Meta Unveils Groundbreaking VR Prototypes: Boba 3 and Tiramisu
Pushing Boundaries in Field of View and Visual Realism
Meta is showcasing two revolutionary virtual reality research prototypes, Boba 3 and Tiramisu, set to redefine immersive experiences. These advancements, detailed in recent research papers, aim to dramatically expand peripheral vision and achieve unprecedented levels of visual fidelity.
Boba 3: Expanding the Visual Horizon
The Boba 3 prototype represents a significant leap in ultra-wide field-of-view (FOV) technology. It boasts an impressive 180° horizontal by 120° vertical FOV, covering approximately 90% of human peripheral vision. This contrasts sharply with the current Quest 3’s FOV, which captures less than 46%.
“Boba 3 feels like breaking through to the next level of immersion, opening up the periphery and showing off what you didn’t even know was missing.”
—DSR Optical Scientist Yang Zhao
This achievement is made possible by a novel optical design utilizing high-curvature reflective polarizers, building upon Meta’s extensive work with pancake lenses. While the mixed reality variant weighs 840 grams and the VR version 660 grams, Meta notes these figures include a rigid strap, making them comparable to current headsets.
The journey to Boba 3 involved earlier iterations like Boba 1 (circa 2016) and Boba 2 (2024). Boba 3 features a per-eye resolution of 4K×4K, delivering a central angular resolution of 30 pixels per degree (PPD), surpassing Quest 3’s 25 PPD. For context, human vision is estimated at around 60 PPD.
Despite its advanced capabilities, **Yang Zhao** cautioned that Boba 3 is not yet intended for mass market due to cost and the need for high-end PC hardware to drive its performance. Meta is prioritizing its shift away from PC-only VR experiences.
Tiramisu: A Glimpse of “Hyperrealistic VR”
The Tiramisu prototype, developed by Meta’s Optics, Photonics, and Light Systems (OPALS) team, targets “hyperrealistic VR” by combining above-retinal resolution, high brightness, and high contrast. This headset represents a significant milestone in visual fidelity, offering 3.6 times the central angular resolution of Quest 3, 14 times its brightness, and triple its contrast.
Specifically, Tiramisu achieves 90 PPD with a brightness of 1400 nits, a stark improvement over Quest 3’s 25 PPD and 100 nits. This combination aims to deliver an unparalleled sense of realism.
Meta’s Tiramisu headset achieves 90 PPD resolution, 1400 nits brightness, and 3x contrast compared to Quest 3’s 25 PPD, 100 nits, and 1x contrast. This is a significant leap towards hyperrealistic VR. pic.twitter.com/XXXXXXXXXX
— World Today News (@WorldTodayNews) August 15, 2025
However, Tiramisu makes considerable compromises, featuring a narrow 33° x 33° FOV and a bulky form factor due to its heavy, expensive glass lenses. Meta views Tiramisu as a “time machine,” providing crucial insights for future product development and Meta’s ultimate goal of achieving the “Visual Turing Test.”
“Tiramisu isn’t something you can really understand just by reading an abstract. It really is like the first time you see 4K TV or an HDR TV, or the first time you go on a really immersive theme park ride that sprays water in your face. It’s something new, and it’s hard to understand this combination of numbers on a page really feeling different. Honestly, it’s the first headset in a while that really gives me a sense of wonder. It’s the most realistic VR image I’ve seen yet, with very impressive specs that add up to something that does look more realistic than anything we’ve seen in VR before.”
—Douglas Lanman, DSR Director
These prototypes, set to be demonstrated at SIGGRAPH 2025, highlight Meta’s continued commitment to advancing XR technology, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in virtual and mixed reality experiences.
