Google to launch 'Nexus Style' headset to match Samsung's Gear VR: report

Mumbai: Over the past few years, virtual reality has been gaining traction and numerous technology giants are progressively investing towards developing better VR headsets for consumers.

Now a new report has indicated that Google is planning to improve on its previous VR product offering, and releasing an advanced version of the Google cardboard.

Around a year and a half earlier, Google came up with an elementary VR headset—the Google Cardboard—with two simple plastic lenses inside a hollow cardboard. However the new headset is speculated to have a new plastic casting, with better sensors and lenses.

The report by the Financial Times suggested that California-based company will be releasing the new VR headset to compete against Samsung’s recently launched Gear VR.

Interestingly, the report also indicated that Google’s new VR headset will support a higher number of smartphones than Samsung’s Gear VR. Unlike the Cardboard, the company’s upcoming headset will not rely entirely on a smartphone’s equipment.

However, most of its processing power will be drawn from the handset, according to the report. The company is most likely to unveil the new VR headset during the three-day annual developer conference— Google I/O.

The new product hardware will be based on a Nexus style design to extend support towards the company’s hardware partners.

Another specialized version of headset Android VR might also be unveiled alongside the “Nexus Style” VR product. The specialised version of the product will allow more virtual reality integration into android, thus extending support towards third-party apps.

Even developers will be able to integrate more virtual reality features to their Android apps.

Google has a slew of other projects up its sleeve and it will be exciting to see whether the company is also looking forward to integrate the upcoming products with existing projects to offer superior virtual reality experience.