ARM introduces Mali-G51: a GPU for the VR era

31 October 2016
Power efficient and affordable, the G51 will be found in plenty of phones and VR headsets... in 2018.

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Jovan, 01 Nov 2016Lol They weren't talking about resolution in VR, the Mali-V... moreTrue about pixel density and not resolution, but some companies don't seem to mind the difference and combine these terms like this:
pixel density === resolution
I've tried Samsung VR with QHD Galaxy S7 and wasn't impressed. It was... terrible, for someone used to full HD monitor. While not exactly QHD per eye (its 1/2 QHD per eye minus areas that lenses don't cover), it still managed to produce terribly SUBpixelated image. The problem wasn't with image having visible pixels. The problem was I could clearly see every separate SUB pixel in the image - green, red, blue dots. Surely if I relaxed my eyes, I could notice something that looked like a terribly pixelated image, but it wasn't very pleasant.

As far as I know, current VR tech is using 1080p "screens" (half of 1080p per eye) in "independent" headsets, and, as far as I know, they're also quite pixelated, although its not as bad as Samsung VR (from what I heard, never had a chance to check it out in person).

I'm hoping next year's VR will upgrade to 4k and image quality will improve (4 times higher resolution = 4 times higher pixel density). But then there's the problem with 4k gaming at steady 90 fps... powerful hardware is expensive, same thing can be said about VR in general...

I just hope it all improves AND its price goes down! :D

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    • AnonD-345931
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    • 01 Nov 2016

    AnonD-234961, 01 Nov 2016VR gloves, VR boots, VR underwear, VR pants, VR glasses and... moreFun fact: We all ready have a full body suit for complete immersion in the VR world. And it's not a recent invention. They've created it a few years back. Long before google glass.

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      • 01 Nov 2016

      Jovan, 01 Nov 2016Your opinion doesn't count because you don't know what you'... moreVR gloves, VR boots, VR underwear, VR pants, VR glasses and you are all set for the virtual world, right ? You make me laugh :)

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        • Jovan
        • XMF
        • 01 Nov 2016

        AnonD-234961, 01 Nov 2016Do you really want to live your life onto a couch with a pa... moreYour opinion doesn't count because you don't know what you're talking about. VR is mostly for entertainment purpose now, so yeah, I'd love to just use it when I'm at home instead of just watching old boring tv TV. And you also have no idea about the advancement of technology right now! People have already been inventing ways to interact with the virtual world! Things like gloves to sense the virtual world, omni directional thread mill to walk around in the virtual world, and so on. So NO, it won't take 50 years for VR to take off, because it's already taking of right now.

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          • Jovan
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          • 01 Nov 2016

          Anonymous, 01 Nov 2016Ideal resolution for VR is still 16K. Maybe that's the reas... moreThat is just dumb. 16K?? lol You don't even know what you're saying! Sony 4K phone is a failure because it's not optimized for VR! You have no idea how sharp a 4K display compares to a 2K one, have you? You think it's just double the sharpness? Haha wrong. 4K is actually four times 2K! So on a sub 6" phone display for VR it's gonna be around four times sharper than today's Gear VR! Even if somehow people could still see the pixels if they try really hard, I'd say that's pretty damn good for a technology in its infancy. And when it gets to 6K, people won't even be able to tell the difference between VR and reality! And you say 16K!? Lol Get out of here!

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            • 01 Nov 2016

            Jovan, 01 Nov 2016Really??? What about VR tourism where you can visit countle... moreDo you really want to live your life onto a couch with a pair of glasses on your head ?

            I have a Gear VR and S7 Edge and I don't use it. Why ? Not because of the low resolution, but because it is cumbersome and also boring.

            The human body has 5 senses (maybe 6) and only 2 of those are used by VR. So, it's not "reality", and will probably not be in the next 50 years.

            The real problem of the VR is the need for (big) glasses, just like the 3D TV problem. When they would be able to somehow mix VR into the real world (like holograms) then it will catch up.

              Anonymous, 31 Oct 2016Uber geek spotted. Don't worry we will reach there one day.... morewe reached there some 10years ago..all we managed to do is shrink stuff...i'm not complaining, i like the tech now but it seems all tech people are camping near the edge of the woods..no-one wants to venture forth
              do you remember the actual microsoft surface?? it was huge and cost about 4000-8000USD but i was innovative, google glass was innovative, project ara was too...these things get shelved and here we are fighting over bezels and whether a glass back is better than aluminium

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                • Anonymous
                • utr
                • 01 Nov 2016

                Jovan, 01 Nov 2016Really??? What about VR tourism where you can visit countle... moreI was talking about what is popular these days. Most of the things you stated aren't even practical right now.

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                  • Anonymous
                  • utr
                  • 01 Nov 2016

                  Jovan, 01 Nov 2016Lol They weren't talking about resolution in VR, the Mali-V... moreIdeal resolution for VR is still 16K. Maybe that's the reason samsung is developing a 11K display. Closer to the ideal.
                  Pixel density is important but if the size of the phones won't decrease then resolution has to increase. 2 inch per eye with 2K for both lol. You just contradicted yourself there.
                  Besides I would never put a samsung phone near my eyes now. Besides Sony already made a 4K display phone and it was more or less a failure.

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                    • 01 Nov 2016

                    People who can't see the night and day differences between VR and old 3D tech are really just not using their brain correctly.

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                      • 01 Nov 2016

                      Anonymous, 31 Oct 2016In China? it's been the same in US for awhile. That's its o... moreReally??? What about VR tourism where you can visit countless places all around the world without even leaving your room? What about VR war gaming and VR gaming as a whole? What about social VR with avatars like in the matrix? I think you're not thinking it right. :)

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                        • 01 Nov 2016

                        Yuri84, 31 Oct 2016"4K @ 120fps, it will be a while before we need that" Err,... moreLol They weren't talking about resolution in VR, the Mali-V61 is a video processor for capturing and steaming videos, meaning it's for cameras and displays! And if talking about VR, next year's Galaxy S8 with 4K display will be really freaking awesome! 8K is an overkill and completely unnecessary. The important thing in VR is NOT resolution, it's pixel density! Even if it's only 2K but if you put it on a 2inch display per eye in VR then the pixel density would be so high it's gonna be really realistic. But of course it's gonna have to be a didicated VR headset and not smartphone based one. For smartphone based VR, next year's S8 should be pretty amazing. I honestly can't wait!

                          Anonymous, 31 Oct 2016Yep, the ideal resolution for VR is 16k. Would take a while... moreI believe not only VR will benefit from high-resolution screens. TVs will get bigger and more detailed, you will finally be able to 'surround yourself' with a wall of image and see not only directly in front of you, but also on sides of your vision (I'd love to cover 120 degrees from my point of vision). Or so I hope, I'm sick of this "tunnel vision" spot that today's monitors offer. 35 inch ultra-wide curved monitor is already on my wishlist. Just a little too expensive...

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                            • Rabbid
                            • RIE
                            • 01 Nov 2016

                            4K Video Recording @ 120fps = Mind Blown

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                              • Anonymous
                              • sUw
                              • 31 Oct 2016

                              AnonD-234961, 31 Oct 2016The VR hype is already dying. It's very similar to the 3D T... morejust like apple said there is no need for big phones.
                              VR is the future.
                              you do realize that we are still in infancy stage of VR.
                              10 years later, it is a mature product.
                              it ain't gonna die.

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                                • Anonymous
                                • IWQ
                                • 31 Oct 2016

                                AnonD-234961, 31 Oct 2016The VR hype is already dying. It's very similar to the 3D T... moreYou forgot the porn industry. They will be the one to lead the VR trend.

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                                  • Anonymous
                                  • 0RT
                                  • 31 Oct 2016

                                  AnonD-234961, 31 Oct 2016The VR hype is already dying. It's very similar to the 3D T... moreUntil we have Matrix levels of realism, I don't think it will ever take off.

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                                    • Anonymous
                                    • utX
                                    • 31 Oct 2016

                                    AnonD-39937, 31 Oct 2016Programming is already a home job.( if you want it to be)... Maybe he meant there would be more unhealthy(read : fat) people thanks to this revolution and it won't only affect the programmers now. The thing was that the former were already an excluded part of the society. Can you imagine all the cool people staying at home getting unhealthy (you know what I mean lol).

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • g5A
                                      • 31 Oct 2016

                                      VR will NEVER have success

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                                        • Anonymous
                                        • utX
                                        • 31 Oct 2016

                                        AnonD-442781, 31 Oct 2016In China, property retailers use vr to help sell properties... moreIn China? it's been the same in US for awhile. That's its only useful application for now.