Everyone and their mother is developing virtual reality headsets these days, and according to recent reports, Google is getting in on it too. After the apparent success of their quick-n’-cheap phone-based headset Google Cardboard, the company is now working to improve and upgrade the design as a way to compete with other VR machines like the Samsung/Oculus Gear headset.
The device is expected to be released this year and will mostly take cues from Google Cardboard by using an Android smartphone placed inside of the headset for display and processing. Unlike Cardboard, however, the new headset will feature extra built-in sensors for motion detection and will (obviously) be built with a more sturdy material. It will also be compatible with a wider range of phones, as opposed to the narrower selection of newer Samsung Galaxy models that work with Cardboard.
According to Clay Bavor, head of the Google Cardboard project and related products, VR is “too important and too powerful a medium to be accessible to only a few.” The words ring especially true considering the hefty $350+ price tag on the Oculus Rift. As it stands, the market is about to flooded with VR headsets and tech from pretty much every company ever- all that’s left is seeing which one claws its way to the top. It’s hard to say what the best VR experience can be, considering so few people have had an opportunity to try all of these products, but only time will tell.
