Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has demonstrated a new virtual reality headgear that the firm plans to launch later this year, but he hasn’t let users see the latest technology in action yet. When the firm changed its name from Facebook to Meta in October, Zuckerberg shared a video using “Project Cambria,” a premium VR gear. The video shows the Cambria headset’s display from Zuckerberg’s perspective, despite the actual Cambria headgear being pixelated out in it.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has displayed virtual reality (VR) headgear prototypes to demonstrate how the business is challenging rivals in the battle to make immersive experiences increasingly realistic for people. By creating new hardware, Meta is attempting to overcome the difficulties still faced by the VR industry under the Reality Labs division. The prototypes demonstrate how they function while also showing that a fully functional headgear capable of transporting us to a virtual world that is just as lifelike as its physical counterpart has yet to be created.
Zuckerberg demonstrated four new Virtual reality headset prototypes being created for research in a one-and-a-half-minute video that was broadcasted on Facebook and Instagram. He refers to the experience as “mixed reality” since the headset incorporates the surrounding environment into the display. In the video, he plays with a small cartoon character, sets up a virtual simulation, and beams a virtual fitness trainer into the space.
Butterscotch is the codename for the first VR headset in the series. It claims to enable users to see the smallest characters on a virtual vision chart easily and aims to give a near retinal resolution. This fixes the issue of providing a resolution that comes near to Meta’s standard for a human retina, which is 60 pixels per degree.
The headgear does not, however, achieve complete realism when it comes to the virtual environment. As a result, Meta has created its Half Dome prototypes. According to Zuckerberg, the Half Dome prototypes from Meta enable users to focus on any item at any distance. This is made possible via eye-tracking technology and varifocal lenses, which allow the device to concentrate on an object based on the user’s preference in a virtual environment. Half Dome prototypes, however, are not yet ready to be sold commercially, just like Butterscotch.
Starburst is the code name of Meta’s Reality Labs’ next prototype. It is envisioned as an HDR Virtual Reality system. The headset is far from a standard VR headset, though, as it is fairly heavy to handle and equipped with parts like outside fans. However, Zuckerberg claims that integrating all the technologies under investigation into a gadget that is “thinner and lighter than anything else that currently exists” is the aim of testing prototypes, including Starburst.
Holocake 2 has made progress in that regard. It is a “functioning experimental device” with holographic displays that allows users to play PC VR games without the need for additional gear. The headset is not, however, intended for commercial use.
The Quest 2 is currently Meta’s most recent commercial VR headset. However, that model is missing the features and improvements that the Menlo Park, California-based startup, plans to add to improve its VR products. Therefore, continuous prototyping is expected to contribute to the creation of improved hardware in the near future.
Meta is working to develop hardware and software to come into the market for professional-grade solutions in addition to creating VR experiences for consumers. The company is anticipated to benefit on that front by testing various prototypes.
