Following up on the free viewers and much-hyped virtual reality launch of the OnePlus 2, OnePlus announced today that the OnePlus 3 would see a virtual tour and VR launch as well, but with a twist. They also announced their new Loop VR headset, free to the first 30,000 takers, though you will have to pay for shipping. The announcement sees OnePlus’ virtual headquarters trading its OnePlus 2 launch digs for a storefront in the heavens. Users will be able to travel to space to check out the OnePlus 3 in VR and pre-order one while they’re at it, if they’d like.
The new handset’s VR reveal will take place in a whole new venue in virtual outer space, a place with massive scale and a bold, futuristic aesthetic. OnePlus has optimized the launch space, called The Loop, for their new Loop VR headset. While the headset is a standard, phone-driven VR system like last year’s cardboard affair, this year’s headset, built with help from AntVR, comes complete with a full plastic build, a head strap and all the other bells and whistles one would expect of a fairly standard VR headset meant to house a phone. A price and commercial release date were not announced for the headset.
OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei says in the forum post that the reason OnePlus favors VR launches is to get fans involved, rather than revealing a product to the press and letting the news trickle out. “This is just as much your launch as it is ours”, Pei says of the new launch format. This year’s addition of buying capabilities to the VR launch party indicates a strong focus on a personalized experience. To recap the rumors on the phone being launched, the OnePlus 3 supposedly will boasts specs that include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and a 5.5 inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Two different variants will reportedly be available, one that sports 32GB of internal storage and 3GB of RAM, and one with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. The selfie snapper is 8MP, while the back camera will be a 16MP affair. A 3,500mAh battery will keep Android 6.0 Marshmallow running on the handset. Rumors also speak of a 6GB RAM version with 128GB of storage. The forum post did not mention a date for the launch event, but orders of the Loop VR headset, meant to be used for the event, are set to begin shipping on June 6.
