Stand-alone headsets untethered to other devices could be next big breakthrough for Google virtual reality headsets.
Google is rumored to be looking beyond its $20 Cardboard platform for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to carve out a new and different facet of a market that some believe may hit the $150 billion mark by 2020.
Indications are that Google intends to take the next step for VR and AR: A product that will stand alone, untethered to either a smartphone or desktop.
It’s also said to be developing a solid plastic version of its Google Cardboard product that would work with an Android optimized for VR.
Virtual reality provides an experience wrapped around a totally simulated environment. Augmented reality layers the real world into the experience, integrated with video, graphics or sound that has been generated by the computer.
The possibility of a device-free VR/AR headset was signaled by Google’s expanded partnership with Movidius. Movidius is a machine vision company that worked with the tech giant to develop its Project Tango phones and tablets. Last month, the two cryptically stated they would work more closely together, with Google utilizing Movidius’ processors and helping to advance its “neural network technology roadmap.”
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A partnership on a standalone VR headset makes sense in light of the nature of their past efforts. Project Tango devices detect and digitize the user’s surroundings through the use of cameras.
Also, Movidius technology features motion tracking chips with a high level of energy efficiency. That would give Google a leg up with extended battery life, vital for AR-based applications that consume significant power. It would also expand the headset’s usability by removing major limitations linked to the need to recharge.
Wearable virtual reality is a technology that is still evolving, and wearable augmented reality is earlier still in its development. Giving people the opportunity to straddle both worlds through one device would create a substantially enriched experience, made possible by bundling the technology together with a longer battery life.
