Nice overview.
If only you could combine the best things about the Quest 2 (wireless + wired), Reverb G2 (sensational resolution / clarity) and Index (controllers).
We're getting there tho.
If only you could combine the best things about the Quest 2 (wireless + wired), Reverb G2 (sensational resolution / clarity) and Index (controllers).
We're getting there tho.
I've been on an accidental next-gen VR info binge these past few days thanks to the almighty YT algorithm and the future is looking bright. Both figuratively and literally. OLED microdisplays, considerably smaller in size and supposedly much higher in brightness, are set to replace the LCD panels currently used in most consumer VR headsets. We're going back to OLED m8s, and soon.
These have been in the works and demoed for years and I guess the time is finally ripe. The main problem to solve for VR use isn't so much the display tech itself (4k x 4k resolution is already a thing), but rather the highly specialized lenses that are needed to embiggen and project the image into your eyeballs. Either by reflecting / reprojecting at an angle or with advanced pancake lenses, which will hopefully lead to slimmer headsets.
It would appear that the big players in VR space are now able to source these microdisplays and lenses in sufficient quantities and at low enough cost, because if the people who are obsessively combing through VR patents and firmware & kernel updates have it right ... at least Valve's Index 2 aka Deckard is going to feature OLED microdisplays ... and it's now looking likely that PSVR 2 will as well. Maybe.
Tracking is the other ever-evolving VR tech. As far as positional and controller tracking, everyone is gonna be doing inside out. Valve are kinda sticking with their lighthouse tech, only they're moving it onto the headset itself. Oculus is putting cameras and silicon running basic Android into the controllers (goodbye battery life?), which will be able to track themselves and do it better, like when positioned behind your back.
Eye tracking / foveated rendering is also on its way to become a standard feature. Sony is supposedly working on IR-based eye tracking with emitters and receivers that are integrated directly onto the OLED microdisplay, something they've shown and published papers about. 2000 x 2040 resolution keeps coming up in regards to PSVR 2 (apparently it was quoted to developers at some Sony conference) and nerds are speculating that the pixels that are missing to form a 2048 x 2048 OLED microdisplay is space reserved for those IR diodes / sensors.
So to recap and guesstimate ...
Oculus Quest 2 Plus:
- likely to be announced at Oculus Connect later this month
- dual-layer LCD display, same specs as the current Quest 2 display
- eye tracking of some sort
- same Snapdragon XR2 processor as Quest 2
- possibly new controllers / tracking (see below)
Oculus Quest Pro:
- unlikely to be announced at Oculus Connect, but supposedly a 2022 product
- either OLED microdisplays (2k x 2k @ 90hz rumoured) or a dual-layer LCD screen
- 7 cameras on the headset compared to the 4 on the Quest 2; a pair of cameras for upper face tracking, 2 for lower face tracking, 2 infrared ones and a 4k 120hz color camera for passthrough
- controllers without halo tacking rings, 3 cameras per controller, tracking processing done (partly) in the controllers
- extra fan to keep it cool
Valve Deckard:
- OLED microdisplays
- lighthouse-like inside out tracking
- standalone headset, also capable of doing PCVR
- something called 'VRLink', which quite obviously points to PC wireless connectivity
- lots of crazy patent-derived tech like varifocal lenses, eye and head tracking for predictive rendering
PSVR 2:
- OLED microdisplays (highly speculative at this point)
- eye tracking of some sort
- whatever Sony already told us about
Not gonna lie, I'm kinda glad I didn't get a Quest 2.
These have been in the works and demoed for years and I guess the time is finally ripe. The main problem to solve for VR use isn't so much the display tech itself (4k x 4k resolution is already a thing), but rather the highly specialized lenses that are needed to embiggen and project the image into your eyeballs. Either by reflecting / reprojecting at an angle or with advanced pancake lenses, which will hopefully lead to slimmer headsets.
It would appear that the big players in VR space are now able to source these microdisplays and lenses in sufficient quantities and at low enough cost, because if the people who are obsessively combing through VR patents and firmware & kernel updates have it right ... at least Valve's Index 2 aka Deckard is going to feature OLED microdisplays ... and it's now looking likely that PSVR 2 will as well. Maybe.
Tracking is the other ever-evolving VR tech. As far as positional and controller tracking, everyone is gonna be doing inside out. Valve are kinda sticking with their lighthouse tech, only they're moving it onto the headset itself. Oculus is putting cameras and silicon running basic Android into the controllers (goodbye battery life?), which will be able to track themselves and do it better, like when positioned behind your back.
Eye tracking / foveated rendering is also on its way to become a standard feature. Sony is supposedly working on IR-based eye tracking with emitters and receivers that are integrated directly onto the OLED microdisplay, something they've shown and published papers about. 2000 x 2040 resolution keeps coming up in regards to PSVR 2 (apparently it was quoted to developers at some Sony conference) and nerds are speculating that the pixels that are missing to form a 2048 x 2048 OLED microdisplay is space reserved for those IR diodes / sensors.
So to recap and guesstimate ...
Oculus Quest 2 Plus:
- likely to be announced at Oculus Connect later this month
- dual-layer LCD display, same specs as the current Quest 2 display
- eye tracking of some sort
- same Snapdragon XR2 processor as Quest 2
- possibly new controllers / tracking (see below)
Oculus Quest Pro:
- unlikely to be announced at Oculus Connect, but supposedly a 2022 product
- either OLED microdisplays (2k x 2k @ 90hz rumoured) or a dual-layer LCD screen
- 7 cameras on the headset compared to the 4 on the Quest 2; a pair of cameras for upper face tracking, 2 for lower face tracking, 2 infrared ones and a 4k 120hz color camera for passthrough
- controllers without halo tacking rings, 3 cameras per controller, tracking processing done (partly) in the controllers
- extra fan to keep it cool
Valve Deckard:
- OLED microdisplays
- lighthouse-like inside out tracking
- standalone headset, also capable of doing PCVR
- something called 'VRLink', which quite obviously points to PC wireless connectivity
- lots of crazy patent-derived tech like varifocal lenses, eye and head tracking for predictive rendering
PSVR 2:
- OLED microdisplays (highly speculative at this point)
- eye tracking of some sort
- whatever Sony already told us about
Not gonna lie, I'm kinda glad I didn't get a Quest 2.
By Diego! Go To PostWonder what category of porn she is watching
Don't these require headphones?
There's headphones in it
They're probably shit though. Especially if you want to watch big mommy milkers in your face
Lone Echo 2 is out now. Its the final "Rift exclusive" game. Although it will probably come out on a Quest like device when they have the graphical capability.