Avegant’s virtual reality headset Glyph features a visually stunning, immersive, 3D retinal display. The $499 Glyph does not have a screen like many of its competitors, including the Oculus Rift. Instead, it uses a projection method emitting light from a low-power LED that reflects light on both eyes’ retinas with lenses and about two million mirrors, so as not to cause eye fatigue. While many people are impressed, there are concerns regarding the headset’s size and cost.

In a test drive of the Glyph, MIT Technology Review contributor Rachel Metz was impressed by its ability to mimic depth, the way it can be adjusted to a user’s eyesight, and the crisp, vivid imagery. “I’m floored to see the images in front of me quite clearly without my specs, which I normally wear for pretty much everything,” Metz writes.

The weight and size of the Glyph were a couple of Metz’s concerns, noting its weight would sometimes cause it to slip off her head. And while she wouldn’t mind wearing it on a long flight, she says she’d “have a hard time convincing” herself to wear it on public transportation.

The Glyph’s biggest challenge, however, is that “it still has to convince consumers that it’s worth paying $499 for. This will be a lot harder than any of the technical or stylistic challenges the company faces.”

One of the Glyph’s key features is its ability to stream videos and games via HDMI. So images streaming on laptops, tablets and even smartphones can be projected as the equivalent of an 80-inch screen with the Glyph.

According to Technology Review, almost 1,500 people have committed to the Glyph’s $499 price tag via Kickstarter funding. Avegant plans to ship the VR headset to backers in December, the article says.