iQIYI unveils 4K VR integrated headset with 8K playback
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Rebecca Hawkes
| 19 April 2018

iQIYI is set to launch an integrated 4K virtual reality (VR) headset supporting 8K (7680*3840) panoramic video playback, claiming it to be the first of its kind in the world.

The Chinese online entertainment provider will launch the product in May, as an upgraded version of its second generation VR headset (VR II), which it launched at the CES 2018 in January.

The upgraded version of the VR II will feature 8K panoramic video playback functionality and image rendering technology, combined with a fully upgraded 4K LCD quick response screen, to provide users with portable 4K viewing experience akin to that in a cinema.

The VR II boasts extensive built-in iQIYI video content including VR panoramic videos and pictures, 3D video, 2D video, iQIYI original VR films and television dramas and VR games.

"Clarity, fluidity, and the sense of immersion in a virtual theatre are crucial to the VR experience," said Yu Gong, founder and CEO of iQIYI.

"iQIYI's VR II takes each of these to the next level, with four-times higher resolution than standard 2K screens and a 35% improvement in computing performance. We're confident our upcoming 4K VR headset will set an entirely new benchmark for VR, and once again transform the consumer entertainment experience," he added.

Unusually for a video-on-demand (VOD) service provider, iQIYI's VR development strategy focuses on the two-way interaction between hardware and software in order to realise the ideal integration of technology and entertainment. The company has also 'accumulated a rich and expanding library of content and opened up the full VR industry chain to successfully take VR to the next level', it said.