Panasonic unveiled its own VR glasses
The once much-talked-about novelty Oculus Rift has already become a thing of the past: 4 years have passed since its release, and users have even got used to massive VR-glasses, which cover almost half of the face, like ski fans do. The device is quite heavy, so it is not always comfortable to use, especially for a long time.
Novelty from Panasonic
Panasonic company specialists have created brand new virtual reality glasses which are much smaller than usual. Modern technologies allow putting all the necessary electronics into a small frame, but the technique is far from perfect and glasses became smaller but didn’t become as small and neat as, for example, sunglasses. What did Panasonic succeed? Let’s have a closer look.
Headset review
The company plans to make the new technology more or less mass-market, the new VR glasses are designed for wide use by gamers and gaming clubs, so most likely the company will try to make the cost of the accessory affordable. The company presented a prototype of the modern headset at the CES 2020 electronics show, but since then there have been changes, we can say for the better.
Appearance
The headset received an original style solution: it is made in the style of steampunk, something reminiscent of vintage welder’s glasses. The main features:
- Panasonic unveiled a prototype of its own VR glasses with an unusual design
- Conveniently the earpiece is hidden, it runs along the wishbone of the glasses, but can be adjusted for size, as the wire is free in length, but will not dangle. The device is put on like regular glasses, it does not have any additional straps like earlier bulky models. Its weight is significantly less.
- The development was obtained through the joint work of Panasonic and the famous American company Kopin Corporation. It was the latter that produced OLED panels for the headset, which have a resolution of 3840×2160, the diagonal of the screens at the same time is only 1 inch. With high resolution and miniature size of the display, the creators intend to achieve the most clear and realistic picture for the user. This will also get rid of the grid effect, inherent in most similar devices. The user will no longer notice the lines between the pixels due to their closer proximity to each other.
- Another interesting feature was the support for HDR. The glasses got a speaker system from Technics. For people with low vision, a great addition was the ability to change the lenses. You can insert prescription lenses into the device and enjoy the game without the discomfort and the need to wear glasses or contact lenses. The VR headset frame, as mentioned, is compact and locks in place like regular glasses.
Opinions
Columnist The Verge has already shared his opinion on the new product from Panasonic. He notes that the glasses have a square field of view, and it is smaller than in the usual large headsets. Among the disadvantages of the novelty he referred its slipping off while moving actively and trying to look down. Another inconvenience is that you will need to connect the device to your computer with wires, which interfere with the game.
On the plus side, the reviewer considered good image quality and the ability to customize the headset. However, we should not forget that the first models of headsets, for example, from Oculus, which caused a furor in its time, had a low resolution – only 800×640 – and were held on the adhesive tape. Panasonic is announcing a trial version, so it’s very likely. Before widespread sales, the device will undergo more than one refinement, and the flaws will be corrected. The company has already started work on a new version of the VR headset. This product was also presented at CES, but so far only as a mock-up.
