Strings discovered contained in the Quest firmware recommend Meta is now working to deliver varifocal lenses to a delivery headset.
The strings have been discovered by Quest firmware dataminer Samulia and Anagan79, the developer of Quest Video games Optimizer, and dropped at our consideration by VR fanatic Luna.
Upcoming Quest options have been found this manner a number of instances previously. For instance, Samulia found references to eye and face monitoring round a 12 months earlier than the unique Quest Professional launched. Nonetheless, there are some options which have been referenced in strings for years now however have but to ship, for instance a Project Avalanche cloud PC VR streaming service and Discord integration.
When Meta first confirmed off its Mirror Lake concept headset in late 2022, CEO Mark Zuckerberg recommended the know-how it proves out (together with varifocal) might be seen in merchandise “within the second half of the last decade”.
Meta Reportedly Began Work On Quest Pro 2 Back In November
Meta started work on a Quest Pro 2 in November 2023, The Information reports.
![](https://www.uploadvr.com/content/images/size/w1200/2024/06/Project-Cambria-Quest-Pro.jpg)
In March 2023 an inner Meta {hardware} roadmap was leaked to The Verge revealing {that a} 2024 Quest Professional 2 candidate had been canceled in favor of a extra bold however “approach out sooner or later” mannequin. In keeping with that roadmap, this headset will characteristic Codec Avatars, have larger decision, and retain Quest Professional’s rear-battery design. Is it attainable it may have varifocal lenses too?
Earlier this month, The Info reported that work on this headset began in November.
Context: What Is Varifocal?
All present headsets in the marketplace have fixed-focus lenses. Every eye will get a separate perspective, however the picture is targeted at a set focal distance, often just a few meters away.
Your eyes will level (converge or diverge) towards the digital object you’re taking a look at, however cannot truly focus (accommodate) to the digital distance to the article. This makes the digital world really feel much less actual and shut up digital objects look blurry, and it might probably even trigger eye pressure.
At its F8 convention in 2018 Fb showed off a prototype headset called Half Dome, which included eye monitoring to mechanically transfer the shows ahead or again to regulate focus. Half Dome solved the vergence-accommodation battle however the mechanical method would current critical reliability issues in the true world, making it unsuitable to be shipped in merchandise.
Mechanical varifocal in a newer prototype based mostly on Half Dome 1.
At Oculus Join 6 in 2019 Facebook described Half Dome 2 and Half Dome 3. Half Dome 2 used extra dependable actuators and a extra compact, however decrease area of view, design.
Half Dome 3 nonetheless took a totally new method with no shifting components. As a substitute of shifting the show, Half Dome 3 makes use of a stack of liquid crystal lens layers. Making use of a voltage to every lens layer adjustments its focal size, so every distinctive mixture of on and off ends in a distinct focus distance. With 6 layers, there are 64 totally different attainable focus distances.
![](https://www.uploadvr.com/content/images/2023/12/HalfDome3.gif)
Throughout a chat in early 2020, Fb’s Director of Show Techniques Analysis Douglas Lanman said Half-Dome 3’s know-how was “nearly prepared for primetime”. Nicely over 4 years later, may varifocal lastly be popping out of the analysis labs and be on the trail to productization?