Rumors about Google’s upcoming standalone virtual reality (VR) headset started earlier this year. Now former tech journalist Peter Rojas says that the Android VR headset will be announced at the Google I/O that starts on May 18th. He also said that the headset will not be as powerful as the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, but it will be more powerful compared to the Gear VR that requires a smartphone.
A WSJ report from February said that the headset will be completely independent and will not be powered by a smartphone, a computer or a gaming console. It said that it will sport a display, cameras and processors from independent company Movidius for head tracking and also said that the headset is being designed to provide a “middle ground” experience.
Google introduced its first Cardboard viewer last year that lets smartphone users experience VR at an affordable cost. It also started selling Mattel View-Master VR viewer and C1-Glass Cardboard VR Viewer recently on its Store that are targeted at Kids.
We still don’t know how the Android VR headset will look like or how much it would cost. Since it is not expected to be a powerful headset, it is not expected to cost as much as the HTC Vive or the Oculus Rift.