Mark Zuckerberg shows Meta’s new VR prototypes

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has displayed virtual reality (VR) headset prototypes to make immersive experiences more realistic for people.

By inventing new hardware, the Reality Labs branch of Meta is aiming to overcome the persistent hurdles in the VR industry.

According to Meta, these prototypes demonstrate that a proper headset that can transport us to a virtual world as realistic as its physical equivalent is yet to be developed.

The first headset of the series is called Butterscotch. It aims to provide a resolution close to that of the retina. This overcomes the issue of providing resolution near to the 60 pixels per degree that Meta regards to be the standard for a human retina.

Also shown were Meta’s Half Dome prototypes that allow users to focus on any item at any distance. This is the result of varifocal lenses and eye-tracking technology, which allow the gadget to shift its focus based on the virtual object the user wishes to view.

Then, Starburst is the codename for the next prototype that Meta's Reality Labs has created. It is a VR system with HDR capabilities.

"Nature is typically 10 or 100 times brighter than modern HDTVs and the highest-end monitors, and we needed colours to be just as vibrant to feel natural, so we created Starburst," explains Zuckerberg.

However, according to Zuckerberg, the purpose of testing prototypes like Starburst is to include all the technologies being tested into a gadget that is smaller than anything currently available.

Another headset called Holocake 2 moves a step closer in this direction. It is a functioning experimental device featuring holographic displays for playing PC VR experiences without the need for extra gear.

However, none of these headsets are intended for commercial use and there is a long way to go before these reach the masses.