So far, Google’s experiments in virtual reality have mostly been done through Cardboard, the search giant’s super-cheap device that can convert any smartphone into a VR rig.
But Cardboard isn’t the limit to Google’s ambitions, with the Wall Street Journal today reporting that the company is developing a standalone virtual reality headset.
According to the Journal’s report, Google’s VR headset won’t require a smartphone, or even a PC like the Oculus Rift. Instead, it will feature its own self-contained processors, outward-facing cameras, and Movidius chips that can use the camera to track head movement. It sounds like it might be just as much virtual reality as augmented reality, perhaps a successor to Google Glass.
Along with their standalone VR headset, Google’s also apparently working on supercharged version of Cardboard, which will also contain additional chips and censors. The Wall Street Journal thinks it will be released later this year, but it’s early in the development process yet, so don’t expect to see it at I/O.
Source: Wall Street Journal
