Google said to be prepping new VR headset -- without the cardboard

Google said to be prepping new VR headset -- without the cardboard

           

             In recent years, tech companies have developed a grown interest in VR, a technology that essentially transports goggle-wearing users into a virtual 3D world.  Various companies including Google, Facebook, Samsung, Sony, Apple and Microsoft are heavily invested in the research and production of this new and upcoming technology.  

 In 2014, Google released the Cardboard VR viewer, which was the first of its kind. It is a smartphone-based headset made of sensors and lenses housed in a cardboard casing.   This product entails using a smartphone screen and app to allow users to enter a 3D virtual and augmented reality.   “It’s still incredible early innings for virtual reality as a platform and Cardboard is just a first step, but we are excited by the progress we have seen,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said during a conference call regarding their continued interest in VR.  Microsoft has also released their own version of a VR headset known as the, HoloLens, which adds 3D computer-generated scenes to people’s view of the real world.

According to a recent article, Google is said to be prepping a new smartphone-based VR headset with improved lenses and sensors that will be housed in a solid plastic casing.   This technology not only impacts the way people see things, but could also change the way we use computers and communicate with one another.  These VR headsets could further replace personal real-life interactions with virtual technology, hindering and distracting people’s real-life connections with each other and the world around them.  Although the advancement of technology has helped us in many ways, it has also drawn people away from reality and changed the way we communicate with one another.  The introduction of this relatively new technology of VR headsets would allow people to view the world in a more advanced and augmented way, but would in turn further distract people from reality.  On a more positive note, this technology will allow for people to virtually visit new places, play immersive games, and fly through space. 

In addition to Google’s improvements to its Cardboard VR viewer, Samsung, in partnership with Facebook, is expected to release other major devices that would range between $99-$649 sometime this year.  With the continued investment, collaboration, and research of major web and tech companies, it is very likely that VR headsets will become a large industry which could potentially alter the way we see things, communicate with one another, and interact with the world around us.

http://www.cnet.com/au/news/google-said-to-be-prepping-new-vr-headset-without-the-cardboard/