Chipmaker Qualcomm has today announced a new reference design for Augmented and Virtual Reality headsets powered by their new Snapdragon 845 processor.
The headset includes dual 2400×2400 resolution screens which have a 120fps refresh rate. The headset uses two cameras to enable ‘foveated rendering’ – or eye-tracking – to register where the headset wearers eye is looking so that resolution is lowered in non-used parts of the screens.
The headset includes another two cameras on the outside to enable room-scale 6-DoF (degrees of freedom) head-tracking as well as SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) allowing for the headset to track the body and location within a room without cables or separate room sensors.
The Snapdragon 845 inside the headset includes an updated Kyro CPU, as well as Adreno 630 CPU and dedicated Hexagon Digital Signal Processor (DSP) which Qualcomm says gives the headset up to 30% faster graphics performance, 30% better power efficiency, and double the display throughput as the Snapdragon 835.
It’s unlikely we’ll see the reference design hit the market as a retail product, however we may see it used as the basis for new VR and AR headsets launched this and next year.
