AMD aims for 16k at 144Hz resolution for virtual reality

AMD aims to make VR glasses possible that can display a resolution of 16k per eye at 144Hz. Right now, the Oculus Rift coming out this spring won’t get past 2k per eye at 90Hz.

According to AMD’s LiquidVR CEO Guennadi Riguer, this combination of resolution and refresh rate leads to ‘VR-nirvana’, a seamless experience in virtual reality, he says in an interview with WCCFTech. “LiquidVR will continue to develop hardware and software technologies that will eventually lead to the nirvana of vr: 16k per eye, 144Hz and above for refresh rate and virtually no latency – all in a wireless, small design.”

Riguer does not give a moment when that will be possible, but WCCFTech estimates that it will take at least until 2020 before that combination of factors with GPUs is possible. It is unknown if screens could be ready by then. Such screens will have to contain at least three thousand pixels per inch. Right now, the sharpest display in a consumer product is that of the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium smartphone, which comes at a 4k resolution at 5.5″ to about eight hundred pixels per inch.

Virtual reality is currently at an important point. Cheap VR glasses based on Google Cardboard and Samsung’s Gear VR came out last year, while more expensive models that require a PC like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive will be released this spring. This should show how much interest consumers are in virtual reality.