Google builds VR motion controllers for Lenovo Mirage Solo headset

Google is trying to bridge the technological gap between its Daydream mobile virtual reality platform and the capabilities of the more powerful PC-based headsets. To do this, it launches software support for the new experimental motion controllers it has developed internally and which are known as six degrees of freedom, or 6DoF. This allows you to move more realistically in the physical world while being immersed in a virtual environment, because the controllers help you track your movements and movements according to the position of your hands.

The experimental controllers in question are intended for the Lenovo Mirage Solo helmet, the first of its Daydream-based autonomous VR headsets, launched earlier this year. The Mirage Solo does what is called an internal tracking, which means that the headset has sensors and cameras that track your external environment as you browse it. Combined with the 6DoF motion controllers, Google says you'll get a wireless RV experience that will approach the more immersive and better-performing PC VR that you get with products like Oculus Rift, which requires at least a moderately powerful Windows machine. and external cameras to track your movements.

Photo of Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The company says that this is a product of both hardware and software advancements in the mobile and autonomous VR space. "Instead of using expensive cameras and external sensors that need to be carefully calibrated, our system uses machine learning and commercial parts to accurately estimate the position and 3D orientation of the controllers." , writes Jonathan Huang, senior product manager for Google's Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Division. "We are excited about this approach as it can reduce the need for expensive hardware and make 6DoF experiences more accessible to more people."

In addition to launching APIs to support third-party 6DoF controllers and revealing the experimental Mirage Solo controllers it distributes to selected developers, Google is also announcing a feature that calls for transparent mode. This will allow you to see through the Mirage Solo cameras, so you can wear a VR headset and interact with the real world without hitting objects or interacting with other people. With WorldSense, it is possible to benefit from the same internal tracking technology that allows the Mirage Solo to perform VR experiments in which you walk around the room rather than sitting on the spot.

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"The combination of transparent mode and Mirage Solo tracking technology also opens the door for developers to combine the digital and physical worlds in new ways by building augmented reality prototypes," says Huang. "Imagine, for example, that an interior designer can plan a new layout for a room by adding chairs, tables, and virtual decorations over real space."

Google also supports Android applications in VR Headsets on Daydream, which means you can enjoy any 2D experience on the Play Store in a 3D virtual environment. Huang says it will make it easier to support Daydream for existing Android apps without having to start all over again. The Android apps for Daydream and the transparent mode will soon be available, according to the company, while developers can apply through the Google website to try the 6DoF Mirage Solo controllers.

Updated 21/09, 3:31 pm ET: Clarified that Google's software support for 6DoF does not extend to third-party controllers across Daydream. On the contrary, the API is strictly reserved for experimental controllers designed internally for the Lenovo Mirage Solo helmet.