Android VR headset launching next week to rival Gear VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive
Google has been rumoured to be working on Android VR headset. Peter Rojas, a well-known journalist has tweeted that the search engine giant will be unleashing Android VR headset at Google I/O 2016 event that will held next week.
The reference of Android VR headset was seen in release notes on the newest version of Unreal Engine, a suite of tools that are used for building games. Now, Rojas has tweeted that the Android VR headset will be a standalone device that will be announced at Google I/0 2016 next week.
Rojas added the Android VR will not be as powerful as popular VR devices like HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. However, the rumour mill is also claiming that the Android VR headset will be able to deliver better performance.
Wall Street Journal had reported in February that Google is working on as standalone VR headset that can be used without a smartphone. A standalone VR headset is a device that contains its own display, CPU, and battery.
The publication further stated that the Google won’t be launching its VR headset until the end of this year. It had also reported that Google may even consider abandoning the device, but the tweets from Rojas suggests that the arrival of the standalone Android VR headset is highly possible at Google I/O 2016 event.
Android VR will definitely be announced next week, and from what I’ve heard will be less powerful than the Vive or Rift.
— Peter Rojas (@peterrojas) May 11, 2016
Correct. Android VR will be a standalone headset. https://t.co/66NibcpfxK
— Peter Rojas (@peterrojas) May 11, 2016
Google Cardboard, a VR platform from Google that allows users to build their low-cost VR headset by using DIY cardboard kit. Google Cardboard can deliver VR experience when a smartphone is used along with Cardboard apps. The company had launched Google Cardboard to encourage developers to create VR applications.
Google is speculated to include system-level integration of VR in the core of Android N. This would assist in lowering latency and deliver impressive VR experience. The Android N Developer Preview 2 contains references such as “VR Listener” and “VR Helper,” Arts Technica reported. Moreover, the upcoming mobile OS is rumored to prompt about running apps in VR mode. Hence, the Android N OS is heavily pegged to support VR services natively.
