Selular.ID – Meta continues to develop the Metaverse hardware foundation and this week CEO Mark Zuckerberg showed off several prototypes.
Most of them are designed to test one particular feature that the team deems essential for rendering real VR.
The first prototype was dubbed “Butterscotch” and the focus is on increasing the number of pixels to achieve what the team calls “retina resolution”.
That’s about 60 pixels per degree. The prototype reaches 55px/deg, using 2.5 times more pixels than Quest 2 which covers only half the field of view.
After all, the goal is for the display to be sharp enough to allow users with 20/20 vision to read the smallest letters on the eye test chart.
Also Read: Report: Apple Recruits VR Headset Public Relations Lead from META
Half Dome trying to solve another problem, our eyes change focus when we shift our gaze from a nearby object to a distant object and vice versa.
This prototype uses eye tracking and varifocal optics to give virtual scenes a natural feeling of depth.
Then there is Starburstswhich may be the first VR headset to support HDR.
It’s just a prototype, but as Zuckerberg explains, real-life scenes are often brighter than high-end TVs and screens can display.
The Starburst can hit 20,000 nits of brightness, though consumer devices may settle for a more comfortable 10,000 nits (which is still 10 times brighter than most smartphones).
Also Read: Qualcomm boss reveals 6G will be completed in 2030, while AR and VR are in 4 years
The last prototype shown was Holocake 2a working VR headset that can already handle PC VR games.
This is the thinnest and lightest VR headset Meta has made so far, but the dream is to use holographic lenses, which will further reduce thickness.
Here are four prototypes that Zuckerberg himself demonstrated:
Meta is working on two headset lines, one that will be affordable and aimed at consumers, the other for professionals and will feature cutting-edge technology.
The prototype above will take several years before it is ready to be marketed.
Project Cambria is expected to ship later this year and will offer full color passthrough for an enhanced Augmented Reality experience (Quest only has a black & white camera).
Rumor has it that the Cambria headset will cost about twice as much as the Quest 2 sold for.
–
