How to live stream with the VR.cam 02

You can follow the instructions in this guide to using the free and open-source software OBS (Open Broadcaster Software), or the instructions on the VR.cam site from the How To page.

Top tip: You can live stream from multiple perspectives by using two or more VR.cam 02 webcams.

Technical Specifications

Visuals: 4k (up to 3840×1920 @ 30fps)
Single lens Image: (up to 1600×896@ 30fps)
Fisheye SBS lenses
IPD (Interpupillary Distance): 63 mm
Video: VR180 MJPEG SBS
USB-C Plug & Play
Built-in mic: Stereo, dual omni-directional
FOV: 160°
Cable length: 2 m (USB 2.0)
Tripod (205mm x 40mm x 55mm, 129g)
Webcam Dimensions

Height: 40 mm
Width: 92 mm
Depth: 24 mm
Weight: 63 g

Compatibility

Windows 8 or later (Windows 8.1 or higher required for resolutions greater than 1080p).
macO S: 10.10 or later
ChromeOS Version 29 and later
Android 14
2 GB RAM or more needed for 1080p video streaming (1GB for streaming 720p)
One USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 port (4K recording and streaming requires a USB 3.0 port and compatible third-party software)

Verdict

Pros

Very affordable for what it offers
Easy to use - just plug and play
Works with DeoVR via the OBS streaming protocol
Allows you to live stream from multiple perspectives, offering a unique experience for your viewers

Cons

Poor performance in low-light conditions
Low resolution and framerate compared to modern VR standards
No external power pack reduces portability

Final word

The VR.cam 02 isn’t perfect, but it’s a great option for a newcomer to VR, especially if your only aim is to live-stream content to viewers. It’s a smart and easy-to-use device for influencers and should prove popular following the huge media attention of the Apple Vision Pro.

The visual quality might not win any awards, maxing out at 4K and a 30FPS framerate, but it’s good enough for live-streaming VR in 2024.

More importantly, it works well with DeoVR and you can be up and live streaming in a matter of minutes. Ultimately, the VR.cam 02 is a great way into the world of filming VR without breaking the bank. If you like the results, then it’s worth upgrading to a higher-quality camera, such as the Canon R5C or even the mid-priced CalfVR.