Google I/O 2016: Android VR Headset To Be Announced Next Week?

Google is expected to unleash a standalone Android VR headset at the Google I/O 2016 event that will be held next week. Recently, a reference to Android VR was found mentioned in the release notes of recent edition of Unreal Engine 4.12, a suite of tools designed for developing games.

Peter Rojas, a veteran tech journalist has tweeted that Google will definitely announce Android VR, a standalone headset in the next week. He has added that it won’t be as powerful as HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

In February, Wall Street Journal had reported that Google is rumored to be building a standalone headset that would work without a smartphone. Even though Android VR will be less powerful than competitor VR headsets, it is expected to deliver better performance. Since it will be a standalone headset, the device will have its own display, processor, battery and sensors.

The publication had also added that the standalone VR headset from Google would not be launched until the end of 2016. It also speculated that the company may consider cancelling the device. However, Rojas’s tweet indicates that the launch of Android VR headset is imminent at Google I/O 2016.

Google has been working on virtual reality since quite some time now. The Google Cardboard initiative allows users to make use of DIY cardboard kit to build a budget-friendly VR headset. The low cost system that was launched to encourage developers to build VR apps has been a decent success.

Cardboard VR experiences mainly rely on the Cardboard app. Hence, in order to deliver better VR experience, Google is expected to add system-level integration for VR in Android N. It would help in decreasing latency as well as let users spend more time enjoying the VR experience.

Arts Technica has reported that the second Android N Developer Preview has references to VR features like “VR Listener” and “VR Helper.” Also, the Android N is expected to show warning for apps that will run in virtual reality mode. This indicates that Android N will natively support VR services.