There is much anticipation still for more news to come of Google’s latest head-mounted display (HMD) announcement of Daydream, which was introduced officially to us during Google I/O earlier this year, which could stand up to be a true contender for Samsung’s Gear VR. However, a spanner has been thrown in the works now with rumours of the company developing way more than what we thought with talks of a mixed augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) standalone HMD.
It emerged from Engadget a couple days ago that sources “speaking under anonymity” from Google itself confirmed that the company had been getting people to work on “a high-end headset” for the past few months, and that Daydream isn’t the only long-term VR plan, or AR for that matter. It has been reported that it will not just be a VR system as it will incorporate parts that lend more to AR despite still having a screen, translating as a hybrid type of headset.
Further comments made include there not being a set date or solid present plan as it is still only part of Google’s future plans. But it is, however, “important”. Other reports that Engadget has gathered up as backing evidence is Wall Street Journal’s report on Google developing a standalone VR system with “outward-facing cameras”, which would make more sense as an AR and VR type of hybrid.
Aside from it being some kind of cross-over between the two technologies, the other exciting aspect is its standalone quality. The sources went on to comment that there will not be a computer or phone to power it.
It goes without saying that Google officially hasn’t commented on this, and it can be bet on that there won’t be any official comment until there is another Google event full of reveals and surprises.
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