Sony shows 4k micro OLED screen for use in VR headsets

Sony shows a prototype of a micro-OLED screen with a 4k resolution for use in VR headsets. It is not known whether Sony will also use the display itself in the next generation of the PlayStation VR headset.

Yasuko Ishihara and Kei Kimura of Sony’s R&D Center showed a working prototype of the small OLED screen with pixels of 6.3 microns. The two researchers do not report the size and the exact resolution of the small screen, but if it comes to a screen with a resolution of 4096×4096 pixels, the size would be about 2.6 by 2.6 cm.

The micro OLED screen is intended for use in VR headsets. The two researchers also showed a working prototype of such a headset that, with such a display per eye, has a total resolution of 8k. In order to quickly test the prototype, the headset does not have the usual headband, but instead two handles on the sides of the screen.

The researchers state that the screen was developed by Sony itself and that it was inspired by the cmos image sensors used by Sony’s camera division. Ishihara and Kimura speak emphatically about the use in head mounted displays, but say nothing about possible use in the new PlayStation VR headset. The two let go of the fact that Sony strives for a lower latency when developing the prototype. Without going into detail, they mention that Sony uses multiple sensor data and latency compensation technology. They therefore call the prototype of glasses a low latency hmd.

Sony has been working on a successor to its PlayStation VR headset for some time, and it is rumored that it will come with an OLED screen. However, that would be one panel from Samsung, with a resolution of 4000×2040 pixels. Sony has only announced that the new PSVR will get one cable and, like the DualSense controller, will be equipped with controllers with adaptive triggers.