Oculus Rift could potentially be a standalone device running on Android

The future for virtual reality gaming seems quite bright, especially with devices like the in-development Oculus Rift and the recent Kickstarter success castAR. In an interview with Engadget, Oculus’ John Carmack talked about the future of the Rift, and went as far as to state that the VR headset may even see the light of day as a standalone device that runs on Android.

Could run on Android some day

Currently, the Rift can connect to a PC and will essentially stream visuals to the two displays that are mounted on the head. If the ability to run on Android were to happen, it would make the Rift capable of running full-fledged games on its own, without needing a connection to a PC, provided it had the hardware to support it. Carmack essentially hopes for the Rift to some day is completely devoid of cables. He believes that a device like the Rift without any wires to drag off your shoulder would “make a big difference.”

“The way I believe it’s going to play out is you will eventually have a head-mounted display that probably runs Android, as a standalone system, that has a system-on-a-chip that’s basically like what you have in mobile phones,” Carmack said.

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The Rift has been long-awaited, with many proclaiming it to be the next big step in gaming technology. Fans have gone so far as to ask Sony and Microsoft to provide support for the Rift in their upcoming consoles. Currently, the Rift doesn’t have any release date, and the few models that are out in the wild are only available to developers.