Qualcomm announced that developers who dabble into virtual reality software will receive SDKs for smartphones and virtual reality headsets that use Snapdragon chipsets.
With VR business on the rise, the company aims to help developers craft apps and games specifically for Snapdragon-based architecture.
Experts estimate that by 2020, the VR and augmented reality market will reach $120 billion. One implication is that the VR gadgets will improve drastically until then, as well as the software that allows for the unique experience. The SDK provided by Qualcomm assists this evolution by letting coders simplify the process and improving VR performance, both in smartphones that pack the Snapdragon 820 CPU, as well as in future VR headsets.
All interested developers will have free access to the SDK in the Q2 2016, via the Qualcomm Developer Network.
One way in which the kit benefits developers is that it helps with the spreading of processing workloads on multi-core CPUs. To prevent causing motion sickness for headset users, it is essential for the cores to keep up with the rendering tasks and motion sensors.
Another important feature of the VR SDK is the digital signal processing sensor fusion, which works via the Snapdragon Sensor Core to combine data from accelerometers and gyroscopes. The analysis allows coders to obtain quicker 3D images and stereoscopic rendering with lens correction. The development kit should ensure that the headset/smartphone running VR uses power more efficiently and displays menus and other interfaces in a clearer way.
"We're providing advanced tools and technologies to help developers significantly improve the visual user experience of next-generation virtual reality applications" says senior director of engineering at Qualcomm, Dave Durnil.
He goes on to add that VR will change the way in which we relate and interact with the world, and promises that Snapdragon 820 VR-compatible Android smartphones and headsets will see the benefits.
At the Game Developers Conference week, Qualcomm will use Samsung hardware to showcase a few Qualcomm-generated demos of its latest work.
Tim Leland, VP of product management for visual processing at Qualcomm, declared that there is a radical performance and graphics quality difference, and the expansion of VR's capabilities is only starting to show its potential.
Last year, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 was rumored to change the way in which developers make use of VR, and we look forward to see how it plays out for the company and its customers.
