The industrial trend of the metacosm has "blown" from 2021 to 2022, which was vividly demonstrated at the CES2022 exhibition, the global new consumer electronics development vane. International consumer electronics brands such as Sony, Panasonic, LG Display (LGD), TCL, and upstream and downstream companies in the industrial chain such as Qualcomm, Microsoft, and Canon have all displayed related products and solutions around VR and AR.
Blockbuster products followed
At this exhibition, the new products related to the meta-universe can be described as a lot of color, Sony released the PS VR2 headset, Panasonic subsidiary Shiftall launched a lightweight 6DoF C-end VR headset MeganeX, and TCL launched a new generation of wearable display glasses - NxtWear Air.
Following the launch of the original PLAYSTATION VR (PS VR) in 2016, Sony was silent for five years. During CES2022, Sony finally announced the PS VR2 headset and the new sense controller that accompanies it. The gamer's long-awaited PS VR2 is also a flagship configuration. According to the information disclosed by Sony, in the display device part, PSVR2 uses an OLED screen, supports 4K HDR, has a resolution of 2000 * 4000, 110 degree field of view and fixation rendering, and a refresh rate of 90 Hz / 120 Hz; In terms of control and perception, the PS VR2 is equipped with the latest eye tracking, headset feedback, and 3D sound.
Sony revealed that the PS VR2 is capable of detecting eye movements, "a simple glance in a specific direction can input a command in the game." The headset will use fixation point rendering technology, which enables the headset to perform high-detail rendering only for the center of the user's field of view when running the eye tracking function, so as to reduce the consumption of computing power while presenting the details of the virtual scene. In addition, players can connect PS5 and PS VR2 via a data cable connection and immediately enter the VR world.
According to the configuration and functions disclosed by Sony, PS VR2 has greatly improved its functions and configurations compared with the original product, and the technical combination of "one line + eye tracking + fixation rendering" is also very exciting, but Sony has not yet announced the price and official release time of PS VR2. If the price can be more affordable, it can compete with the Oculus Quest2, and the increase in PS VR2 sales will help improve the virtuous circle of the software ecology.
Another Japanese company, Shiftall (a subsidiary of Panasonic), launched the lightweight 6DoF C-side VR headset MeganeX. According to the disclosed information, this product is equipped with a 1.3-inch OLED screen, monocular resolution of 2560 * 2560, refresh rate of 120Hz, built-in speakers, and a weight of about 250g. MeganeX is scheduled to go on sale in the spring of 2022 and will sell for about $900.
During CES2022, Chinese company TCL demonstrated the second generation of wearable display glasses - NxtWear Air. The NxtWear Air is 30 percent lighter than the first-generation version, from 130 grams to 75 grams, and looks more like a pair of ordinary sunglasses. On the display configuration, NxtWear Air embeds two 1080p miniature OLEDs in the glasses frame, which is equivalent to the wearer seeing a 140-inch screen about 13 feet away. Users can use USB-C to connect glasses to a mobile phone, tablet or laptop. TCL revealed that NxtWear Air will launch in the first quarter of 2022, but did not disclose the region and price of the sale.
VR peripheral products are more abundant
During CES2022, not only did manufacturers release new VR and AR headsets, but some manufacturers rubbed on the "meta-universe" heat and displayed immersive sports equipment and VR social platforms based on their main business.
Display manufacturer LG Display (LGD) demonstrated the Virtual Ride, a fitness and entertainment-in-one fitness ride at CES2022. According to LGD, this indoor fitness device is made up of three 55-inch OLED large-size screens spliced together, the screen curvature radius reaches 1500R, built-in cinema-grade sound OLED (CSO) technology, and the screen is combined with sports cycling equipment to allow users to experience a real immersion like riding outdoors.
Canon launched camera-driven VR social platform Kokomo during CES2022. At CES, Canon demonstrated Kokomo applications with the help of Canon RF5.2mm f/2.8L Pisces Eye lenses. According to Canon, through the Kokomo software platform, users can use compatible Canon cameras, VR headsets and compatible smartphones to conduct "virtual meetings" with friends and family, Kokomo will use Canon cameras and its imaging technology to restore the real scene of "meeting" both users, giving users a sense of immersion in face-to-face conversations, Canon expects the software to be expected to be available in 2022.
In addition, during CES2022, the upstream enterprises of the XR industry chain have also made frequent moves, displaying and announcing the latest supporting products and plans to attract the attention of consumer electronics manufacturers.
DigiLens, an American company engaged in holographic waveguide technology, demonstrated the new generation of AR diffraction optical waveguide module Crystal30 and AR micro projection module EnLiten30 at CES 2022. In addition to the optical module and engine, DigiLens will also showcase the Developer Edition AR glasses reference design Design v1 Qualcomm Snapdragon.
During CES2022, Qualcomm CEO Ammon revealed that Qualcomm will cooperate with Microsoft to develop lightweight AR glasses chips. He said that the custom chip will be oriented to the C-end and B-end meta-universe applications, and developers can use the chip to create a virtual world, allowing users to work and play in the virtual world. Ammon said that future partner devices will collaborate with Microsoft's software product Mesh. In the future, AR devices will also use Qualcomm's Snapdragon Spaces software, which can provide basic AR functions, such as physical space mapping, tracking gestures, etc.