Oppo’s new mixed reality headset will be specifically for developers to create apps and explore the best use cases of mixed reality technology.
Technology giants like Apple and Microsoft have been reportedly working on their virtual and augmented reality headsets. However, China’s Oppo seeks to take the first-mover advantage as it unveiled its ‘mixed reality’ headset – Oppo MR Glass Developer Edition – on Wednesday, May 31st.
Mixed Reality usually refers to technology that encompasses both – virtual reality as well as augmented reality. Oppo is quite bullish on the future of mixed reality and sees it as the next game-changing platform after smartphones.
“It has the potential to become a new computing platform,” Xu Yi, director of XR technology at Oppo told CNBC. The Oppo MR Glass Developer Edition has been specifically designed for developers to build apps and help them figure out the best use cases of mixed reality technology.
It is a bulkier headset that comes with controllers and allows users to interact with the things that they see in front of them. Xu admitted that for mixed reality “to be a real product or a successful product a lot of things still need to get improved,” including the technology and applications. “Everybody wants to do AR because it has huge potential but the technology is not there yet, it may be several years away,” he added.
Oppo has also been working on its augmented reality (AR) glasses for a few years. Last year, Oppo released the latest version of its Oppo Air Glass 2, which looks like a stranded pair of glasses.
Mixed Reality to Full AR
As said, with the launch of its mixed-reality glasses, Oppo has been looking to entice developers and create applications that will boost the demand for mixed reality. The company also added that its headset will be available for developers in China during the second half of the year. so far, the company has no plans to make the device available commercially.
Oppo’s Xu believes that mixed reality will eventually lead to full AR. The augmented reality market is still in its infancy now and has yet to mature for the mass market. Xu believes that everyone around us will be wearing an AR device. He added:
“AR will be something similar to smartphones. Because the ideal AR is where you can wear [it] all day, with all functionalities, it will one day be comparable to size of smartphone market.”
All technology giants are currently looking to take the competition further in the AR and VR space. Microsoft is working on its HoloLens device, and Samsung is actively working on a roadmap for its own mixed-reality devices. Additionally, Chinese technology company Xiaomi has unveiled its own AR headset this year.
Meanwhile, Apple has long been rumored to be developing its own headset. In a recent interview with GQ, Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed the potential appeal of a mixed-reality headset for future users.
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