New headsets from Play For Dream and Megane feature micro-OLED displays with 3840x2552 resolution per eye for 3882 ppi.
Launched in early 2024, Apple Vision Pro set the benchmark for display quality in headsets.
For the first time, it introduced micro-OLED displays to the consumer headset market; a development industry analysts described as a paradigm shift due to the use of semiconductor foundries instead of traditional display fabs to manufacture the extremely dense and high-quality panels.
Micro-OLED in more headsets
While Meta has reportedly abandoned plans to launch a headset with micro-OLED in the near term, Samsung is planning to use the technology in its upcoming 'Project Moohan' headset.
Two additional options have also emerged with the launch of the Play for Dream MR headset, produced by a Shanghai-based company and now available in select Asian markets for around $2000, and the MeganeX Superlight 8K headset, priced at $1900.
The Play For Dream MR headset. Photo: Company
Both headsets feature dual micro-OLED displays – likely the same panel – with a resolution of 3840x3552 pixels per eye, exceeding 4K and marketed by both companies as 8K. This is slightly higher than the Apple Vision Pro's micro-OLED displays, which are estimated to have roughly 3660x3200 pixels per eye.
The new launches suggest that micro-OLED is beginning to gain traction in headsets, though it remains a very costly component. Several display makers, including industry leaders LG Display and Samsung Display, are gearing up to produce micro-OLED panels for headsets.
Also read: Future display technologies: QD-EL, Ultraviolet micro-LED, OLED, more
The MeganeX Superlight 8K headset. Photo: Company
They lack in other areas
While the inclusion of micro-OLED is exciting, especially as the display is arguably the most critical component in a headset, both headsets fall short in several other areas compared to Apple Vision Pro, which retails for $3500.
The Play for Dream MR is a standalone device powered by the relatively weak Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 SoC, but is still marketed mainly as a PC VR solution since it runs on a custom version of Android rather than the new Android XR platform. MeganeX is fully reliant on a PC connection and lacks built-in speakers and tracking.
Until the software improves and non-display hardware catches up, a powerful PC is still required to use them effectively. Samsung's upcoming headset is expected to be the first to run Android XR, Google’s new operating system designed to compete with Apple’s visionOS in VR, MR and AR.
