I don’t think you need an introduction to the Google Play Store. It’s an official app store invented by Google for all the devices running on Android. The Play Store, right now, is compatible with Android smartphones, Android TVs, tablets and even wearables. But it seems that Google is now secretly working on a new category. The Play Store recently hinted at a new Android device category that might be coming soon.
Google Play Store Hints at Upcoming XR Category
As per a new report, the Google Play Store now has a new icon which depicts an XR headset and references to the “XR headset” category in the app listings. This is a clear hint that the tech giant is working on a new category or section of apps which will be meant for XR headsets. Google Play Store already has three existing categories: smartphones, tablets and wearables. We might get an XR section soon.
Talking about the XR headsets, Google had previously taken some steps to work and launch XR headsets like Cardboard. However, rather than offering a complete standalone XR experience, it used to rely on smartphones to offer what is known as a “mobile VR experience.” The upcoming gadget, if these rumours and hints are true, will focus on providing a standalone XR experience and will show Google’s serious commitment to the tech.
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Interestingly, this also coincides with Google’s recent collaboration with Samsung and Qualcomm on a new XR headset. The collaboration was meant to create a powerful XR headset which would run on the Android operating system and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors. Now this new categorization of XR apps could be the next step towards the product.
As of right now, things are kind of blurry for the product. Apart from this little information and the news about the collaboration, we don’t know much about Google’s upcoming XR headset. However, since Google is working on it and they already have pretty much the rest resources in the industry, we are expecting the end product to be quite good. Google can very much make this tech more popular in the future and can potentially become a mainstream choice for usage like gaming and entertainment. Let’s wait a little more as we might get some official information on the product in the coming days.
