Google I/O: Standalone VR headsets from Lenovo & HTC Vive, Tango phone from Asus & more announcemets

Google seems to be focused a lot on VR and AR.

| Updated: Friday, May 19, 2017, 10:57 [IST]

At the ongoing Google I/O conference, the company made several VR and AR-related announcements. It was announced that they are working on standalone Daydream VR headsets. Also, it was said that the Galaxy S8 and upcoming LG V30 will be Daydream compatible.

Google I/O: Standalone VR headsets, Tango phone and more

Google isn't all about VR and AR, but both the technologies enable us to experience the real world in a new way. For this reason, Google is making a lot of investments in the core technology of AR and VR and in those platforms that will make these more accessible to a wide range of users.

Android O and Android GO announced, interesting features revealed Android O and Android GO announced, interesting features revealed

Google made many announcements at the ongoing conference including the ones given below. Furthermore, the company will discuss more about the upcoming tools for the developers and Google Daydream and Tango at today's event. You can watch the event live from the video below.

Daydream-ready phones

The VR headset dubbed Daydream View was launched in October 2016. Already, there are many Daydream-dream phones in the market and many more are coming soon. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will receive the Daydream support this summer via a software update. Also, the upcoming LG flagship dubbed LG V30 will receive this feature while it is announced later this year.

Also read: All that you need to know about Daydream

Standalone VR headsets

Daydream is all set to support a new range of VR devices called standalone VR headsets. The standalone headsets don't need a phone or PC to enjoy the experience. Getting into VR will be a simple task of just putting it on. The hardware will be optimized completely for VR and will feature the WorldSense technology that enables positional tracking to enable the headset track the precise movements in space.

Google and Qualcomm have teamed up for the standalone headset reference design and this will be the blueprint for the other brands in future. Currently, HTC VIVE and Lenovo are working on such standalone VR devices using this design. For now, it is known that the first such VR headsets will go on sale later this year.

Augmented Reality with Tango

Google has been investing in the Tango technology for several years. With Tango, the devices can track motion, understand distances as well as their position in reality. The Tango technology enabled Asus ZenFone AR has been announced at the CES 2017 in January and the Tango smartphone will be released this summer. Tango is one of the core technologies behind VPS (Visual Positioning Service) of Google. It helps devices to accurately and quickly understand the location indoors.