Alcatel looks to make some headlines again at IFA 2016, launching its own VR headset and 360° camera. The company, known for its affordable devices claims to be the first smartphone brand to offer the all-in-one VR experience.
Let’s begin with Alcatel’s VR headset. The company has named it the Alcatel VISION, which it claims to be the first all-in-one VR device that also comes with an affordable price, though Alcatel hasn’t yet revealed the VISION’s pricing. According to them, the VISION can be worn comfortably for 2-3 hours, which we think will be the battery life of the headset. The VISION doesn’t require you to slot in your phone or even connect your phone to it, for that matter. The headset sports dual 3.8-inch AMOLED displays, an octa core processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. It also has LTE, Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities, plus it’s fitted with a 3,000mAh battery for the aforementioned assumed video playback time. The VISION boasts a 120 degree field of vision, which happens to be the widest seen so far. The Oculus Rift has a 110 degree field of vision, for reference. Apart from that, the VR headset also has an ultra low latency of 17 milliseconds and can be viewed without contact lenses or glasses since it can be adjusted for myopia. Alcatel has included a couple of extras with the VISION by teaming up with Jaunt VR, Magic Interactive Entertainment and Fraunhofer to provide some immersive preloaded content.
The Alcatel 360 Camera on the other hand, comes in two different models – a rectangular one which is half the size of your credit card, and a ball-shaped one, said to be the size of a coin. Since both are pretty compact in size, they should be pocket friendly, if not easy to carry around. The 360° camera is equipped with two 210° fisheye lenses and can be attached to the micro USB port of Alcatel’s own IDOL 4, IDOL 4S or POP 4S handsets. The manufacturer has also partnered with 360fly, ALLie Camera, Arashi Vision (Insta 360 4K) and Primesom (Nico360) to add a couple of features to the 360 Camera. Knowing that the Alcatel 360 Camera will be affordable as well, we might be looking at more 360° photos and videos, plus wider selfie shots once this camera’s released.
Alcatel didn’t mention about the price and availability of both the VISION and 360 Camera, but rumor has it that both devices will see a Q4 release in China, followed by other regions starting next year. Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!
Source: Alcatel