If you’re done feeling bad for Nokia, get ready for shock and awe. The once mobile phone giant is building a VR headset, which will reportedly be launched next week. The product will apparently be announced in a VIP event in Los Angeles, California, while other details are scarce. One thing that we’re almost certain of though is that it won’t be a Google Cardboard variant if Nokia is involved. It seems the company’s failed buyout by Microsoft has barred Nokia from making smartphone, but they never said anything about VR headsets.
Details about the alleged VR headset are scarce right now, with speculations rife about what Nokia may be looking to do. For one, the company may not just come in with a VR headset, but may also bring content and a platform of its own for it. All of that will hopefully be clear in a week, assuming that the reports are true in the first place.
Nokia recently announced that it wants to make a comeback to the smartphone market and is looking for partners for the same. In addition, the company had lent its branding for the Foxconn made and distributed Nokia N1 tablet, which we recently saw at the Mobile World Congress, Shanghai.
Virtual Reality has often been touted to be the next big thing in the tech industry, with companies like Facebook, Samsung, HTC and Sony jumping into the market. While Facebook bought pioneers Oculus Rift, Samsung and HTC have showcased their own Gear VR and HTC Vive headsets. Sony on the other hand has been working on Project Morpheus, which is yet to come into the market. While Samsung's Gear VR is already available in some markets, both the consumer version of the Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus headsets are expected in 2016.