VR Union Claire Immerses Oculus in Tough Competition

Lately we have taken some huge leaps in the virtual reality market: a new headset has been revealed, the Oculus Rift release date has been announced, and Sony's Project Morpheus is twiddling its thumbs, waiting until 2016 to provide 120 fps, 100-degree field of vision, and 1080p resolution.

But we may have overlooked an additional competitor - one that supposedly surpasses the Oculus Rift and other VR headsets.

VR Union, a two-year-old startup company based in Prague, has already sped ahead of Palmer Luckey in VR via crafting a powerful set of VR goggles, called Claire, with a display resolution triple of any competitor. That's right, we are talking 4K, or ultra-high definition, which leads to a more immersive experience than the 1080p definition the Oculus Rift wields. Whereas the Rift headset currently only displays four million pixels, VR Union's headset currently displays a whopping 12 million pixels.

The Claire VR headset's goal is to create a situation that makes it impossible for the wearer to differentiate fiction from reality. To do so, VR Union repurposes liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, which can efficiently change the direction of liquid crystal molecules to create vivid colors.

And Oculus Rift?

Well, it uses active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display technology, which is newer than the LCD technology, but lacks the quality in exchange for faster pixel response, which is more convenient for fast-paced games.

VR Union Claire also utilizes the Fresnel lens technology, which was originally used for lighthouses back in 1823 and allows for a nearly 180-degree field of vision. Additionally, the technology makes it possible for users to wear prescription glasses with the headset. Unfortunately, the Oculus uses a convention heavier aspheric lens (similar to a handheld magnifying glass) that only allows for a 100-degree field of vision, which actually disturbs total immersion.

This prescription glasses fact has sold me.

But that doesn't mean that VR Union has won yet. After all, Oculus is supposed to release the Crescent Bay upgrade in 2015, but VR Union is attempting to stay ahead by developing 5K - yes, a resolution that doesn't exactly exist yet - goggles, which they are close to finishing.

To be honest, I'm more excited about the VR Union Claire headset than the Oculus Rift, because I'm more interested in the immersive experience that VR will offer. And unfortunately, it appears that the Oculus Rift won't measure up in terms of immersion.

In regards to appearance, I think I would have to give the first place ribbon to VR Union Claire. Here is my top five in VR Headset appearance:

1) VR Union Claire
2) Project Morpheus
3) Samsung Gear
4) Oculus Rift
5) HTC Vive

The Vive just looks so heavy and so bulky. But here is the biggest question in regards to VR technology:

Where is Microsoft in all of this?