Nokia has somehow resigned from the top charts of tech giants some time ago, when it has decided to sell off its handset division to Microsoft. The phone manufacturer didn’t manage to keep up the pace with stronger players such as Apple and Samsung and decided that a supporting part could suit them best and keep the margins of their profits at a decent level.
Once in a while, Nokia gets out of the darkened corners of tech’s b-movies and tries to gain some more popularity by releasing new products on a market that is stuffed with news coming almost exclusively from Samsung, Apple and Google. Nokia will soon launch its virtual reality headset. The tech company will roll out their Virtual Reality wearable sometime next week and the product will be developed by Nokia Advanced Technologies, a division retained during the Microsoft deal.
Nokia wants to keep the public entertained around its brand by announcing a highly debated and most awaited consumer product. This is not exactly a new initiative for the company, as they previously partnered with Vuzix to take the VR headset development to the next level. Vuzix already licensed their see through EPE optics technology for Nokia’s video eyewear and mounted displays.
The collaboration with Vuzix is now more fruitful than ever, as the company is already a titan in VR technology development. The Vuzix M100 was the first commercially available VR. However, strong competition is seen on the horizon. Oculus Rift is already made popular by Facebook and other movie-making companies that started using it to promote their productions, Google rolls out its Glass gadget, a second alternative to the previously released product and HTC Vive is already gaining strength. Needless to say about the affordable Google Cardboard project and Project Morpheus from Sony, all delivering the best alternatives of Virtual Reality and with strong positions on the market.
Apart from their speculated initiative to launch a VR model, not much is known about the upcoming product. However, Nokia started to send out invites to an event next week, holding the cryptic tagline “Nowhere/Now Where”. The rest is silence and speculation from the media that cannot wait to see what Nokia has got itself into.
Their VR headset should somehow differentiate from all the existing products on the market. The upcoming device is thus unlikely to focus on gaming. The most risky part for them is whether the developers will show confidence in the future platform. The market is already crowded with alternatives worth developer’s investment so Nokia has a big step to make in order to gain their trust, time and enthusiasm.
Image Source: wired.co.uk
