The virtual reality market currently revolves around two main segments: high-end virtual reality for PC users including headsets such as the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, and mobile VR which is currently dominated by the Samsung Gear VR. Interestingly enough, however, Samsung will apparently face some VR competition from China as Huawei recently uncovered its first mobile VR headset supporting three of the company’s flagship phones. Release and price details are missing, but the company has revealed enough technical information to help VR enthusiasts paint a somewhat clear picture on what they can expect in the future.
Unlike the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rif,t both of which have to work in conjunction with a powerful computer, the Samsung Gear VR, and other mobile virtual reality headsets use the display and processing of a smartphone. Things are no different for Huawei’s first VR headset which, as yet, doesn’t have a name aside from being referred to as the “Huawei VR”. In any case, the company’s newly-announced VR headset works much like the Gear VR does, in that it features a removable front-facing cover and a dedicated slot where the smartphone is secured and acts as a dual-screen setup. The Huawei VR headset will apparently be compatible with the company’s most recent flagships – namely the Huawei P9 and P9 Plus – and will also be able to accommodate the larger, 6.0-inch Huawei Mate 8. However, it’s worth pointing out that all three of these handsets feature displays with Full HD resolution (1080 x 1920), which means that they may not deliver the best resolution for virtual reality.
The Huawei VR headset is equipped with adjustable lenses, an anti-blue light filter, as well as a touch panel, a back button, and a volume rocker on the right-hand side. The headset offers a 95-degree field of view compared to 96-degrees FoV on the Samsung Gear VR, and reportedly it will be the first headset of its kind to deliver 360-degree sound. At launch, Huawei claims that their VR headset will offer 4,000+ movies for free, over 40 free games, 150 panoramic tours, and more than 350 panoramic images to browse through. However, the company wasn’t able to reveal any details regarding pricing and availability, so it may take a while before Huawei will be ready to make its first VR headset available to consumers.
