Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG,GOOGL) may be interested in developing untethered VR headsets.
Alphabet Inc’s Android operating system is being used in a new development kit from Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM). The development kit is for untethered VR headsets that use Android, but it isn’t the same as what users get from a smartphone.
The version of Android that is being used in the Qualcomm, Inc. development kit may give an insight into Alphabet Inc’s future VR efforts. It has a separate overlay of its own. GOOG’s current VR focus is with Daydream. This has users inserting their smartphones into a cradle for a VR experience.
The big difference between Alphabet Inc’s current VR efforts and the development kit from Qualcomm, Inc. is the untethered aspect of it. Untethered VR headsets will operate completely on their own. Users won’t need a smartphone or a computer to use them, reports Computer World.
Qualcomm, Inc. is hoping that its new development kits for untethered VR headsets will bring some sense of stability to the market. It is trying to ensure that different headsets are consistent. It also wants to reduce the nausea that can sometimes come with VR headsets.
The development kits for untethered VR headsets will come out during the second quarter of 2017. Qualcomm, Inc. is also launching an accelerator program to help original design manufacturers build their own untethered VR headsets. This includes giving these companies access to its own supply partners and assisting them with product marketing, Tech Crunch notes.
