Google will apparently release its own VR headset later this year

Home / News / Google will apparently release its own VR headset later this year

Whispers of a Google-made VR headset have once again popped up online.

The latest report from the Financial Times points to the tech giant releasing a VR headset shell similar to that of the Samsung Gear VR, which should make it cheaper and more accessible than headsets like the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Sony PlayStation VR.

If true, it means Google’s headset will require an inserted smartphone to provide both the display and power the VR apps themselves – except hopefully it won’t be shoddily crafted from scrap pizza boxes.

The mystery headset will also apparently support a wider variety of handsets compared to Samsung’s offering, which won’t be hard given the fact that Samsung’s VR headset is locked to its own handsets.

Google has previously been spotted advertising for VR hardware engineers, as well as reportedly working on its own VR-based operating system.

With Apple also apparently tinkering away on its own solution, a Google headset definitely isn’t the craziest rumour we’ve ever come across. Watch this virtual space.

[Financial Times via The Verge]

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Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.