Motorola’s range of Moto Mods allow users to spec up their mobile devices with a range of add-ons, including a 360-degree camera, a speaker with built in Amazon Alexa or even turning their smartphone into a projector. Now it seems the company plans on getting into virtual reality (VR) with a Virtual Viewer Moto Mod.
In a recent tweet, VentureBeat reporter Evan Blass showcased a couple of images that are reportedly the new head-mounted display (HMD). Looking to function in a similar way to Samsung Gear VR or Google Daydream, the Motorola Virtual Viewer Moto Mod seems to have a very basic design, with a focusing scroll wheel at the top yet no additional buttons on the side like Gear VR. This would indicate a possible remote control is needed to interact with menus and immersive content, although one isn’t pictured.
What is notable about the design is the front hole for the camera to look through. This could be for augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality (MR) applications as both are growing in the mobile industry thanks to the launch of Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore software. Other than that details are currently scarce with Motorola yet to make any official announcement regarding the headset.
Slightly different angle: pic.twitter.com/7zD7AOk8sH
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 9, 2018
It’s not too surprising really if Motorola do release this VR headset as its parent company Lenovo has already well established itself in the VR and AR fields. On the VR side there’s Windows Mixed Reality headset, the Lenovo Explorer, plus the upcoming Lenovo Mirage Solo, the first standalone HMD built to use Google’s Daydream platform. As for AR, there’s the Lenovo Mirage AR headset which comes bundled as part of the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges bundle.
If the Motorola Virtual Viewer Moto Mod does see the light of day it’ll be entering an already competitive market. Google’s Daydream View already supports the Moto Z and Moto Z2, plus there are third party manufacturers like Merge VR and Zeiss which have created cheap headsets designed for multiple smartphones. As and when further details are released about the possible HMD, VRFocus will keep you updated.