What is Daydream VR?
Google announced the new VR platform, known as Daydream, which is to be incorporated into its Android N OS. It is a very big announcement made at the developers’ conference and aims at improving the virtual reality experience for users. Virtual Reality is a big advancement in the technological space. The basic virtual headset, known as Cardboard, was launched during the developers’ conference in the year 2014. Since then Google did not offer any successor to Cardboard. Daydream is Google’s successor for Cardboard and it was reported that many smartphone makers, such as Xiaomi, HTC, and Samsung, among others are producing devices capable of offering the new VR out of the box.
Not VR Ready
Many smartphone users are eagerly waiting to try out the new Daydream Virtual Reality platform. However, there is news from Google that the VR platform powered by Android may not work on existing phones. According to Clay Bavor, the head of the VR section in Mountain View, there may not be any phones that are Daydream ready. The quality bar for the platform happens to be very high; so all components have to be perfect. It is, therefore, advisable that users wait and get a new phone that is Daydream ready.
Minimum Specs Needed
However, Google has not mentioned the specifications or minimum requirements on a phone for being certified Daydream ready. As of now, only Nexus 6P supports Daydream. However, it has not been confirmed whether the 6P would support Daydream at the time of the official release. The Axon 7 from ZTE is also ready but it is not yet out for sale. So, the final word is that users who want to use the new VR platform should not upgrade the phones not but rather wait for a few months. The standard of the internal parts necessary for supporting the new VR platform are quite high. Due to this, even the high-end phones in the market today, such as the S7 from Samsung or the HTC 10 may not make the grade.
Some General Points
Though Google has not specified the conditions necessary for a Daydream ready phone, there are some general points offered by Google regarding the components of such a device. For one, the phonemust have a low persistence display. Secondly, the system on the chip, SoC, must be of high performance. It must also have several sensors, having low latency with high quality. The device must run on Android N for enabling the Virtual Reality platform required for allowing Daydream to run efficiently.
It is likely that most of the current flagship phones or high-end smartphones will be able to meet the criteria of SoC and the display. However, the sensors built in the device may not be of the standard required by Google for the new VR platform.
Partners with Daydream ready Devices
When Daydream was announced, Google also announced some partners having the smartphones that would be Daydream ready. ZTE is one such company and it has already announced its new and upcoming phone. Other companies include HTC and Samsung as well as LG and a few others.