Consumer electronics giant Lenovo just filed documents for a standalone headset with the FCC. The FCC is a US regulatory agency with responsibility over wireless frequency use.
Lenovo’s Fourth VR Headset
This wouldn’t be Lenovo’s first standalone headset. Back in 2018 the company partnered with Google to deliver the Mirage Solo, which launched during the same week as Facebook’s Oculus Go. The headset featured positional tracking, but the controller (like Go’s) was only 3DoF, acting as a laser pointer.
By all accounts the Mirage Solo did not sell large volumes on the market. This is likely due to the fact that it was twice the price of the Oculus Go while not providing the 6DoF tracked controllers of PC VR and Oculus Quest or any ports of major PC VR titles.
For PC VR, in 2017 Lenovo released a low cost PC VR headset based on Microsoft’s Windows MR reference design, which interfaces with the Windows MR platform. Last year, Facebook released the Oculus Rift S PC VR headset, which is built by Lenovo.
Low End Hardware?
Since the FCC is responsible (in this context) for regulating wireless emissions, the filings reveal which WiFi and Bluetooth frequencies the device supports.
The document states that the device uses 802.11n (WiFi 4), but doesn’t list 802.11ac (WiFi 5). It also doesn’t show as having Bluetooth LE (Low Energy). Oculus Quest supports both WiFi 5 and Bluetooth LE, according to its filing.
This may indicate it is a low end device, making significant tradeoffs to optimize for cost. Oculus Go, Facebook’s low end headset recently reduced to $150, also does not support Bluetooth LE.
But What Platform?
Hardware is only one aspect of a VR product. The hardware needs to run a software platform and have access to a store filled with content to be appealing to consumers. On PC, any manufacturer’s headset can interface with Valve’s SteamVR, but there is no such platform openly available for standalone headsets.
So what platform will this headset actually run? We don’t know yet, but we can speculate based on what we know about the standalone VR market.
Google Daydream
The Mirage Solo ran Google’s Daydream VR platform, which is based on Android. But Google no longer updates the Daydream platform and stopped sales of its Daydream viewer for Pixel phones, and the newest Pixels don’t even support it. Additionally, the company removed Google Play Movies & TV from the Daydream store. Virtual reality hasn’t even been mentioned at Google’s I/O conference for years now.
It is possible, however, that the success of Oculus Quest renewed Google’s interest in VR and that it partnered with Lenovo to launch a competitor.
Another Possibility: HTC Viveport M
In China, HTC offers its Vive Focus and Vive Focus Plus headsets to consumers, running the Viveport M store powered by the Vive Wave SDK and platform. This platform is also offered to other manufacturers within China.
It is possible HTC is planning to bring this platform to the west. But doing so would require the company to invest significantly in content to compete with the Oculus Quest’s library, and it is unclear whether HTC has the resources for this.
What About Facebook’s Oculus?
This headset could also be an expansion of Lenovo’s VR partnership with Facebook. The Oculus Quest store is filled with popular VR titles like Beat Saber, Job Simulator, Superhot VR, Vader Immortal, VRChat, Rec Room, and many more.
Even at $400 the Quest is out of reach for many consumers. Lenovo’s specialty is in building low cost hardware, so it is possible the company could be offering a more affordable alternative to Quest.
It is also possible that this is intended to replace Oculus Go as a media viewer, given the lack of WiFi 5 and Bluetooth LE in the listing.
None Of The Above?
Of course, it is also entirely possible that Lenovo’s new headset will be targeted at enterprise rather than consumers, in which case it would just need core system software and an SDK for businesses to integrate with their custom software.
Furthermore, it could be a totally new VR platform that is yet to be officially announced.
We’ll keep a close eye on Lenovo in the coming weeks and months to bring you any new information as to what this headset actually is.
The post Lenovo Files Standalone Headset With US Regulator, Details Suggest Low Cost appeared first on UploadVR.
from UploadVR https://ift.tt/2TEbBIu
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment