Google announced on Wednesday that its partners will launch standalone virtual reality headsets later this year.
Standalone headsets allow a user to experience virtual reality without requiring a computer or a smartphone to power the experience. Google said its partners, including HTC and Lenovo, are building the new headsets, which will launch later this year. HTC already sells the Vive, a high-end VR headset that requires a PC to operate.
The new headsets will operate on Google's "Daydream" platform, which currently powers the Daydream VR headset. That means, by the time they launch, there should already be a gamut of applications already available.
Unlike the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, the headsets don't require cameras positioned around the room to work and allow users to roam around in virtual reality; the sensors are just built right into the device.
Google didn't discuss how much the headsets will cost, though they should fall somewhere between the price of a headset that requires a smartphone (like the $79 Google Daydream VR) and a product that requires a full PC (like the $500 Oculus Rift.)