Canon Reveal 2.5k Per Eye, 120 Degree FOV ‘VR Viewer’

Here’s a name you may not expect to be entering the immersive wearable market, Canon. They just demonstrated a virtual reality viewer (this is not a traditional headset) at Canon Expo in New York, and it packs some interesting display and optics technology.

Canon just introduced a prototype headset at their Expo in New York, except it doesn’t look like it’s a headset at all. The unit is one of the oddest looking immersive devices we’ve seen since the glorious ergonomics of 3D Head graced our fair website, comprised of a large, square visor and two enormous handles. looks aside though, the specifications will probably pique your interest. Kind of like an imposing, 21st century Viewmaster (if that didn’t already exist).

The prototype, yet to be christened name as far as we can tell, packs dual 2560×1440 displays with an intriguing lens assembly comprising 3 glass elements per eye. The display can apparently deliver an impressive 120 degree field of view, but any information on the capabilities of the panels within are as yet unavailable.

Head of DreamLab at Dreamworks Animation, Brad Herman, was at Canon’s New York Expo and went hands-on with the new display and was impressed with the unit’s clarity.

An opinion borne out by this image that Herman managed to snap, taken through one of the prototype display’s lenses.

Note the lack of chromatic aberration, characteristic of most of today’s leading headsets. This is the benefit of a more complex lens array which corrects for aberration on its way to your eye rather than pre-correcting in software after it leaves the imaging device.

This may all seem uncharacteristic for a company most associate exclusively with printers and cameras, but Canon has a long history of imaging technology with a previous immersive example being the MREAL mixed reality headset – which was offered back in 2013 for a cool $125,000.