It looks like the world of virtual reality is in for an interesting surprise. Samsung, one of the world’s leading electronics manufacturers, may soon unveil a new VR display. According to Korean sources, this display is a 1.96-inch 4K screen. That would be quite a step up from the abysmal resolution VR users have to deal with right now.
Is a 4K Display for VR Even Feasible?
That is one of the main questions people need to ask themselves right now. Just because Samsung may – and this is not confirmed- unveil a 4K display for VR headsets does not mean we will see 4K VR content anytime soon. It is good to see the hardware side of things evolve in the right direction. A pixel density of 2,250 is quite an amazing feat for a 1.96-inch screen, although it will require an incredibly powerful PC to render so many pixels.
That being said, it is an interesting concept to think of UHD displays for VR headsets. The current PPI supported by top-of-the-line HMDs is rather lackluster. That is only to be expected from the first generation of consumer-grade hardware, albeit it remains disappointing. Rumor has it the Samsung Gear VR 2 may introduce a PPI of 1,500, although that has not been confirmed at this stage either. If it is true, that would make the mobile-supporting VR headset one of the “crispest” devices in the VR world today.
Then again, why would Samsung release an intermediary device with a lower resolution than 4K? it is possible the Gear VR 2 has been in production for some time now. Changing the specs at this stage would render entire batches of products useless. However, it is also possible consumers will skip out of the Gear VR 2 and wait for the UHD displays in the next model. There are a lot of questions and very few possible answers right now.
Until we know more about these rumor UDH VR displays, there is little point in speculating. It is evident Samsung wants to make a big impact on virtual reality moving forward. However, it will take at least a year before 4K VR content will be even possible. Until the content catalogs catch up, 4K VR displays will have very limited use. Moreover, it will take an incredibly powerful computer to render games in 4K VR as well. An exciting development, though, assuming it is true.
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