If you have used the virtual reality headsets coupled with smartphones to watch your favorite sports or other entertaining stuff, Google will soon make it possible for you to get the same experience minus the smartphone. This was one of the key announcements by the company in its global developers’ conference I/O 2017. It has also been confirmed that HTC and Qualcomm will be the two partners in this venture and they will work with Google in bringing out these standalone VR headsets.
The first of these devices may hit the markets probably before the year is out.
These devices will all be built around Google’s Daydream VR platform that it has developed last year in collaboration with Qualcomm. The news about the new VR headsets, which will be wireless and won’t need to be paired with a smartphone, has already brought cheer to the executives at Qualcomm. This is a great opportunity for the company to work with Google on pathbreaking technologies and to bring out products that provide some extraordinary experiences to the public. The device will be based on Qualcomm’s latest chipset, the Snapdragon 835 with the Snapdragon 835VR being the heart of the VR headsets now being planned for launch.
According to those close to this project, the new VR standalone headsets don’t need the closed room environment either. One can use them even while on the move and all necessary controls and the eco system needed to stream the content will be packed inside the device. WorldSense is another feature that will be used in the headsets for positional tracking.
It is also clear that the actual hardware may be manufactured by individual companies licensed to use the Daydream platform and with the VR related chipset being supplied through Qualcomm.
So, some exciting days ahead for those keen to enjoy the immersive experience of watching virtual reality videos with a strapped on standalone headset.
Other details like pricing and the exact dates of release are yet to be known.