Virtual Reality

Panasonic's compact, HDR-capable VR goggles actually look kinda cool

Panasonic's compact, HDR-capable VR goggles actually look kinda cool
Panasonic has demonstrated a set of lightweight, UHD VR goggles, that actually look pretty neat
Panasonic has demonstrated a set of lightweight, UHD VR goggles, that actually look pretty neat
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Let's get these into product form before we start looking at color options shall we
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Let's get these into product form before we start looking at color options shall we
Ultra high-def, HDR-capable screens in the eye cups, magnetic fluid dynamic driver earphones at the back
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Ultra high-def, HDR-capable screens in the eye cups, magnetic fluid dynamic driver earphones at the back
Panasonic has demonstrated a set of lightweight, UHD VR goggles, that actually look pretty neat
3/3
Panasonic has demonstrated a set of lightweight, UHD VR goggles, that actually look pretty neat
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Home VR is going to hit the mainstream big time this decade, and personally I can't wait. If you're yet to experience the insane ability this rising technology has to fully immerse you in a different time and place, you're in for a treat. And if the giant, chunky facemasks you're seeing in current-gen systems like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift are a bit of a turn-off, Panasonic's got the antidote for you.

These prototype VR specs are a set of digital John Lennon glasses, with eye cups and solid frame arms heading back to a set of earbuds. They look far less bulky and cumbersome than what you're used to seeing, and they don't require you to mess up your 'do with a headband, but they still deliver UltraHD (at least 4K) resolution, enough to eliminate the "screen door" effect you can get on lower-resolution glasses.

They're also, Panasonic claims, the "world's first High Dynamic Range capable VR eyeglasses." HDR (High Dynamic Range) in a display sense is kind of the opposite to what it means in photography. An HDR photo tends to brighten the shadows and darken the highlights to give you massive amounts of detail in areas of a photo that are usually blown out or too dark to see. But an HDR display, given content with the appropriate bitrate and color space, can blacken your blacks and brighten your whites to give you massive contrast without losing details in the bright or dark bits.

Ultra high-def, HDR-capable screens in the eye cups, magnetic fluid dynamic driver earphones at the back
Ultra high-def, HDR-capable screens in the eye cups, magnetic fluid dynamic driver earphones at the back

These are just prototypes at this point, but they also appear to be wireless, which is another thing that's more or less got to happen before home VR takes off and becomes popular in our opinion – the wireless, PC-free Oculus Quest is probably the closest thing on the market that's up and running right now.

Panasonic says it's continuing to develop this tech and other VR gear to be ready when the wave of 5G ultra-fast internet finally begins to break, opening up the ability to stream vast amounts of VR data from sports matches, virtual holiday experiences, and other forms of entertainment including games. It can't happen fast enough for us.

Source: Panasonic

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5 comments
5 comments
Kwetla
It's worth pointing out that these will only be 3 degrees of freedom in tracking your head, compared to the 6 DoF of the Quest, Rift, Vive etc.
guzmanchinky
I can't wait until this becomes commonplace. I've had a Vive from the beginning and love it, but would love it even more without cables and clunkiness and better resolution...
PTB
Would LOVE to see this as a DJI drone controller!
Bob Flint
Definitely going in the right direction, swap out the front covers for variable darkening, & you'd go from fun, to sun, to welding if you wanted.
foxpup
If you are overweight and balding and start wearing these, you are going to look like Dr. Robotnick. You may as go all out and grow a big long mustache to complete the look. It looks like the glasses won't get in the way. :-) I'm looking forward to this kind of form factor but this isn't the final iteration. More sensors will be added I'm sure. It may be wireless 5g for telemetry/audio/video but will still need to be tethered to a battery or a large battery could be placed behind the neck as a counterbalance to the goggles. Alas there is no feasable power beaming technology. (or is there? The system knows exactly where it is relative to any light houses there may be or any other static point so it wouldknwo where to aim. Powerful light beams could be projected onto the headgear and it could collect that energy. It might work as long as its waveltegth doesn't fight with the tracking system. - Talk about looking even more wierd, probably so wierd that it would be cool :-) )