If one thing was clear coming out of Google's annual conference for developers, it's that the company wants to be a force in the market for virtual reality.
Google announced that it is working with Qualcomm to improve Project Tango, a move that will be critical in the search engine company's push for its Cardboard VR platform.
It may be one of those key strategies that some tech enthusiasts probably might not notice, but those who stop for a minute or two to read between the lines will see that this move falls in line with Google's vision of virtual reality.
"Project Tango combines 3D motion tracking with depth sensing to give your mobile device the ability to know where it is and how it moves through space," stated Google on Project Tango's website.
Project Tango mobile devices use gyroscopes, cameras and accelerometers to "estimate six degrees of freedom motion tracking," according to Google.
3D motion tracking has a variety of uses, including measuring space and object and also plotting movement through buildings or parking lots. Another compelling use for 3D motion tracking is keeping track of people who are navigating virtual spaces.
Qualcomm's roll in Project Tango is to do what it does best. It will deliver its Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor to Project Tango tablets.
"Qualcomm Technologies is pleased to power the next generation Project Tango development device," said Qualcomm's Raj Talluri, senior vice president of product management. "We're excited to work together with Google and Android developers to help deliver new, innovative visual experiences using depth-sensing technology on mobile devices."
Google has been laying the foundation for mass adoption of VR through mobile devices, and it announced three critical additions to its Cardboard, its low-cost concept that entails slotting a smartphone into a cardboard headset and using the handset to power VR experiences.
During the I/O conference, Google announced that its Cardboard VR platform, the software for delivering content, has been expanded to support iOS. It also announced that it has teamed up with GoPro to release 3D camera rigs that will be affordable to filmmakers on shoestring budges.
Google also said content from the platform, dubbed "Jump," will be available on YouTube.
With tool kits for creating VR apps and VR video lining up, along with a place to archive all of that footage, it makes sense that Google would ensure that the capable hardware is available to those who want to experience VR on their mobile devices.
