Initial Impressions

After looking at pictures of the ORQA FPV.One goggles over the last several months, finally getting a pair in my hands has been an experience. It’s not very often that something that started out on Facebook in October of 2018 makes it full circle to production in the FPV community. These goggles could have very easily been vaporware. It’s a testament to the tenacity of the ORQA team that they stuck by their product and made it through to production and shipping.

Internal Computer

The ORQA FPV.One goggles have a powerful internal computer that drives the whole system. Currently, that system isn’t overly taxed with the job that it performs, giving the system headroom. The team at ORQA plan on using that headroom to add additional modules to expand the capability and function of the system as new technology comes out. The first in that expansion plan is the FPV.Connect, a module that will link up your goggles to your mobile phone. This will allow you to access your DVR recordings, play and share them. It will also allow you to update the firmware of your goggles wirelessly. You can even go live on social media, broadcasting your goggle feed directly to platforms like YouTube and Facebook. Being able to add functionality to your goggles instead of having to upgrade them gives them a MUCH longer life cycle.

Design and Ergonomics

The design of the ORQA FPV.One goggles is definitely unique. They have gone well away from the rounded nature of most brands of FPV goggle, and instead opted for the straight line and angular look of stealth airplanes. When I first saw them, they reminded me very specifically of the F-117 Nighthawk.

The foam is very thick and sits against the face nicely, sealing out most light. I did have a very small amount of light leak around the nose area, but nothing that I noticed under flying conditions. They are extremely comfortable, with no pinch points or areas of pressure when on. One thing I would like to see here though is a Velcro type system for changing out pads. Currently they are adhered only with double sided tape. According to the r/OrqaFPV thread over at reddit, these are currently in the works at ORQA HQ.

On the left temple beneath the cover are the ports for headphones and the built in head tracker. On the right temple is the power connector. Also, underneath the cover is the AV-in port if you prefer to use a ground station, as well as a micro-HDMI port.

On the inside of the goggles, above the left optic, is where the microSD memory card slot is found. If you’re looking to take advantage of the ORQA’s excellent DVR, toss a card in here! Above the right optic is a light sensor that can see when the goggles are up against your face. With the correct setting within the menu, this will automatically put the goggles in standby mode when the goggles are removed from your face.

Interpupillary Distance (IPD)

Interpupillary distance is the measurement between the center of the pupils in each eye. This distance differs from person to person. When using something like FPV goggles, getting this wrong means the optics are not centered on the pupils, creating distortion in the image. To correct this, FPV googles have incorporated IPD adjustments. The ORQA FPV.One has wheels on the underside that adjust the IPD from 56 – 74mm. With the exception of the new Fatshark HDO2 FPV googles, this is the largest range available, which has quite a few people excited about them.

Furthermore, the ORQA’s allow for diopters to be installed. This allows the pilot to modify the goggles to their specific prescription.