[Courtesy of LG]
LG Electronics will launch a joint project with Valve, a US entertainment software and online game platform company, to develop a new virtual reality device after its previous model was considered a big flop.
South Korean news outlet, NEWSIS, reported Tuesday that LG would release a new VR headset device during the second half of this year, led by its home entertainment department.
Valve is a game publisher which operates Steam, the world's largest online game platform. Through the platform, gamers can purchase, share video games including contents from major and indie game makers.
Information is still sketchy, but LG has been determined to recharge its VR business since a smartphone-based VR headset called "LG 360 VR", released last year along with its flagship phone G5, failed to gain attention under the shadow of strong contenders from Samsung and Google.
Standalone VR headsets such as Oculus' Rift, Sony's PlayStation VR and HTC's Vive took a similar path due to high prices. A PC-connected VR headset system costs around 700 US dollars and requires a powerful PC to run it.
Experts speculate LG's VR device could be a standalone, compatible with Steam, as related games are mostly for PC.
Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
