Google is continuing work on the standalone virtual reality headset that was first reported back in July, and Engadget has more details to share about the secretive project.
It was earlier reported that Google shut down efforts to create a dedicated operating system for a standalone VR headset, but the company decided to move forward with the device which will "blur the line between virtual reality and augmented reality."
This description is once again used for the standalone headset in Engadget's latest report on the device, with Google said to be advancing its efforts in the project. The headset is different from Google's Daydream VR platform, as that is said to be merely the stepping stone into the bigger hardware push presented by the standalone headset.
According to sources, the Google device, which will not require to be connected to a smartphone or a computer to function, will utilize eye tracking technology. In addition, it is said that the device will use sensors and algorithms to be able to map out the real world surrounding the user.
With these two technologies, the headset will display digital objects alongside objects and environments in the real world. This will result in an experience that is less closed off compared to what current VR headsets provide, and more of a merged reality in the same vein as what will be offered by Microsoft's HoloLens and the technology that startup Magic Leap is working on.
Magic Leap described its technology as mixed reality and is different from the HoloLens as it is said to be able to create a better illusion of depth compared to Microsoft's device. Google's device is said to be different from the HoloLens and Magic Leap's project though, as Google is not looking to bring VR components into the real world, but rather to bring the real world into VR.
The additional details on Google's standalone headset comes right after a The Drum report focused on a "wireless virtual reality" device which received approval from the FCC. While the filings reveal very little about the device itself, Google VR product management director Mike Jazayeri was listed as a contact, so perhaps this device is actually the headset that Google is working on.
Engadget's sources also claim that Movidius, the artificial intelligence company currently in the middle of acquisition talks with Intel, will be providing chips which will help in tracking movement and position.
There is no information on when the standalone headset is being targeted to launch though, so it seems we will either have to wait for Google to make an official announcement or for more reports on the matter to find out.
