Modern virtual reality (VR) technology has not yet been around long enough to have properly established a standard tech cycle, but it has been three years since the launch of the Oculus Rift heralded a new era of VR. Experts are beginning to speculate on what we can expect from the next generation of VR headsets, and a recent patent filed by Oculus VR may give some clues.

The Oculus Connect event in October, 2017 saw the announcement of the Oculus Go, a standalone VR headset that did not need a smartphone or PC to power it. This device is thought to be aimed at a mid-range market in between smartphone VR devices such as the Samsung Gear VR or Google Daydream and high-end PC devices. Also announced was the Project Santa Cruz headset, which is designed to be a high-end device, equipped with a new display and new Fresnel lenses.

It isn’t clear at this point where the Santa Cruz headset will sit in the Oculus product range, if it will be a successor device to the current Oculus Rift, or will exist alongside it. A recently filed patent suggests that the true successor device to the Oculus Rift is yet to come.

Curved screens have become popular in certain tech products, such as sensors in high-end cameras, and certain models of televisions, particularly ones produced by Samsung. Oculus are also exploring this technology, as revealed by a patent filed at the World International Property Organisation.

As reported by Lets Go Digital, the patent shows a cylindrically curved display, a display type that has significant advantages for VR display, as it provides a wider field-of-view and also eliminates some optical distortions, which in other VR headsets needs to be corrected with lenses and software.

It is not considered likely that this technology will be applied to the Project Santa Cruz headset, and it is currently unknown where this patent technology will be used.

VRFocus will bring you further information on Oculus and its technology as it becomes available.