Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) is developing a way for shoppers to pay by nodding while using VR devices with VR Pay.
Alibaba is developing the VR Pay system to make shopping easier. It will allow customers to shop without having to remove the headset to get their payment information. This allows them to continue shopping without breaking the VR experience.
The VR Pay system can also recognize a person’s voice to verify their identity. When it comes to authorizing a payment, users of the system can use different head movements, stare at a certain space or take other actions to confirm the purchase.
Ant Financial was holding a demonstration of the VR Pay system on Wednesday. It operates Alipay, which is China’s largest online payments service. The group said that payment system will make VR more of a tool and less of a toy. It is currently planning for a commercial release by the end of the year, reports Reuters.
VR is a hot topic as many tech companies move to embrace the technology. Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) will be releasing its own VR headset, the PlayStation VR, for $399 on Thursday. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is also working on its own VR headset called “Project Alloy.” However, it hasn’t announced a price or release date for the device, yet.
Company’s working on VR have to overcome motion sickness if they want the devices to take off. There have been several cases of players throwing up while wearing headsets. This was the case with several gamers at 2016’s E3 Expo.
