Google Axes Daydream VR Headset
Virtual reality push for mobile ends, as Google calls time on its Daydream VR platform for Android
Google has called time on its Daydream virtual reality (VR) platform, after executives reportedly confirmed that the new Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL does not support the VR platform.
According to VentureBeat, Google has also stopped selling the Daydream View headset today.
In 2016 Google had opened up its Daydream virtual reality (VR) reference platform for Android developers, giving them access to a platform on which to create VR mobile apps.
End of the road
The death knell for Daydream VR came when Google confirmed that unlike previous Pixel smartphones, the Pixel 4 would not support the virtual reality platform, and there were no plans to support Daydream in future Android devices.
It should be noted that the more budget-focused Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL smartphones that were launched in April, also shipped with no support for Daydream VR.
“We are no longer certifying new devices,” a Google spokesperson was quoted by VentureBeat as saying.
However it seems that the Daydream app and store will continue to function for now.
The move is not surprising, as VR on mobile devices reportedly wanes and focus shifts towards purpose built VR headsets.
Google is not afraid of shutting down projects it no longer feels have a future.
A good example was the cancellation of the Google Glass project in 2015, although that project limped on for a year or so under the guise of “Project Aura”.
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