Google releasing virtual reality headset this year, report says

Back in January, we reported that recent job postings indicating that Google was likely developing its own virtual reality headset.

Now, just two weeks later, a new report claims to have confirmation that Google isn't just working on a VR headset, but that the headset will debut sometime this year.

Citing a source "familiar with [Google's] plans" the report from the Financial Times on Sunday asserts that (as we guessed last month) the headset will be a competitor to Samsung's Gear VR. Along those lines, the device will need to be paired with a smartphone in order to operate.

In addition to the VR headset, the report also claims that Google will also release new Android VR software at the same time as the hardware. Specifically, Google is said to be working to improve the VR experience by making its new VR software a native part of the Android operating system.

What the report doesn't mention is the VR camera that was strongly indicated in the Google job postings we highlighted last month, so it's possible that the camera could be released separately, or is perhaps even as a part of the VR headset itself.

Aside from adding competition to the Samsung Gear VR -- which at present mostly competes with non-major brands offering similar VR headsets – a Google VR headset would immediately have the wider range of non-Samsung Android smartphones as its playground (the Gear VR is only optimized to work with Samsung smartphones).

As we mentioned last month, if this new VR hardware turns out to be true, it will mean that Google Cardboard, a relative success in its own right, was probably just a test to gauge consumer interest. 

Now the only question is when the Google VR headset will come. Google hasn't made any official announcements about any new hardware in the VR space, but if it's coming soon, there's a strong possibility that the company might announce the product at this year's Google I/O conference, which begins on May 18.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.