Google developing virtual reality version of Android OS: reports

Google is reportedly developing a virtual reality (VR) version of its Android operating system.

The Wall Street Journal said, Google had ''tens of engineers'' involved in the project, with the newspaper citing two sources who claimed that the company was already building virtual reality Android applications.

It added a virtual reality version of Android would be distributed freely in the same way as on smartphones and tablets.

Although virtual reality was a long way from mass production, it is views as being possibly the next big thing in tech.

This was despite the fact the devices did not exactly look great when worn, which was something that might not endear them to mainstream consumers. It was however, still  much too early in the development of VR.

Google had been late to warm up to VR, and a number of its competitors, notably Microsoft, Facebook and Samsung, had already stolen a march with the development of their own virtual reality headsets and software.

Whilst virtual reality headsets had been associated with gaming, Microsoft's recent unveiling of its HoloLens showed that VR potentially had a much wider scope than just playing computer games.

Though this was not the internet search company's only foray into VR, it still amounted to increased involvement. Google had till now Google Cardboard as its only VR offering, an ultra-low cost initiative that had the ability to turn an Android phone into a stereoscopic 3D viewer with the addition of an adapter that featured two lenses set in a cardboard sleeve that simply slipped over the phone.

It was something of an advanced version of the children's toy ViewMaster, and it did provide rudimentary VR – but it was not exactly on the same level of the Oculus Rift, the Microsoft HoloLens, or the Sony Morpheus – all of which were highly advanced virtual reality or augmented reality headsets that featured cutting-edge designs.

Google had no intention of remaining a laggard and was not likely to sit back when the rest of its rivals had decided to invest so heavily in virtual reality, which made the reports of the company ramping up its own VR endeavors eminently believable.