Category: LG V30

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LG’s Upcoming SteamVR Headset Could Be Named ‘UltraGear’

Earlier this year, Valve confirmed that LG was developing a VR headset utilizing SteamVR Tracking, making it one of the first headsets to do so outside of HTC Vive and the upcoming Pimax “8K” VR headset. While still unnamed when we first demoed the headset at GDC in March, a recent trademark filing with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) now suggests the headset will be dubbed ‘UltraGear’.

First reported by Dutch publication LetsGoDigital, LG filed the trademark application with EUIPO on October 17th, stating that the UltraGear name categorizes a product relating to “Head-mounted holographic displays; Virtual Reality headsets.”

image courtesy LetsGoDigital

LetsGoDigital maintains the UltraGear name specifically applies to LG’s SteamVR headset, although there’s nothing beyond the trademark filing that would suggest a definite answer to the affirmative. While it’s possible LG has created an entirely new headset intended for the UltraGear naming scheme, for example working in the Windows ‘Mixed Reality’ hardware ecosystem, LG has only shown its SteamVR-compatible headset, making it more plausible that it’s moving out of full production and heading into its marketing phase.

The South Korean multinational has made minor headway in the VR market thus far, starting with its ill-received ‘LG 360 VR’ headset which specifically connects to the LG G5 smartphone via a dedicated cable, an unusual departure from the standard convention of using the phone’s display to drive the VR experience. LG’s V30 smartphone shows more promise as one of the few ‘Daydream ready’ flagship smartphones, although a ‘tethered’ PC VR headset would put it squarely in the thick of what appears to be the first major steps by popular OEMs to seriously enter the VR headset market.

If specs remain largely unchanged from what we saw at GDC, LG’s SteamVR headset stands to have a higher resolution and improved ergonomics over HTC Vive. LG’s prototype showed off a flip-up design and PSVR-style halo head strap. Its entrance into the SteamVR tracking ecosystem will also make the Vive’s main selling point, famously robust room-scale tracking, less unique.

LG VR Headset Specs:

  • Resolution: 1440×1280 per eye
  • Display Type: OLED, single panel
  • PPI: 540
  • Field of View: 110 degrees
  • Refresh Rate: 90Hz
  • Lens Type: Convex, non-Fresnel

The post LG’s Upcoming SteamVR Headset Could Be Named ‘UltraGear’ appeared first on Road to VR.

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US Customers Will get a Free Google Daydream When Purchasing an LG V30

Looking for a new smartphone that’s going to be suitable for virtual reality (VR). Well if you’re in the US then LG will be launching its flagship device, the V30, in the next couple of weeks and to sweeten the deal it’ll be running a national promotion where you’ll be able to secure a free Google Daydream headset as well.

Daydream support was only rumoured until LG officially unveiled the smartphone last month. Available in two models, the V30 (64GB) and V30+ (128GB), it’ll feature a 6-inch QHD+ FullVision OLED display and Hi-Fi Quad Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, the V30 weights in at 158g, has an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, an f/1.6 on its 16MP c lens with an additional a 13Mp wide-angle camera and it’ll be available in Aurora Black, Cloud Silver, Moroccan Blue and Lavender Violet depending on the carrier.

LG V30 group

As for the VR side of things, not only will the promotion gift owners a new headset, they’ll also receive a ‘Top VR Content Bundle’ states LG’s press release, which is worth $40 USD. It’ll include five videogames for owners to dive right into VR, although the company hasn’t yet confirmed which titles the bundle may include.

The V30 will be available for pre-order/purchase at AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon. At present AT&T will offer the V30 in-store from 6th October, for $810, while T-Mobile’s pre-orders begin on 5th October with in-store/online sales starting 30th October for $800.

Not interested in the LG V30, well there are plenty of other Daydream compatible smartphones to chose from. For the latest updates on Google Daydream, keep reading VRFocus.

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Here’s Every Google Daydream Compatible Phone

Not to be confused with the Google Cardboard, Google announced Daydream in 2016 for their virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display Daydream View. Google Daydream is a platform for Android device owners to access VR content and with Google’s daydream controller, which has three degrees of freedom (3DoF) allowing the controller to sense when it’s going up and down, left and right, and being tilted. With a clickable touchpad, an app button and a home button – users will be able to interact with apps and experiences rather than tapping the side of the HMD. VRFocus have compiled a list of mobile phones that are compatible with Google Daydream here:

  1. Google Pixel – Google’s first phone with Google Assistant built in. Both pixel phones have daydream pre-installed. The larger Pixel will offer a better VR experience due to its QHD display but both offer highly accurate head tracking.

– Google Pixel

– Google Pixel XL

  1. Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ – Both phones have great AMOLED screens with nearly the highest resolutions of 2,960 x 1,440 with fast processors and plenty of RAM. They also feature expandable microSD storage up to 256GB, always useful for those enormous VR video files.

– Samsung Galaxy S8

– Samsung Galaxy S8+

  1. Moto Z motorola – The daydream app can be installed from the Google Play Store – both of these phones support Moto mods, which includes a battery addition that can allow Daydream to run for hours longer than normal.

– Moto Z

– Moto Z Force

  1. Huawei Mate 9 Pro – With Huawei’s own HiSilicon Kirin 960 processor and 6GB of RAM there is plenty inside to power the 2560 x 1440 pixel display.

– Huawei Mate 9 Pro

– Porsche Design Mate 9

  1. Axon 7 – ZTE with the update to Nougat – it runs the slightly older and slower Snapdragon 820 but still enough to power most VR experiences.

– ZTE Axon 7

  1. Asus Zenfor AR – This has 8GB of RAM, Snapdragon 821 processor and a 5.7 -inch AMELOED display with 1440 x 2560 resolution and a Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU.

– ASUS Zenfor AR

  1. LG V30 – Is LG’s first VR phone that is the latest of six AT&T 5G Evolution capable devices. More details will be announced this fall.

You might be wondering why Android’s flagships like Samsung Galaxy S7 and One Plus 3 do not support Daydream and it can be summarised by Android authority saying ‘the lack of the necessary sensors and the absence of low persistence display.’ There are more phones expected to be added to this list by the end of 2017. Google’s  CEO Sundar Pichai stated that Google expects 11 Daydream compatible phones by the end of 2017  at an Alphabet earnings call.

The future of mobile VR however might be changing with Google’s announcements at Google I/O 2017 – with them partnering with Qualcomm we may see that Google is prioritising their standalone headset. So you won’t need to slip a phone into the front and don’t need to plug it into a computer. Using technology from the Tango project – what Google call WorldSense positional tracking – there will be no need for any external cameras. This is enabled by using external sensors, so that all movement is accurately tracked, with six degrees of freedom (6DoF).

Watch the video below to find out more information.

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LG now Supports Daydream With the Flagship V30

There have been plenty of big announcements coming out of the IFA conference in Germany this week with the latest coming from Korean tech giant LG. The company has unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the LG V30, and with it comes support for Google Daydream.

This is the first LG smartphone that’ll support Google’s mobile virtual reality (VR) headset, adding to an ever growing list of devices from companies like ZTE, Samsung, Huawei, Motorola and Google itself.

Featuring a 6-inch QHD+ FullVision OLED display and Hi-Fi Quad Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, the V30 weights in at 158g, has an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, an f/1.6 on its 16MP c lens with an additional a 13Mp wide-angle camera and it’ll be available in Aurora Black, Cloud Silver, Moroccan Blue and Lavender Violet.

LG V30 group

Additional specs include 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and microSD support up to 256GB. While the 3,300mAh battery supports both wired and wireless charging.

The smartphone is expected to release this Fall in markets such as North America, Asia and Europe, with an earlier release taking place in LG home country of South Korea on 21st September. Pricing hasn’t yet been finalised but it’s rumoured to be in the $699 USD/£699 GBP region.

As for the Daydream compatibility, having another flagship phone to entice users onto the VR platform will only help Google as it looks to make up ground on the Gear VR.

As further smartphones come to market supporting Daydream VRFocus will let you know.

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Upcoming LG V30 Smartphone Might Have Google Daydream Support

Since the start of 2017 electronics manufacturer LG have taken an interest in virtual reality (VR). There have been indications that LG are partnering with Valve, perhaps to make a new version of the Vive headset, and new information now indicates that LG’s forthcoming smartphone, the V30 will be including Google Daydream support.

Rumoured specifications and design for the LG’s forthcoming flagship smartphone have been leaked. The leaks suggest that the LG V30 will be using an OLED screen instead of the traditional LCD screen, a design decision that lends credence to the idea of VR support, since OLED is seen as a superior choice for VR applications. The V30 is also said to be powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor, a powerful CPU that would more than capable of supporting Google Daydream applications.

The reports also indicate that the V30 will offer support for the upcoming Android O operating system, which is said to bring native VR support in addition to other new and improved features. Mockup designs of the LG V30 have also shown a rear dual-camera set up, which is a feature that can enhance mixed reality (MR) and augmented reality (AR) applications.

LG will join Google’s own Pixel smartphones in supporting the Google Daydream platform. With Google Daydream support also due to soon arrive on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, it seems that Google Daydream is beginning to catch up with the popularity of the Samsung Gear VR.

VRFocus will bring you further information on the LG V30 and LG’s other VR projects as it becomes available.