Google Developing Virtual-Reality Headset
February 11 2016 - 8:00PM
Dow Jones News
Google is getting real about virtual reality.
The Alphabet Inc. unit is developing an all-in-one
virtual-reality headset that doesn't rely on a smartphone, computer
or game console, according to people familiar with the matter. That
would be a first in the rapidly evolving field.
Google also plans to release later this year a more advanced
version of its $20 cardboard virtual-reality viewer that uses a
smartphone as a screen, people familiar with the matter said. The
new plastic viewer will include computer chips and sensors, these
people said.
The new devices are the latest evidence of Google's growing
interest in virtual reality and will thrust the tech giant more
fully into competition with Facebook Inc., whose Oculus unit plans
to start shipping a $599 headset next month that runs off a
personal computer.
HTC Corp. and Sony Corp. also plan headsets this year that
require a PC or game console, while Samsung Electronics Co. began
selling a $100 viewer in November that uses the company's
phones.
"What's pretty clearly evolving here is a platform war," said
Macquarie Capital analyst Ben Schachter. "Some of the smartest
people at Google are moving into" virtual reality.
Google last month named Clay Bavor its first virtual-reality
chief. "Since the beginning we've been about making VR available
for everyone," Mr. Bavor said at a conference Wednesday. "We'll
have some more to share later in the year."
Google and others have shipped more than five million of
Google's cardboard viewers since late 2014, helping introduce many
consumers to technology that immerses them in experiences that seem
to be all around them. Industry insiders viewed the cardboard
devices as an experiment, but recent moves suggest Google now
thinks virtual reality could become a moneymaker in both hardware
and software.
Companies across Silicon Valley and Hollywood have invested
billions of dollars in the technology, hoping it has big potential
in industries such as gaming, entertainment and education. Some
tech executives view it as a "platform" for computing, much like a
smartphone or a PC.
Yet virtual reality still appears years away from widespread
adoption, in part because high-end headsets arriving this year
require expensive PCs, while inexpensive smartphone viewers can
give users headaches.
Google's planned stand-alone headset appears to aim for a middle
ground: a quality experience not tethered to an expensive PC or
game console. Still, it is unclear whether many consumers are
willing to pony up for another entertainment gadget.
One of the people familiar with the matter said the headset will
include a screen, high-powered processors and outward-facing
cameras. Google plans to use chips from startup Movidius Inc. that
use the cameras' feeds to track the motion of the user's head, the
person said. Other high-end headsets, like the Oculus Rift, tap the
computing power of connected PCs and use external cameras to track
users' motion.
Movidius said in a written statement that it works with many
companies on virtual reality and augmented reality, but declined to
elaborate.
The timing of the stand-alone headset is unclear. One of the
people familiar with the matter said it could be unveiled this
year, while another cautioned that it is early in development and
Google could decide not to release it.
The company could unveil its new smartphone viewer at its annual
developer conference in May, two people said. To ensure that the
device works with as many Android phones as possible, Google is
retooling a new version of its Android mobile operating system to
handle virtual-reality devices, those people said. One change would
allow a phone to stay on even when it hasn't been touched for a
while, the people noted.
The Financial Times earlier reported news of Google's new
smartphone headset.
Write to Jack Nicas at jack.nicas@wsj.com and Alistair Barr at
alistair.barr@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 11, 2016 19:45 ET (00:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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