The Google, HTC and Lenovo Team Up Promises Serious Change to Your VR Workouts

When it comes to VR, Google has been busy. From breaking the VR boundaries with their classic cardboard cutout version to the Daydream upgrade, Google could have sat back and waited to the industry to evolve without further innovation. But that’s not Google’s style. Instead, the tech giant has decided that they’re going to start working on a project to make sure that everyone can experience true VR without a phone or PC.

Standalone Headsets with HTC and Lenovo

Essentially, this new venture will be the first VR console that is truly VR-ready unlike some of the models that we’ve seen in the previous two years. Google decided to start designing the reference design with Qualcomm at the lead but also begin working with Lenovo and HTC to develop the actual headsets themselves. Ultimately, this will be a headset that will not need any additional support and will run completely on its own. Other than that, there’s really no additional information about the headset itself beyond what technology it’s being built on. Will this become the quintessential HMD that everyone will need to own? Time will tell.

Developed With WorldSense from Tango

Tango has been in the Google Play Store for more than a year. The application allows you to incorporate 3D tools and map out the area around you to interact with augmented reality. It was one of the very first applications to show that you didn’t need a QR code or special symbol printed out on a piece of paper in order to get augmented reality to work. There are already several different phones that specifically support the Tango application such as the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro and the Asus Zenfone AR. The technology in this augmented reality application was extremely advanced and drastically improved over the previous year.

Equipped with WorldSense, the Tango application will be the base operating system for the new reference design that Google and Qualcomm are working on. WorldSense refers to the fact that there are sensors inside of the headset that will be utilized to detect the world around it so that it can formulate what it needs to generate an augmented reality and a virtual reality. As mentioned before, the entire headset will be 100% stand-alone, which is different than a lot of other models than we’ve seen before.

What This Means For Fitness

If you’re serious about working out in VR, this is the moment that you’ve been waiting for. Why? A standalone VR HMD means no chords, no bulky backpacks and no need to worry about an expensive PC holding you back. If this actually does come to pass, it also means no need to buy a phone just for gaming and working out. It should also mean that we’ll have all the good that comes with high-end VR for a lot less. Beyond the practicalities of the tech, this is everything that we wanted for fitness and it means we will be able to run, we will be able to tackle, and we will be able to finally enjoy free movement in AR and VR. If Google manages to pull this off, this will be the largest step forward for Fitness in VR that we have seen yet. We’ll continue to follow this and fill you in on the progress as it happens!