Tim
Much news coming from Qualcomm this morning, all focused on the company’s drive to get better VR experiences into the hands of users across the globe.
Announced today, Qualcomm has Virtual Reality Development Kit (VRDK) units for select content makers. Based on the Snapdragon 835 platform and featuring Head Mounted Displays (HMD) consisting of a WQHD AMOLED display, six degrees of freedom (6DoF) Motion Tracking cameras, plus integrated trackpad, these headsets require no fans and no cables.
Not only will developers have access to new hardware for creating exciting VR content, but Qualcomm also announced that it is working with Leap Motion and its embedded hand tracking technology. With this, instead of users needing to use a trackpad or controller to interact with the VR world, they can simply use their bare hands. This is thanks to the integrated cameras and an array of other sensors in the HMD.
While all of this stuff is great for developers, there’s reason for general consumers to get excited, too. Announced today, Qualcomm has the HMD Accelerator Program, made specifically for OEMs interested in the VR space. Detailed by Qualcomm, “This virtual reality industry-first program is designed to help manufacturers reduce engineering costs, decrease the time it takes to create and ship new products, and provide means for OEMs to validate performance metrics.”
Essentially, Qualcomm will build the reference hardware, supply it to OEMs, who can then build and test their own units. This should greatly cut down the time it takes for average consumers to get this technology into their hands.
According to Qualcomm, these VRDK units will be available Q2 of 2017. Should you be a developer, make sure you are signed up in Qualcomm’s developer network for a chance to receive one. We’re counting on you to make our VR experiences awesome.
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