Meta Researchers Unveil Compact Ultra-Wide Field-of-View VR & MR Headsets

Oh boy, where do I even start? So, there’s this tech thingy happening soon—big deal, right? Researchers from Meta’s Reality Labs are up to something wild. They’re cooking up some VR & MR headsets with a massive field of view. Like, huge. I’m talking 180 degrees when most of us are still stuck at 100. Go figure.

So, this is all for the SIGGRAPH 2025 (whatever that means), and they’ve come up with two headsets. The first’s pure VR, using these crazy “high-curvature reflective polarizers.” I mean, I barely know what that is, but it sounds impressive, doesn’t it?

Oh, and then there’s this MR headset—pretty much uses the same tech magic but throws in four passthrough cameras. Think of it this way: you’re wearing a high-tech visor with eyes everywhere. It captures everything, so no more sitting next to friends and completely ignoring them in your virtual universe. Also, it might help you snag that snack hiding on your lap—gotta love tech!

But here’s the twist. They dug up some old-school tech from their first Oculus Rift—it’s like they’re taking a trip down memory lane. Something about easier setups for fast prototyping. I don’t know why, but hey, if it works, it works.

And, there’s this chatter about tradeoffs. Like Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth keeps saying, bigger field-of-views in VR headsets seem to mess with the price and battery. He’s been all “Nah, not worth it!” but who knows? Maybe this time, something will click for him.

Ugh, remember 2018? When they teased those variable focus displays. Fast forward almost 7 years—still nothing! Sometimes, it’s like we’re chasing rainbows with this tech, isn’t it? Anyway—wait, what was I rambling about? Right, these new headsets could be the future, or just another “looks cool, but nah” thing. Guess we’ll all just have to wait and see.