Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) will reportedly announce a standalone (completely independent of smartphone or PC) Android virtual reality [VR] headset at its annual I/O developer’s conference next week in San Francisco, reports TechCrunch, citing tweets from former tech journalist Peter Rojas. In the tweets, Rojas states that Google’s Android VR platform “will definitely be announced next week”.
The publication also states that Rojas’ sources had confirmed that the headset will be “less powerful than the [HTC’s] Vive or Rift”. Furthermore, the co-founder of Gizmodo and Engadget adds that “Android VR will be a standalone headset. Better than [the Samsung] Gear VR [which is made in collaboration with Facebook (FB)-owned Oculus VR], not as good as Rift/Vive.”
Rojas also mentions that the new Google VR headset will be more powerful than the Google Cardboard, the cheap smartphone-powered device released by the search giant a couple years ago.
While Google’s VR efforts so far pale in comparison to those of Facebook-owned Oculus, the Mountain View, California-based company is definitely turning up its focus on virtual reality. Google recently created a new division led by former Google Apps VP Clay Bavor which will be dedicated to VR.
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