Google has been rumoured to be working on its second-generation Cardboard virtual reality headset for quite some time now. A new report over the weekend claimed that the Cardboard VR successor will feature better sensors, lenses and a more solid plastic casing. The report cited people familiar with Google’s plans and added that the company may also reveal a new Android VR technology this year, potentially making Android smart phones natively capable of streaming VR content without requiring a specialized application. The new Cardboard is said to function in a similar manner to the previous generation budget VR headset, based around a smart phone that will be slotted in the device as its display.
The Financial Times report says that the updated Google Cardboard VR headset will be compatible with large number of Android devices, unlike Gear VR which only supports high-end Galaxy devices. The company is also rumoured to make some improvements in the quality of the mobile VR user experience which is said to provide new VR tech software directly into its Android OS. This built-in support is reportedly also meant to ensure that latency is reduced, which is thought to be one of the chief causes of the nausea reported by many VR users.
The new report ties in with Google’s ambitions in the virtual reality sphere, evinced by its recent creation of a new division for the nascent yet hot technology category, and the appointment of one of Google Cardboard’s creators as the head of it. The company is looking to take on Facebook’s levering of the technology it acquired by Oculus VR. Google last month also announced that it shipped 5 million units of the Google Cardboard headset since launch.