A new patent from Meta sees the developer looking to increase the field of view for its Meta Quest line of virtual reality headsets. Since the debut of the Oculus Rift in 2012, the Oculus, now Meta, line of VR headsets have become some of the most popular virtual reality devices in gaming. The developer's most recent device, the Meta Quest 2, has already seen plenty of iterations and updates looking to improve the VR headset's performance.
Recent months have seen plenty of rumors surfacing about the upcoming Meta Quest 3 with Meta reportedly looking to bring a variety of improvements to the device. Leaks have suggested the new headset may be making a change to the device's lenses, implementing pancake lenses into the new headset. Meta is also rumored to be returning to an IPD slider with the Meta Quest 3, allowing players to customize the device for a more comfortable fit. Now, Meta may be looking to implement multiple lenses into its new headsets to increase the device's field of view.
A patent filed by Meta for "Free-Form Light Field Displays" looks to bring multiple lenses into new iterations of the Meta Quest headset. The patent lists free form, liquid crystal, Fresnel, and pancake lenslets within the headset for the purpose of increasing the user's peripheral vision with the device. The patent would feature additional lenses with a flexible display on the sides of each of the device's main displays, using the side lenses to enhance the player's field of view. New lenses have been a major focal point of early leaks for the Meta Quest 3.
The newest iteration of the Meta Quest comes as the developer has seen increased competition from many of gaming's biggest developers in the VR space. Sony is gearing up for the launch of its newest VR platform on the PS5, the PS VR2, set to release early next year. SteamVR has posed significant competition for the Meta Quest, with the online marketplace supporting a wide variety of virtual reality headsets alongside Meta's own hardware. HTC is also reportedly working to develop its own new VR headset to directly compete with Meta's.
With a reported launch window of 2023, the Meta Quest 3 will look to launch after a year that saw massive losses for the company's virtual reality division. Facebook had already reported a loss of nearly $3 billion in its virtual reality department as early as April. The developer would confirm that it was continuing to develop its virtual reality platforms at a loss, despite the console seeing success and growing sales throughout that same period. The Meta Quest 3 will look to build on the foundation laid by its predecessors as one of the most popular VR gaming headsets.