La Voce dal Metaverso Nr.522

Samsung, Apple and Meta want to use OLED in their next VR headsets – but only Meta has a plan to make it cheap

OLED, OLED, OLED – that’s the name of the game right now in the XR world, if a report on leaked hardware specs is to be believed. Samsung, Apple, and Meta are said to be working on OLED-display equipped headsets. And while Samsung's and Apple's plans are interesting, Meta’s OLED headset could be a winner for one big reason: cost.

Starting with Samsung – because its headset is the only one we officially know exists – the report via The Elec (a South Korean outlet, details translated and summarized by @Jukanlosreve) says the upcoming consumer version of Project Moohan headset (the Android XR wearable it developed with Google) will come with a 1.3-inch display boasting a pixel density of 3,800 PPI (pixels per inch).

Interestingly this OLEDoS display (OLED on Silicon, also known as Micro OLED tl;dr: they’re very tiny but high-density OLED panels built on silicon) would come from Sony, not Samsung Display, and it’s higher than the 3,386ppi display used by the Apple Vision Pro – suggesting that Samsung wants to cement Moohan as a high-end alternative the Apple headset. Hopefully it won’t be as pricey (I’m not holding my breath).

Speaking of Apple, it's said to be working on a Vision Pro that’s more consumer-friendly (read: cheaper). Instead of silicon, according to the above report Apple will rely on more traditional glass OLEDs with a 1,500ppi, with a release planned for 2027 – but I’m not holding my breath for this device to be affordable as being cheaper than a $3,500 headset could still be very expensive.

Last up is Meta, which reportedly plans to use a 0.8 to 0.9-inch OLEDoS display in a headset set for 2026.

The smaller display size would apparently be a cost-cutting measure. OLED panels are typically made large and then cut to size, and Meta is apparently hoping that if it can reliably create a 1.42 OLEDoS unit (the same size as a Vision Pro) it can then cut that up into roughly four 0.8 to 0.9-inch panels, and cut its costs by a quarter. Given this small size, though, it may need to use two displays per headset (which would follow the two-display setup used in its Quest headsets), which would only halve the effective cost.

Regardless, OLEDoS displays, even at a quarter or half the cost, likely wouldn’t come cheap – which is why I’m expecting this 2026 headset would be the rumored Meta Quest Pro 2. It's supposedly been cancelled twice already, but the third time seems to be the charm, as Meta might have settled on a unique glasses-like shape (which I think sounds awesome, by the way), and some OLED screens would help cement it as an exciting proposition.

DJI brings new immersive control features to popular FPV drones via latest updates

DJI is rolling out new software that should improve functionality for many of its first-person view (FPV) drones. For reference, this includes not only the FPV-exclusive Avata and Avata 2, but also the much cheaper DJI Neo (curr. $289 on Amazon) that arrived last year.

The new updates do not directly change the firmware of DJI's FPV-compatible drones. Instead, the company has started distributing firmware for the Goggles 2, Goggles 3 and Goggles Integra, which adds Navigation-enabled flight control software (INAV) support.

Among other things, INAV introduces real-time telemetry data, which can show battery life, GPS coordinates and current drone altitude directly on compatible headsets. Also, the software adds the option of creating flight plans without taking off your Goggles 2, Goggles 3 or Goggles Integra.

According to?DroneDJ, the new firmware packages can only be installed if the DJI Fly app is v1.16.0 or higher. It is worth noting that you must restart your drone, goggles and associated remote after the firmware update process is completed. On top of that, the update may reset Maximum Flight Distance and Return-to-Home altitude settings to their defaults.

Head-Up Displays: Projecting a Bright Future in the AR/VR Landscape

The augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market is rapidly expanding, driven by the desire for immersive and intuitive digital experiences. Within this dynamic space, the head-up displays (HUDs) segment presents a particularly high-opportunity area, offering a seamless blend of real-world and digital information.Market Dynamics and Growth DriversHUDs, which project information onto a transparent display in the user's field of view, are transforming how we interact with data and the world around us. Their ability to provide contextual information without obstructing the user's vision makes them invaluable in various applications, from automotive to aviation and beyond. The Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market industry size accounted for USD 38.45 Billion in 2023 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.74% from 2023 to 2033.Key Advantages of HUDs in AR/VR Applications:Enhanced Situational Awareness: HUDs provide real-time information without requiring users to look away from their surroundings.Improved Safety: In automotive and aviation applications, HUDs reduce driver/pilot distraction and enhance safety.Hands-Free Operation: HUDs can be controlled through voice commands or gesture recognition, enabling hands-free operation.Personalized Information: HUDs can display personalized information based on user preferences and context.Seamless Integration: HUDs can seamlessly integrate with other AR/VR technologies, creating immersive and interactive experiences.Increased efficiency: HUDs can display critical information directly in the user's line of sight, increasing efficiency.

Global Spatial Computing in Retail & E-commerce Market

• The Global Spatial Computing in Retail & E-commerce Market is expected to reach USD 125.1 Billion by 2034, growing from USD 10.76 Billion in 2024, reflecting a CAGR of 27.80% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034.
• In 2024, the Hardware Devices segment dominated the spatial computing market in retail and e-commerce, holding more than 42.6% of the market share.
• The Artificial Intelligence (AI) segment also held a significant position in the spatial computing market in retail and e-commerce, capturing more than 26.7% of the market share in 2024.
• The Virtual Try-ons segment held a leading position in the spatial computing market for retail and e-commerce, with more than 24.5% of the market share in 2024.
• In 2024, North America led the spatial computing market in retail and e-commerce, accounting for more than 32.3% of the market share, with a revenue of USD 3.4 billion.
• The U.S. market for spatial computing in retail and e-commerce was valued at USD 2.78 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 25.4%.

Roma, “Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Metaverse: Impact on Medicine and the Medical Profession”

Il 22 maggio 2025 si terrà a Roma la conferenza FNOMCeO/AEMH, dal titolo “Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Metaverse: Impact on Medicine and the Medical Profession”, presso il Museo del Ninfeo di ENPAM. L’evento avrà inizio alle ore 15:00 con una visita guidata del museo, seguita da un caffè di benvenuto. I saluti istituzionali del presidente FNOMCeO Filippo Anelli apriranno ufficialmente il convegno alle ore 16:00. L’ingresso è solo su invito.

Meta: Suppliers "Heavily Pursuing" Producing "Wonder Material" Enabling Orion's Field Of View

Meta says suppliers across the world are now "heavily pursuing" producing optical-grade silicon carbide, the "wonder material" that made the Orion AR glasses prototype's relatively wide field of view possible.

The Orion prototype, presented at Meta Connect 2024 back in September, stunned the world by achieving what no other fully-integrated transparent AR device in true glasses form factor ever has: a relatively wide field of view, 70 degrees diagonal. Other AR glasses cap out at around 50 degrees, at most.

To reach this relatively remarkable field of view, Orion uses silicon carbide lenses. The primary bottleneck for the field of view of transparent AR is the refractive index of the lens, and silicon carbide has the highest of any known visibly transparent material, 2.7, compared to 1.8 for glass. As such, Meta describes silicon carbide as a "wonder material" for AR.

But there's a problem: producing optical-grade silicon carbide is incredibly complex and expensive, and there is no established commercial-scale supply chain for it. Because of this, Meta admitted at Connect that to sell Orion as a product, it would have to be priced above $10,000.

This is why Meta described Orion as "a time machine that lets us live in the future", and why it isn't being made into a product at all.

Instead, Meta is building a separate AR glasses product, codenamed Artemis, that the company revealed to?The Verge's Alex Heath will use glass, the same as Snap Spectacles and earlier AR devices like HoloLens and Magic Leap. This means that Meta's Artemis, reportedly set to launch in 2027, will not have the signature wide field of view of Orion.

Now, in a new blog post explaining the advantages of silicon carbide waveguides for AR, Meta is suggesting that the overwhelmingly positive reception of Orion from the tech industry has led suppliers across the world to accelerate their plans for producing optical-grade silicon carbide.

“Orion proved that silicon carbide is a viable option for AR glasses,” says Meta Reality Labs' Director of Research Science Barry Silverstein, “and we’re now seeing interest across the supply chain on three different continents where they’re heavily pursuing this as an opportunity. Silicon carbide will come out on top. It’s just a matter of time in my book.”

“Suppliers are very excited by the new opportunity of manufacturing optical-grade silicon carbide—after all, each waveguide lens represents a large amount of material relative to an electronic chip, and all of their existing capabilities apply to this new space,” adds Silverstein. “Filling your factory is essential, and scaling your factory is the dream. The size of the wafer matters, too: The bigger the wafer, the lower the cost—but the complexity of the process also goes up. That said, we’ve seen suppliers move from four-inch to eight-inch wafers, and some are working on precursors to 12-inch wafers, which would yield exponentially more pairs of AR glasses.”

Meta notes that it's "still early days", and Silverstein cautions that there’s "still a lot of work left to be done", strongly suggesting that the plan to use glass in the first product still hasn't changed. But the implication seems to be that the company's timeline for one day eventually releasing AR glasses with silicon carbide lenses, and thus Orion's field of view, may be narrowing.

“The world is awake now,” adds Silverstein. “We’ve successfully shown that silicon carbide can flex across electronics and photonics. It’s a material that could have future applications in quantum computing. And we’re seeing signs that it’s possible to significantly reduce the cost. There’s a lot of work left to be done, but the potential upside here is huge.”

Stay Tuned !!