We’re eager to see what Google has in store for its press event next week, but it looks like one announcement might have leaked early.
Droid Life has posted supposed leaks of a new Daydream View headset that will cost $99. The new headset comes in three colors, seen below, though otherwise looks almost identical to last year’s model. The 2017 edition, though, cost $79, which is $20 lower than these new models. Does that mean we can expect some major functionality updates in the new headsets? We hope so.
Here is the New Google Daydream View, It’ll Cost $99. pic.twitter.com/Yyevo618sU
— Droid Life (@droid_life) September 19, 2017
Increasing Daydream’s price would be an interesting move considering the $79 Daydream View was almost $50 cheaper than the new $125 Gear VR with its controller. We’d also point out these renders look a little too similar to the original model (see the image below), so take this report with a pinch of salt until the big day.
We liked the first Daydream View, though it definitely has some ergonomic refinements to make if it’s to truly compete with headsets like Gear VR.
Whether it’s true or not, we’re still expecting other big announcements from Google on October 4th. As well as the reveal of its second Pixel smartphone (built by HTC before last week’s news that Google was buying its Pixel division), the company is expected to reveal more details on its new standalone VR headsets, which also support Daydream and are made in partnership with other companies. HTC is one such company, and we’re expecting its standalone, supposedly named Vive Focus, to launch before the end of the year.
There’s plenty of reason to watch Google’s show next week, then.
