Qualcomm And Google Collaborate On Standalone Snapdragon 835 Daydream VR Headsets

We haven’t exactly heard much with regards to Daydream from Google’s partners since the project was first announced last year, with the only high-profile devices being Google’s own Pixel devices, the LG G6, Moto Z family and the ASUS ZenFone AR. With this new effort, however, you won’t even need to worry about slipping your smartphone into a “dumb” headset like the Daydream View — everything needed to complete the VR experience will be self-contained. That means that you'll have complete freedom with restrictive cables (like you'll get with the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift).

Google and Qualcomm have developed a reference design that of course incorporates the Snapdragon 835 SoC, WorldSense positional tracking, and the ability to integrate tracking cameras to take advantage of Project Tango.

“Our companies share the same vision: to make it possible for everyone to enjoy rich and immersive VR experiences on a smartphone device or a dedicated VR head-mounted display while being fully mobile, rather than being restricted by cables or limited to predefined rooms setup for outside-in tracking,” said Keith Kressin, SVP for Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies.

“These headsets have everything needed for VR, built right into the headset itself and are as easy to use as picking them up,” added Clay Bavor, VP of Virtual Reality at Google.

Qualcomm announced its Snapdragon 835 VR platform back in February, which itself was an outgrowth of the Snapdragon VR820 reference design that was revealed in September 2016. Google and Qualcomm say that standalone Daydream VR headsets using the Snapdragon 835 platform will be available at the retail level in the second half of 2017.