Qualcomm’s new VR development kit is based on the Snapdragon 835 SoC

Chipmaker Qualcomm has announced an update for it VR development platform which focuses on an untethered VR experience.

The new VR development kit is powered by the latest Snapdragon 835 chipset which uses the 10nm architecture, making it suitable for such an implementation. Under the reference design, the new Snapdragon VRDK headset features an AMOLED display with a 2560×1440 resolution, Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 64GB storage, USB-C connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth, Qualcomm’s WCD9335 audio system and even a trackpad for control.

While these are the basic specifications, there is more to it. The headset offers six-degrees of freedom (6DoF) motion tracking thanks to the two built-in 1MP monochromatic cameras with fisheye lenses. You also get two monochromatic VGA global shutter cameras with active depth sensing, gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetic compass sensors integrated into the processor itself.

Supporting both the Unity and Epic Games’ Unreal engines via the Snapdragon plugin, it should be great for gaming as well.

Cristiano Amon, executive vice president of Qualcomm said, “With this new VRDK, we’re providing virtual reality application developers with advanced tools and technologies to accelerate a new generation of VR games, 360-degree VR videos and a variety of interactive education, enterprise, healthcare and entertainment applications. We see great potential for the exciting new experiences made possible by truly mobile, untethered virtual reality that’s always connected to the internet, and we’re excited to help mobile VR developers more efficiently deliver compelling and high-quality experiences on upcoming Snapdragon 835 VR-capable products.”

Apart from the developer kit, the company also announced the Qualcomm Technologies HMD Accelerator Program. Through this, Qualcomm will provide tools to OEMs so they can bring VR products to market quickly.

“The HMD Accelerator Program is designed to increase scale and lower the barriers for manufacturers to create a cutting-edge HMD effectively and efficiently with pre-validated components while meeting required VR performance criteria. Qualcomm Technologies has laid the groundwork for consistent, successful and flexible product development so manufacturers can have a commercial product available within just a few months,” added Amon.

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