Google to launch new virtual reality headset later this year

New York: Google is reportedly developing a new virtual reality (VR) headset that will be more substantial and more like Samsung's Gear VR.

The company expects the updated and smartphone-assisted VR headset that will have better sensors, lenses and a more solid plastic casing for its users to be available by this year, possibly in September.

According to a Financial Times report, the new device with better Android VR technology will succeed the mobile VR viewer Cardboard that Google launched 12 years back.

It will also give tough competition to Gear VR - the flagship headset launched by South Korean electronic giant Samsung in collaboration with the US virtual reality technology company Oculus which is now available in India.

How is the new Google VR headset going to beat its rivals? According to the report, the company is embedding a new software directly into its Android operating system rather than relying on the app that is there with Cardboard for a better VR experience.

The updated Google headset will be compatible with a much broader range of Android devices than Gear VR that requires a compatible Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

A Cardboard unit consists of a cardboard housing, velcro and two lenses.

To use the headset, place a smartphone in front of the lenses and let the app on the smartphone replicate a virtual environment for you.

As you turn and move your head, the app adjusts based on the phone’s sensors that detect movement.

Of late, several technology companies have been working on building hardware and software for Virtual Reality (VR).

(With Agency inputs)