Breaking out of its normal camera business, Nikon this morning unveiled its unique Media Port UP300x media player. The device mounts a video eyepiece on headphones that supplies a 640x480 picture equivalent to a 50-inch screen viewed from 10 feet away. The unusual trick lets owners watch MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and WMV videos while on foot, on public transit or other areas where users want large-screened video without access to a regular TV. It also builds in 802.11g Wi-Fi and supports not just web browsing with Flash and Javascript but also buying music and video directly from an online store.

The optics maker claims to have eliminated the problem of controlling an out-of-view device by using motion sensing on its flagship model; owners can rotate their head to change volume or navigate content.

The eyepiece rotates upwards when not in use and turns the new Media Port device into an audio player with support for AAC, MP3 and WMA tracks. The comparatively small size of the UP300x leaves battery power to either two AA batteries (alkaline or NiMH) or three (lithium), either of which generates about two hours of video and 4.5 hours of music.

Nikon makes clear that it so far has plans to launch the media player only in its native Japan, where an 8GB version should ship for the equivalent of $677. A 4GB version without the motion controls, known just as the UP300, is also due at the same time and will appear for $485. [viaImpress]