An optical subsystem of a near-eye display system provides for projecting light of a virtual image of image content to an eye location, and provides for collecting light of the virtual image onto an exit pupil on a surface proximate to an outer surface of an eye when at the eye location. A subpupil modulator within the aperture in cooperation with the optical subsystem provides for forming a plurality of subpupils within the exit pupil, and provides for less than all of the light of the virtual image associated with one or more less than all of the plurality of subpupils to be projected to the eye location. In various independent aspects: at least two subpupils overlap by at least 20 percent; and the intensities of the subpupils are individually and independently controlled.