One aspect of virtual reality (VR) that all users need to endure currently is the screen door effect. You may not notice it in the heat of a Beat Saber track, but on a slower, brighter experience the issue can become more noticeable. The effect comes from the screens inside the headset being so close to your eyes that you can see the gaps in between the pixels. The only way to combat this effectively is by upping the resolution, and Taiwanese R&D company INT Tech recently showcased a new prototype display that could easily banish the problem.
During CES 2019 INT Tech demoed its latest 2,228 ppi display, massively increasing image sharpness whilst removing any visible screen door effect. In the image above you can see the display captured through a microscope. To give you an idea of how this compares to the current crop of VR headsets, the HTC Vive Pro has a 615 ppi, the HTC Vive has 448 ppi, the Oculus Rift has 461 ppi, while the PlayStation VR comes in at 386 ppi.
The company’s technology isn’t purely focused on improving pixel density, as INT Tech’s display is glass-based rather than silicon-based OLED’s. This approach has two benefits, in that glass-based display’s can be made much bigger and therefore provide a wider field-of-view (FoV) than their silicon cousins, plus the cost is lower claims INT Tech.
Having a screen that packed in 2,228 ppi would provide a visual effect in VR that VRFocus would image is akin to watching proper 4K content on a 4K TV, utterly gorgeous to look at. It would also make experiences even more immersive and lifelike – 360 video content would have a greater feeling of presence.
To explain more about what INT Tech are up to, VRFocus spoke with founder, Chairman and CEO David K.T. Chu regarding the advancements the company was making, not just for VR and augmented reality (AR) but for screen technology as a whole and its plans for the future – spoiler, he does mention a 3000 ppi display that they are working on. For continued updates on the latest technological advancements in VR and AR, keep reading VRFocus.