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Flying the Breeze drone just got, well, breezy with a new controller and goggles

By Hillary K. Grigonis December 7, 2016

yuneec breeze adds googles fpv controller — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Yuneec’s portable selfie drone, the Breeze, now offers a first-person look at the flight and physical flight controls. On Tuesday, Yuneec International announced the Breeze First-Person View Controller and goggles, an optional upgrade from the drone’s original app-based flight controls.

Breeze FPV Headset (PRNewsFoto/Yuneec International) — Yuneec International

A smartphone slides into the goggles, offering a view from the Breeze’s onboard 4K camera. The video-game-like controller pairs with that smartphone via Bluetooth, allowing users to control the drone with joysticks while watching the flight through the goggles.

Yuneec, a California-based company, says that the new goggles help create an immersive and uninterrupted experience flying the Breeze. Along with the first-person view mode, users can also place the smartphone in the cradle on top of the controller.

The Breeze ships without a controller — users instead control the drone with an app. While Digital Trends reviewer Drew Prindle said the Yunnec app is one of the best he’s tried, the touchscreen format isn’t as precise as physical controls. Now, Breeze pilots who want that enhanced physical control can get a more fine-tuned flight with the controller and goggle combo.

“At Yuneec, our engineers are always pushing the envelope to develop creative solutions that deliver the best experience for the consumer,” Yu Tian, chief executive officer of Yuneec International, said in a press release. “The Breeze FPV controller enhances the flying experience for Yuneec pilots by literally putting them in the driver’s seat of their drone. While operating the Breeze, they’ll have more confidence, greater perspective, and more creative possibilities at their disposal.”

The goggles can accommodate both iOS and Android phones measuring between 4.7 and 6 inches, offering a 110-degree field of view from the drone’s camera with pupil distance adjustment available. The drone sends 720p video to the goggles via Bluetooth.

The controller works within 100 meters, or 328 feet, of the drone.

The controller and goggle add-on lists for $70 and will be available directly from Yuneec as well as from selected Breeze retailers.

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