Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon VR820, a wireless virtual reality headset that is powered by its namesake Snapdragon 820 chipset.
The device looks similar to the Samsung Gear VR, but with two external cameras looking out from the headset's front. The Snapdragon VR820 comes with six-axis motion tracking, eye tracking through two internal cameras and AMOLED displays at 1,440 x 1,440 pixels resolution per eye. It is also wireless with Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi 802.11ac technology with internal processing capabilities, allowing it to function without needing to be connected to a computer.
The Snapdragon VR820's refresh rate, which is one of the factors in making the VR experience better for users, is only 70 Hz though, compared with the 90 Hz refresh rate of the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive.
The Snapdragon VR820, however, is not something that consumers will be able to purchase for themselves. The VR headset, which was manufactured through a partnership with China-based Goertek, is actually a reference platform that can be used by other companies as a basis for the design of their own headsets.
With the Snapdragon VR820, Qualcomm is looking to put itself in a position as a major player in consumer VR technology. While VR headsets that require to be connected to PCs are powered by high-performance AMD and Nvidia graphics cards, other headsets and applications could instead be powered by chips made for mobile such as the Snapdragon 820.
With the headset to function as a reference platform, Qualcomm could also have a role in decreasing the costs of VR technology in the long term. The release of the Snapdragon VR820 can be compared with the reference designs that Qualcomm released for low-end smartphones that were utilized by about 50 companies. These manufacturers, by using these designs as the basis for their devices, were able to cut down on research and development expenses and design costs, leading to lower-priced smartphones.
If the capabilities of the Snapdragon VR820 for a standalone wireless VR headset sound familiar, it might be because you have heard of Intel's Project Alloy, which was announced in mid-August. Project Alloy is also a reference design for a standalone wireless VR headset, and while Intel's project seems to be more powerful, the Snapdragon VR820 will be made available much sooner.
The Snapdragon VR820 will be made available to Qualcomm's business partners by the end of the year, with commercial devices that will be based on its design expected to launch shortly afterwards. Qualcomm did not set possible prices for such headsets, but it revealed that the price range would be similar to that of high-performance tablet computers.
