Sony unveils 1.3-inch 4K OLED microdisplay for AR and VR headsets

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Yesterday, under the aegis of Sony, the Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation unveiled in Japan a diminutive 4K OLED screen christened ECX344A. Reminiscent of the display employed in Apple’s Vision Pro headsets, this Micro OLED display stretches 1.3 inches diagonally, boasts a resolution of 3552×3840, peaks at a 90Hz refresh rate, and possesses a pixel pitch of 16.3µm. It commands a premium price tag of 150,000 Japanese yen.

Sony articulates that this newly minted OLED microdisplay is tailor-made for Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) head-mounted displays. It harnesses Sony’s miniaturization techniques pioneered in the realm of camera Electronic Viewfinders (EVFs) and pixel drive circuitry. On its generous 1.3-inch canvas, it realizes a 4K resolution, coupled with a wide color gamut encompassing 96% of the DCI-P3 color space and elevated brightness levels. Nestled within are Sony’s bespoke miniaturization processes and pixel driving circuits, ensuring that even at 4K, the display offers a high frame rate, thus delivering a heightened sense of realism and fluid visuals.

Moreover, to cater to the exigencies of intended applications, this microdisplay proffers three distinct display modes, empowering users to cherry-pick the ideal mode contingent upon their usage scenario:

  1. Normal mode: By default, it displays input signals at 4K resolution.
  2. Upscale mode: It upscales 2K-2.5K resolution input signals to 4K. By attenuating the input data, it alleviates the data processing burden on devices incorporating this microdisplay. This mode doesn’t necessitate superior data processing prowess on the terminal end, allowing for a broader spectrum of application processors.
  3. Foveated scan mode: Central to the human field of vision, images are rendered in high resolution, tapering off to lower resolutions as one’s gaze moves towards the periphery. This strategy preserves a visually immersive experience while curbing the data transmission by roughly 60%, thereby lightening the load on image processors of the devices using this microdisplay.

Through this innovative microdisplay, Sony aspires to turbocharge the evolution of VR/AR headsets, offering staggering and immersive realism. It’s reported that Sony’s ECX344A Micro OLED display is slated to hit the shelves in November 2023, with an asking price of 150,000 Japanese yen.

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