Qualcomm today announced a new software development kit for the Snapdragon 845 Mobile VR Platform.
Qualcomm says this new SDK will give developers the power they need to create next-generation virtual reality experiences.
The new SDK does several important things. First, it supports room-scale six degrees of freedom with inside-out simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). This will let developers more easily create worlds that give people the freedom to move around within an actual room.
Second, the platform supports real-time eye tracking. Qualcomm says it worked with Tobii AM to create the algorithms needed to track user gaze.
Third, the platform supports what Qualcomm calls Adreno Foveation. While tracking users’ eyes, the new SDK lets developers take advantage of foveated rendering (sharp detail in the area the eye us focusing on) in order to improve virtual worlds and also optimize power use.
Plus, the SDK supports a new boundary system that lets developers create real-world constraints that limit what people can do in any given space while they wander through virtual worlds.
Qualcomm claims these and other tools will help content creators expand what they can do with their virtual worlds while ensuring people safely interact with the real world in front of them.
The Snapdragon 845 Virtual Reality Development Kit is expected to be available later this year.
