Apple and Meta are expected to release mixed reality headsets in the coming year that could finally fulfill the promise of turning head-worn devices into the next big shift in personal computing.
There's a chance that sticker shock could be a problem.
The Meta Quest 2 is the best-selling virtual reality headset and it costs $400. People who want the next- generation technology will have to spend a lot of money.
A high-end headset from Meta is expected to cost at least $800. The device could cost a lot of money. That is a large load for products in a category that is still in its infancy. The number of virtual reality units shipped last year was less than 11 million. Apple sells a lot of phones.
Meta and Apple need to convince consumers that more advanced systems are worth the investment. There is a new technology called passthrough mixed reality that requires better displays and more processing power.
The possibilities for applications and real-world use would be enhanced if passthrough mixed reality works as advertised.
The experience is limited to what is on the headset's display Powerful cameras on the outside of a virtual reality headset send video of the outside world to two or more displays, one each in front of the user's eyes.
Developers can use this to play with mixed reality and graphics on the video of the real world from just outside.
According to believers in mixed reality, we will be able to make a lightweight pair of glasses with transparent lens. That is for the present.
Because optical transparent displays are not ready for prime time, the passthrough approach is the preferred option. Passthrough mixed reality requires a lot of expensive parts and a powerful headset that limits the size of the market.
Passthrough devices need depth sensors that can measure the user's surroundings and take detailed video. They have to monitor the user's eyes so that they don't waste power generating graphics. Powerful processing capabilities and software are needed so that what the user sees isn't delayed or blurred.
The high-resolution screen that is so close to the user's eyes is the most important thing. According to CounterPoint Research, a mixed reality device requires displays with about 3,500PPI to work.
Passthrough mixed reality is supported by a few devices currently on the market. Black and white or low quality video experiences are limited because of a lack of processing power.
A few weeks ago, I was able to try out a headset from Varjo, a company founded by a former Microsoft andNokia executive. Varjo released the XR 3 last year. It costs a lot and is aimed at businesses. To rent it for a year, it costs about 1,500 dollars.
I didn't feel like I was alone with other headsets.
I could access a virtual world with the press of a single button, and I could play games that took over my field of view. I could use virtual computer monitors.
I was able to communicate with the world around me through Varjo. Varjo put a life-size car model in the demo. I was able to talk to someone who wasn't wearing a virtual reality headset about what I was seeing.
When passthrough was turned on, I was able to interact with the environment around me and carry on a conversation with a person next to me. It is not possible with existing virtual reality technology to remove yourself from the real world.
Konttori said that was his main goal. He calls it the "holy grail" of mixed reality because of the company's desire to almost mimic "human-eye" display quality.
The company uses eye tracking to focus its processing power to deliver better image quality where you're looking.
Konttori said that the key was merging the physical reality around you with the virtual reality objects and making it into a single coherent scene. The fidelity of this experience is equal to what you would see if you looked at it from a different perspective.
You have to tether yourself to a powerful gaming PC to use the XR3. Meta and Apple are working on devices that don't need to be attached to a computer. Konttori knows that it will be difficult for his startup to compete with some of the biggest tech companies in the world.
When it comes to keeping costs down and shipping millions of them, it is very difficult to develop a consumer friendly product with the right weight and power consumption.
Konttori said that companies are focused on consumer-alike experiences, which means that they are still driven by the size, weight, ergonomics and cost.
An attendee wears a HTC Corp. Vive virtual reality (VR) headset during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Jose, California, U.S., on Monday, June 5, 2017.When it comes to new categories, Apple is extremely secretive. The company has invested a lot of money in virtual reality research and development.
According to reports from The Information, Apple is developing a mixed reality headset that looks like ski goggles, similar to what powers its MacBook laptops, and higher-resolution displays than what is currently on the market.
Passthrough video and games will be supported by the headset. The Information reported that at one point, Apple was hoping for a resolution similar to a 4K TV per eye for its first headset.
Apple hasn't confirmed its plans to release a mixed reality headset, and the company didn't reply to a request for comment Tim Cook suggested in an interview with Chinese media that something was in the works.
The project is scheduled to be released later this year, according to Meta. It looks like a pair of ski goggles based on the images that have been made public. There is a type of lens that doesn't need to be adjusted as much.
In May, Meta said that the price for Cambria would be much higher.
Metaverse developers are behind passthrough technology because it will be expensive once it hits the market. The optical-based mixed reality uses transparent displays to integrate computer graphics with the actual world. Magic Leap and Microsoft's holograms use transparent displays.
They have their own set of challenges. Poor image quality and blurry text can affect the current offerings.
Konttori says passthrough is the better approach because it puts more control in the hands of developers.
Konttori said that it would become computable. It becomes a tool for artificial intelligence to be involved in your world, enhancing your view or your intelligence, and you can distort the world in the tiniest ways possible.
Passthrough is expected to be the winning approach for a long time.
Mixed reality gaming is the future of entertainment.
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