While there isn't as much hype for virtual reality (VR) these days, companies have continued to develop them over the years. Having acquired Oculus a few years back, Facebook is one of the companies doing so and has unveiled a new proof-of-concept VR device that's much smaller than the bulky headsets we normally see.
Developed by Facebook Reality Labs (FRL), the new VR device looks more like a large and slightly awkward pair of sunglasses. Normally, wearable eyewear of this size tend to be AR glasses, but it's a full-blown VR device instead. Facebook says that it used two types of technologies to make the device this compact: Holographic optics and polarization-based optical folding.
As you can see, FRL's approach results in a thinner lens
Combining the two technologies resulted in displays that are less than 9mm in thickness, yet with a field of view (FOV) that's comparable to many typical VR headsets. However, based on the demo video that Facebook released, it's only able to display green pixels and full-colour gamut is still being worked on.
Of course, this is just a proof-of-concept so that people know the idea works. It's definitely an exciting concept, but there's no telling if or when Facebook will be able to make an actual consumer product with the technology. Having said that, what are your thought on this device? Let us know on our Facebook page and stay tuned to TechNave.com for more news like this.
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