Huawei Daydream VR Headset Might Arrive Soon As Controller Appears In FCC

Back in January, Huawei announced that it was making its own virtual reality headset that supports Google’s Daydream VR platform. The year is almost over and it looks like Huawei’s Daydream VR headset will officially be released soon as its controller has already been spotted in recent FCC documents.

The FCC documents showing the Huawei daydream controller were first spotted by Ausdroid. The FCC documents included images of what appears to be a Huawei-branded Daydream controller, which has been labeled as a “virtual reality handle.”

Aesthetically, it looks very similar to the controller that’s included with Google’s Daydream View VR headset, as pointed out by Android Authority. The Huawei controller features a circular concave area which should function as a small touchpad. Just below that area are the Home, Return and volume buttons. The top edge also has a single trigger for additional control, which will likely be useful for shooter-based games.

The FCC documents also included a manual, which states that the controller can also be used to answer phone calls. The manual also mentions “matching handle and virtual glasses,” which suggests that it is not a standalone VR headset. This just means that Huawei’s Daydream VR headset will function similarly to Google’s Daydream View headset, which requires a compatible smartphone in order to work.

The manual states that when a user receives a phone call while using the VR headset, an option will pop up to answer or reject the call. The user will have to select an option with the touchpad by tapping on it or by by clicking on the trigger. The manual also says that users will be able to take screenshots by pressing the Home button and the trigger button at the same time.

Unfortunately, the FCC documents only showed photos of the controller and not the VR headset itself so there’s no way of telling what Huawei’s Daydream VR headset will really look like. Google did show off an image of what Huawei’s VR headset might look like back in January, but its design could have been drastically changed over the last few months. Although Huawei’s Daydream VR headset is still a no-show, the appearance of the controller in the FCC means that it really exists and its release seems to be imminent.

With the new Huawei Daydream VR headset on its way, Huawei only has two smartphones that actually support Google’s Daydream VR platform: the Huawei Mate 9 Pro and the Porsche Design Mate 9. Huawei hasn’t announced anything about expanding Daydream VR support to its other smartphones.

Huawei officially unveiled the Mate 10 Pro back in October and the flagship Android smartphone comes with an OLED display, which is a requirement for Google Daydream. However, the Mate 10 Pro hasn’t be certified as Daydream-ready by Google yet, but Huawei could change that with a software update. The Huawei Mate 10 Pro is rumored to be available in the U.S. through AT&T in early 2018 and it currently sells for €799 (around US$945) in some parts of Europe.