Category: CES 2022

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Qualcomm & Microsoft Partner on “custom AR chips” for Next-gen, Light-weight Glasses

Today during Qualcomm’s CES 2022 press conference, the company announced a partnership with fellow tech-giant Microsoft which will involve “designing custom AR chips and integrating software platforms.”

Qualcomm and Microsoft today strengthened their growing relationship in the XR space with a new partnership announcement. While Microsoft has already relied on Qualcomm to supply the Snapdragon chips found in its latest HoloLens 2 headset, now the companies indicate plans to work more closely together on components for future AR devices.

“This collaboration reflects the next step in both companies’ shared commitment to XR and the metaverse,” said Hugo Swart, vice president of XR at Qualcomm. “Qualcomm Technologies’ core XR strategy has always been delivering the most cutting-edge
technology, purpose-built XR chipsets and enabling the ecosystem with our software platforms and hardware reference designs. We are thrilled to work with Microsoft to help expand and scale the adoption of AR hardware and software across the entire industry.”

Specifically Qualcomm says it will be working with Microsoft on “developing custom AR chips to enable a new wave of power efficient, lightweight AR glasses to deliver rich and immersive experiences.” Further, the announcement reveals plans to integrate Microsoft Mesh—the company’s multi-user XR foundation—with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces XR development tools.

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Qualcomm has established itself as an early leader in the growing XR space by leveraging its expertise in smartphone chip design to create the Snapdragon XR1 and XR2 chips which now power most of the leading standalone XR devices.

Ostensibly the company already has an XR3 chip in the works, so it isn’t clear if the “custom chips” that will result from the partnership will basically mean that Microsoft has more say over what XR3 ultimately look like, or it if it will get its own custom chip that’s exclusive for its own uses in devices like HoloLens 3.

The post Qualcomm & Microsoft Partner on “custom AR chips” for Next-gen, Light-weight Glasses appeared first on Road to VR.

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The first VR Headset from CES 2022 is the Lightweight, microOLED MeganeX

MeganeX header

CES 2022 officially starts tomorrow (5th Jan) holding both an in-person and online event – CES 2021 was purely online – showcasing the very latest gadgets and gizmos due to arrive over the next 12 months. Today sees the arrival of a new virtual reality (VR) headset from Japanese tech company Shiftall Inc. The MeganeX is an ultra-lightweight 5.2K device that’s SteamVR compatible and slated to arrive this Spring.

MeganeX

A subsidiary of Panasonic, up to now Shiftall is best known for the HaritoraX, a motion-tracking device compatible with SteamVR. The MeganeX takes those VR ambitions up a notch, promising a device that’s not only light but also packs 1.3inch OLED Microdisplays with a 2,560×2,560 per eye resolution at a 120Hz refresh rate. The displays come by way of the Kopin Corporation, which Panasonic previously partnered with for the VR Glasses shown at CES 2020 followed by an update the following year. In fact, MeganeX looks very similar albeit with those extra handles on the side.

Another feature that Kopin might be helping Shiftall with is the lenses. MeganeX features pancake lenses, optics designed to slim down headsets. Kopin revealed last year its latest all-plastic Pancake optics to further reduce weight. Shiftall says its device should weigh in at approximately 250g (8.8oz), slightly heavier than the Vive Flow which also utilises a pancake system.

With its glasses style design the MeganeX features a foldable frame with built-in speakers and because it supports SteamVR, the device has 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) head tracking. This is all powered by Qualcomm’s older Snapdragon XR1 platform – Meta Quest uses the XR2 platform for reference. It’ll also come with its own controller says Shiftall, although no further details were given regarding its capabilities.

Panasonic VR Glasses CES2021
Panasonic VR Glasses from CES 2021

MeganeX Specifications

  • Display – 1.3inch Micro OLED 5.2K (2,560×2,560 per eye) 10bit HDR/120Hz
  • Weight – Approx. 250g (8.8oz)
  • Tracking system – 6DoF, camera based inside-out head tracking
  • Platform – SteamVR and more (future update)
  • Connection – Display Port Alternate Mode on USB-C or Display Port + USB2.0

YouTuber and tech analyst Brad Lynch is at CES 2022 and got an early look at the prototype, offering some positive feedback on the new headset in the video below.

But there shouldn’t be too long to wait to see the final product in action as Shiftall has said the MeganeX will be released in Spring 2022 for under $900 USD – no details just yet on whether that’s worldwide or region-specific. For continued updates on the MeganeX and CES 2022 in general, keep reading VRFocus.