Google sees the future of technology in virtual and augmented realities (VR and AR) and reports are speculating that a new hardware may be underway.
No, it's not Cardboard (we already have that) and no, it's not Daydream either — that's the consumer version; we're talking about something bigger.
If you're thinking it's Google-backed Magic Leap, the up and coming device that augments reality with the virtual world, no, it's not that too.
So a new piece of tech, then? Yes, and no.
First and foremost, it's a wildly speculative rumor so please pass the salt. While reports claim that sources either have a good connection with the company or are very aware of the covert projects under development in the company, it's more likely unverified until someone from Google (with a name) actually speaks up; it's all been coming from anonymous tips.
As such, the first of these rumors surfaced when Recode reported that Google, or more specifically, research lab X — a separate entity still under parent company, Alphabet — purportedly scrapped an ongoing project "to create a high-end standalone virtual reality headset." The supposed device would be comparable to ones manufactured by HTC and Facebook-owned Oculus Rift.
A team of 50 people is said to have been previously working on the project to create a dedicated OS "unique from Android" before it got shut down by the company. The publication suggested that "the decision likely stems from Google's effort to streamline its more ambitious projects" — as widely evident in its budget-friendly Cardboard tech.
Meanwhile, Engadget picked the story up and made a few discoveries of their own.
The publication's own sources reaffirmed what the previous report claimed, though, more specifically, only part of it was scrapped — only the dedicated OS part of the project was killed but the reported standalone headset is still ongoing.
"[S]ources within the company say that a Google team is still working on a dedicated headset that blurs the line between virtual reality and augmented reality," the publication clarifies.
Assumingly, as sources revealed, the company has been making a few rearrangements within the company to accommodate continuing efforts to produce the Daydream headset while at the same time, work on the company's end goal VR project.
"[Daydream]'s a stepping stone towards a grander hardware push," as Engadget puts it.
The rumored headset will work without the need for a PC or phone and most likely, offer more support for AR than VR, combining its built-in screens with the physical world: a sort of mix between the two different worlds of virtual goodness.
Concerned companies Google, X and Alphabet have yet to comment on these speculations but as always, we'll keep you posted.
Photo: Fabrice Florin | Flickr
