In a recent short video clip, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled technologies for at least four prototypes of the brand’s currently working VR headphones, which could be translated into a consumer product later this year. The developments are expected to improve the current specifications of the Oculus Quest 2 headphones and offer a preview of where things are going. The four prototypes focus on things like resolving issues related to resolution, focal depth, optical distortion and HDR. It is clear that each of these is not intended to be stand-alone products, but are experiments that target specific technologies in development, although Zuckerberg ends his video with the original HoloCake 2, which combines these technologies into a lightweight holographic format. displays. Starting with the first demo, the original “Butterscotch”, the focus is on analysis. Meta aims to achieve 20/20 vision with the relevant headphone screen. The idea is to allow users to read the smallest letters in an eye test chart. The original technology for this is called “retinal analysis,” said Zuckerberg, which “means an increase to 60 pixels per degree.” As NotebookCheck notes, this would have 2.5 times the pixel density at half the field of view of current Quest 2. Quest 2 supports 20/60 vision, by comparison. The focal depth prototype aims to explain how eyes can be removed from focusing objects in VR. The original technology is called “Half Dome”, which uses optical eye tracking and varifocal optics to provide a greater sense of depth from any distance. Zuckerberg notes that unlike a traditional screen, “in VR and AR, you have to be able to focus on things that are very close and very far from you.” Zuckerberg also noted that visual distortion is a problem that needs to be corrected and requires a solution that is “invisible to the human eye.” Finally, with the original HDR, Zuckerberg introduced the “Starburst”, which he calls the first known HDR VR system. Zuckerberg notes that nature is 10 or even 100 times brighter than our modern televisions and screens, which is why Meta created Starburst. Zuckerberg says it can reach up to 20,000 nits of brightness. Combined with the other prototypes, Starburst technology is included in the Holocake 2 headset. The headset is a functional prototype that can “already play PC VR experiences,” Zuckerberg said. These details are the first strong news for Meta VR hardware since October, when it first introduced the Butterscotch 20/20 vision prototype, UploadVR noted. Long-term rumors suggest that Meta is developing a VR headset that is currently known as “Project Cambria”. The news about the headphones appeared last year, but it was difficult to determine exactly what function the device might have, according to NotebookCheck. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that the handset could be an Oculus Quest 2 Pro model, suggesting that it may not focus on games. Meta did not disclose any material at its Quest Gaming Showcase 2022 virtual event in April, however, commenting on the state of the metaverse and that it is still an ongoing project. “We believe that metaverse will build on this foundation to become the next generation of the Internet and the next development in social technology,” said Ruth Bram, executive producer of Meta. “Both the hardware and the software need more work and it may take five to 10 years to fully bring it to life.” Zuckerberg made a similar statement about the development of Meta’s original VR technology. “There is still a long way to go, but I’m excited to bring all this technology to our products in the years to come,” he said.
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