Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) showcased its cordless virtual reality headset which it hopes will give it a solid foundation in the rapidly growing VR industry.
The company revealed the VR headset during its developer conference that was held yesterday, August 16th. Intel has nicknamed the VR headset “Project Alloy.” The reveal confirms analyst predictions that the company is shifting its focus away from the PC business. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich clarified that his company wants to use its chip technology to get a foothold in the VR industry. The CEO introduced the battery-powered headset and revealed that it features advanced computational power.
The fact that the VR headset is wireless is a strong selling point for the company because it will give users the freedom of movement without being restricted by cables. Project Alloy will also feature augmented reality courtesy of a front-facing 3D camera technology which the company calls Real Sense. The latter also allows people to use hand gestures to execute commands. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) also joined Intel in the VR talk claiming that they will work together to make sure that regular PCs will have the ability to run VR. Existing VR headsets require powerful and expensive graphics cards while mobile VR requires handsets to be mounted into the VR headsets.
Kim Pallister, the director of Intel’s Virtual Reality Center of Excellence stated that the partnership between the two firms aims to boost the industry as a whole. The director added that getting the industry up to scale will be a vital move for the industry as far as profitability is concerned. The two firms did not release any details about the PCs that they will be working on for VR. They did, however, state that they are already working together with various partners.
Microsoft also stated that it will release a Windows 10 update featuring Windows Holographic shell which was created for augmented reality. The update will be released in 2017. Intel did not reveal the availability or pricing details of its VR headset.
