Qualcomm Technologies has introduced new virtual reality SDK (software development kit) which will allow developer to create VR apps using its Snapdragon 820.
The company said next generation of mobile virtual reality applications is complex as they are power hungry and require better performance, which can be addressed by heterogeneous processors like Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor.
The SDK will be available to developers in the second quarter of 2016 through Qualcomm Developer Network.
Qualcomm says that its Snapdragon 820 processor is capable of handling such high power consuming tasks but it could be difficult without fully using the right tools to run these processes efficiently.
The idea is to have developers access to optimised and advanced VR features which can be simplified for further development and to help them achieve improved VR performance and power efficiency in Snapdragon powered Android phones and upcoming VR headsets.
Some of the features in the development kit include DSP sensor fusion, fast motion to photon, stereoscopic rendering with lens correction, virtual reality layering and power management.
DSP sensor fusion can enable developers to create responsive and immersive experiences by easily accessing high frequency inertial data from gyroscopes and accelerometers.
Fast motion to photon supports asynchronous time warp with single buffer rendering to quicly transform rendered images in 3D space. This can help in decreasing latency.
Stereoscopic rendering with lens correction can support binocular vision with color correction and barrel distortion to increase quality of images, graphics, video and overall VR experience.
VR layering will include generating texts such a manner that they will not disturb or distort the primary vision in the virtual world.
Power management in the developing kit can help in reducing power consumption by optimizing CPU, GPU and DSP to help in achieving stable frame rates for VR applications running in low power.
Qualcomm Technologies senior director, engineering Dave Durnil said: "We’re providing advanced tools and technologies to help developers significantly improve the virtual reality experience for applications like games, 360 degree VR videos and a variety of interactive education and entertainment applications."
"VR represents a new paradigm for how we interact with the world, and we’re excited to help mobile VR developers more efficiently deliver compelling and high-quality experiences on upcoming Snapdragon 820 VR-capable Android smartphones and headsets."
