The fact that Google Daydream – Android’s virtual reality (VR) platform – is almost a year old now, you would expect Google to put its efforts into making the platform available on more devices. The fact is, the search giant is very much concerned about the quality of the VR experience users will have, which is why as of the moment, there are only 7 smartphones that carry the VR platform. But Google wants to add more before the year ends.
Google Daydream is supported by 7 distinct smartphones. Initially, it was just the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, but more smartphones were added by 2017. These include the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, the Huawei Mate 9 Pro and the Porsche Design Mate 9, and the ZTE Axon 7. In a business call to announce Q2 earnings, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that they are envisioning 11 Daydream-capable smartphones by the end of 2017.
Of course, the two upcoming Google Pixel 2 phones would be part of that, leaving us with two more smartphones to be added. The Google Daydream website has had the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, and the ASUS Zenfone AR on their “coming soon” list for a while now, so let’s hope that does indeed happen soon.
Google is looking for a very specific hardware profile for Daydream, and while there are a lot of phones out there with top-of-the-line chipsets, the search giant still wants to err on the side of caution when Daydream is concerned.
VIA: SlashGear
