Google to bring standalone VR headsets to market this year

At its I/O developer conference,Google said it’s working with Qualcomm on a sample design so other manufacturers can build headsets.Bloomberg | May 18, 2017, 09:51 IST

For representational purposes onlyAlphabet’s Google plans to push virtual reality to more people by working with hardware partners on standalone headsets.

At its I/O developer conference on Wednesday, Google said it’s working with Qualcomm on a sample design so other manufacturers can build headsets that don’t require a connection to a smartphone or high-powered computer.

Current VR headsets, including Facebook’s Oculus Rift and Google’s own Daydream system, require a PC or phone. Google is working on standalone headsets with Lenovo Group and HTC and it is expected to begin hitting the market later this year.

Google also will expand its Daydream headset, which was announced last year alongside the Pixel smartphone. Samsung Electronics’s new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus phones will get Daydream support this summer while LG Electronics’s next flagship smartphone, expected this fall, will also support the Daydream device.

Virtual reality immerses users in an artificial world and initially has been taken up most actively for gaming.