If latest reports circulating online are to be true, Google will unveil its much-anticipated virtual reality headset at is I/O developer conference scheduled for next week.
Android VR will definitely be announced next week, and from what I’ve heard will be less powerful than the Vive or Rift.
— Peter Rojas (@peterrojas) May 11, 2016
Dubbed as "Android VR," it is expected that the headset will be a self-contained device, Mashable reported quoting Peter Rojas, Gizmodo and Engadget founder, and currently an entrepreneur-in-residence at Betaworks. Since the purported Android VR, it will be self-contained, unlike the Samsung Gear VR or Oculus Rift; it will not require a smartphone to power it.
Rojas claimed that the Android VR is expected to deliver a better VR experience compared the Gear VR. However, it will not be as sophisticated as the Oculus Rift or HTC's Vive.
The rumor about the Android VR gains ground from the fact that Android Police also claimed that they have spotted a placeholder page on Google's Developer Console website, which showed an option for distributing apps on "Android VR." The icon appeared in the Pricing and Distribution area and is similar to that of Android Wear, suggesting that currently this is only a placeholder, the website reported.
Earlier reports on the purported Android VR offered contradictory views regarding the precise VR headset Google has been working on. A section of reports speculated that Google might release two versions of the VR headset -- one self-contained Android VR headset that will target the middle ground and another that will be the same as the Gear VR. While the second VR headset version would require a smartphone, it will work with phones apart from those built by Samsung.
There are a lot of speculations regarding the price of the Android VR headset. If Rojas is correct and Google's VR headset is superior compared to the Gear VR, it is likely to come with a higher price tag. Currently, the Grae VR sells for $99.
At the same time, the Android VR is likely to be priced lower than the Oculus Rift and Vive, which cost $500 and $800, respectively. Therefore, the Google device may carry a price tag between $100 and $500.
It is not like self-contained VR headsets do not exist. Sulon Technologies' Sulon Q headset, unveiled in March, is "the world's first and only tether-free, wireless wear-and-play headset that combines virtual reality, augmented reality and spatial computing into an all-in-one platform."
