In a surprise demonstration at an expo in New York, Canon showed a prototype of a handheld immersive display reportedly with a resolution of 2.5K per eye. Our friend Brad Herman tipped us off to the device through a tweet and a DM to give us a heads up.
Little is know about the device right now as it seems to be a “secret” showing, but right off the bat, this thing looks weird! It’s got two handles stretching out from the bottom of the headset, which looks like long straggly legs. There is a thick wire hanging from it – in typical prototype fashion.
Tried Canon Prototype #VR HMD 2.5K per eye at 120 deg FOV. Very clear image, 3 glass elements per eye! #canonexpony pic.twitter.com/fotxLOIehj
— Brad Herman (@brad3d) September 10, 2015
There is no public information about what types of lenses are in it, if there is head tracking, or what kind of content Canon is showing with the device; but the demonstration marks another large company’s interest in the VR space. It’s remarkable that Canon created a headset as a 360 degree camera array would have made more sense. Yet, it’s nice to see the Japanese imaging and optical corporation step there toes into the increasingly crowded medium. Who will join them next? Only time will tell.
Here’s Canon’s prototype VR headset. Whatchathink #canonexpony #DarthVader #notapple pic.twitter.com/9q4i13vx9p — Les Shu (@DT_Les) September 9, 2015
UPDATE: According to a couple messages between us and Brad Herman, it sounds like the content shown is a 5 minute demo loop that contains footage shot with an array of Canon cameras. This was streamed 5600 x 2800 without positional headtracking. Furthermore, there is a chance that the demoers may have been misinformed about the resolution as the 2.5K (2560 x 1440 pixels) may relate to the entire display; rather than 2.5K per eye. The resolution still needs to be confirmed. However, Herman mentions that “The visual quality is very nice. Very clear and sharp.”
UploadVR will continue to post additional information on Canon’s HMD prototype as it surfaces.
