Today, I launched Virtual Desktop, set the visual quality to High, enabled Snapdragon Super Resolution, and fired up Kayak VR Mirage. I chose the Costa Rican jungle and, somewhere in the middle of the scene where everything looks most beautiful, I started testing different rendering modes. I tried the newer version of DLSS, FSR, TAA, and also turning everything off to see the native image without any processing whatsoever.
DLSS turned out to be the best option for anti-aliasing and overall sharpness, even though it blurs the water, which is a real shame. Still, it’s an amazing technology, especially in its newer versions.
However, when I completely disabled anti-aliasing and supersampling, the image became jagged and shimmery, particularly when looking into the distance. At the same time, though, it suddenly became incredibly appealing to me. Everything was perfectly sharp, regardless of distance. It was so sharp that looking at it felt deeply satisfying. The perceived depth of the image increased dramatically, too. The lighting and colors also shifted toward much fresher, more vibrant tones.
DLSS is like a beautiful postcard, but this felt as if I were actually there, despite the jagged edges and shimmering. Suddenly, I desperately wanted to explore every detail of the landscape: what was hiding behind a tree, behind a bush, in the distance, or beneath the water.
That was the moment I understood what VR really needs to become truly appealing, amazing, and beautiful at the same time.
We need to say goodbye to image enhancement techniques such as DLSS, FSR, TAA, and similar tools. They are great technologies, but they create more of an impression of looking at a postcard than being in an interesting world. What we need is the original, unprocessed render. We simply need many more pixels. Enough to deliver perfect detail, with jagged edges becoming so tiny that they no longer distract us.
The optics don't need to be any sharper than they are today. In fact, one advantage of current pancake optics is that they provide a kind of free anti-aliasing for microscopic jagged edges. :-)
We need a headset with 60 PPD, and then we'll all be happy, because that's when VR will finally become truly appealing.
And if anyone thinks that perhaps 30 or 40 PPD might be enough, they're mistaken. VR will only become truly appealing once we achieve perfect sharpness throughout the entire scene.
