Qualcomm has unveiled a new virtual reality headset at IFA 2016 in Berlin this week in the form of the Qualcomm Snapdragon VR820, which has been created to be a standalone piece of hardware and requires no PC to function, unlike the HTC vive and Oculus Rift.
The Snapdragon VR820 is expected to be made available in Q4 2016, although no pricing or worldwide availability has been announced as yet. Internally the virtual reality headset is based on the Snapdragon 820 processor as its name suggests.
The VR headset has been designed for OEMs to quickly develop standalone head mounted displays (HMDs) optimised for VR content and applications, says Qualcomm. Specifications of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon VR820 virtual reality headset include :
– Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU for next-generation console-quality VR gaming and apps, while delivering up to 40 percent improvement to graphics performance and compute capabilities compared to its predecessor
– Smooth, stereoscopic 3D, with foveated rendering, and support for the latest graphics APIs
– 1440×1440 resolution per eye, AMOLED panel that supports up to 70Hz
– 360° 4K video playback processing with HEVC compression and display refresh rates at 70 FPS
– Qualcomm TruPalette display gamut mapping, color enhancement comprehensive control over colors
– Qualcomm EcoPix pixel compression, with variable refresh for extended battery life
– Stereo, binaural positional audio, and 3D surround sound, powered by Qualcomm Aqstic audio technologies
– Four microphones with Fluence HD noise filtering and active noise cancellation
– Dual Qualcomm Spectra camera ISPs combined with Qualcomm Hexagon DSP for advanced vision features such as look-through imaging and 3D reconstruction, eye-tracking and hand gestures
– Predictive, monocular visual motion tracking with full 6DOF at 800Hz for smooth tracking of head motion in movement as well as rotation
– Ultra-fast sensing, processing with average motion to photon latency under 18ms
– Custom-designed 64-bit Qualcomm Kryo quad-core CPU for high-performance computing
– Integrated Hexagon 680 DSP for efficiently processing advanced vision, audio, and Qualcomm All-Ways Aware ultra-low power “always-on” sensor technology without impacting CPU processing load
Anthony Murray, senior vice president and general manager, IoT, Qualcomm Technologies International explains :
Consumers everywhere are captivated by truly immersive VR experiences, and Qualcomm Technologies’ capabilities in graphics, displays, video, audio, computer vision and sensor technologies, as well as power and thermal efficiencies proven over years of smartphone innovation, uniquely positions us to help customers bring these experiences to life
The Snapdragon VR820 integrates key technologies and features for an exceptional VR experience and provides a springboard for OEMs and developers to usher in the next generation of truly portable and untethered devices that we think are necessary for mass consumer adoption of VR.
For more information on the new Snapdragon VR820 jump over to the Qualcomm press release website for details by following the link below.
Source: QComm