14 DAY TRIAL // As expected, Google’s I/O set in Mountain View, California, open until May 19, also includes a section dedicated to virtual reality. And Google has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will receive Daydream support soon.
Samsung’s latest flagship smartphones will get support for Google’s Daydream platform, VR Head Clay Bavor stated during Google I/O 2017. Support for the two latest Samsung phones will arrive this summer, via a software update.
Moreover, LG’s upcoming premium smartphone will also receive support for the Daydream platform. Although Google didn’t specifically say the name of the next premium OLED LG phone, the tech giant was most likely referring to the V30, set to arrive later this year.
Google’s Daydream platform was first announced during last year’s I/O, as an optimized mobile VR platform with low-latency, but its debut was quite slow. Only a number of devices support Daydream platform, including Google Pixel, ZTE Axon 7, Motorola Moto Z, ZenFone AR, and Huawei Mate 9 Pro.
New standalone Daydream VR headset
At this year's conference, Google also announced a new standalone Daydream VR headset, which no longer requires a smartphone to work. The hardware will be fully optimized for VR and will incorporate tracking technology called WorldSense. The technology will be able to use positional tracking to determine the movements that users make, without requiring external sensors. Moreover, cameras will help deliver a more life-like experience for users who are wearing standalone VR headsets.
In order to create the standalone VR, Google is working closely with Qualcomm. In addition, HTC and Lenovo are also planning on developing standalone Daydream VR headsets, which should arrive later this year.
Google also revealed its advancements in augmented reality and shared the fact that the second-generation Tango smartphone, the ZenFone AR, would arrive this summer. Tango will be further integrated in Google Maps to give smartphones more precise information regarding their location. The company has been working on Tango for years to help devices track motion and determine distances and their location in a certain environment.
