---
title: "Panasonic’s VR Glasses Are Unlike Any You’ve Seen Before"
description: "Panasonic showed off a VR glasses prototype that looks more like something out of a 90s steampunk movie at this year's CES in Las Vegas."
date: "2020-01-09"
modified: "2020-01-09"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/panasonic-vr-glasses"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
  - "Virtual Reality"
tags:
  - "Panasonic"
  - "the digest"
  - "virtual reality"
  - "vr"
---

# Panasonic’s VR Glasses Are Unlike Any You’ve Seen Before

![Panasonic showed off a VR glasses prototype that looks more like something out of a 90s steampunk movie at this year's CES in Las Vegas.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/panasonic-vr-glasses.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Panasonic\</em\>*

## Steampunk VR

Virtual reality headsets might soon become far less cumbersome.

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Japanese electronics corporation Panasonic showed off a VR glasses prototype that looks like something out of a 90s steampunk movie, [*The Verge* reports](<https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/9/21058056/panasonic-vr-glasses-hdr-hands-on-ces-2020>).

The glasses feature some impressive specs: high resolution micro OLED panels for each eye and support for HDR— high dynamic range technology that's usually limited to monitors and TVs. In a [statement](<https://news.panasonic.com/global/press/data/2020/01/en200107-5/en200107-5.html>), Panasonic claims the glasses are the world's first HDR-enabled VR unit.

## Ultra HD Goggles

The idea is to make wearing VR glasses — gone are the days of a full "headset" — as comfortable as possible over longer periods. Rather than requiring users to strap a headset to their heads, Panasonic's vision is honing in toward a pair of heavier-than-usual glasses.

Unsurprisingly, the early prototype does have its limitations. *The Verge*'s Sam Byford [described](<https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/9/21058056/panasonic-vr-glasses-hdr-hands-on-ces-2020>) the glasses as "a little front-heavy and slid down my nose whenever I tilted forward." The OLED panels were also surprisingly small, resulting in a much lower viewing angle than its VR headset predecessors.

Panasonic isn't intending to bring this exact pair of glasses to the market any time soon.

**READ MORE:** [Panasonic’s VR glasses support HDR and look pretty steampunk](<https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/9/21058056/panasonic-vr-glasses-hdr-hands-on-ces-2020>) \[*The Verge*\]

**More on VR headsets:** *[Russian Farmers Are Strapping VR Headsets to Dairy Cows](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/russian-farmers-vr-cows>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)