LG to demo 'next-gen' VR headset at GDC

Valve has confirmed that there's to be a new entrant into the SteamVR ecosystem, with LG Electronics following smartphone rival HTC into the virtual reality market.

In an announcement distributed to press, Valve confirmed that LG Electronics is to show off a prototype of a SteamVR-compatible virtual reality head-mounted display (HMD) at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) this week as a guest at Valve's booth. 'LG Electronics will unveil its first VR HMD prototype at this year’s GDC in San Francisco, CA,' the company's brief statement claimed. 'Being shown in Valve’s GDC booth, the LG HMD prototype is designed to deliver a high fidelity, next generation VR experience.

'During the show, LG will be meeting with developers to collect feedback and impressions as part of its effort to define the first commercial units. Pricing, launch dates, and territories will be announced at a later date.'

Sadly, that's as far as Valve has been willing to go with regards to the details of LG's prototype - and LG itself is entirely silent on the matter. Being a guest at the Valve booth and talk of 'high fidelity' experiences, though, speaks to a high-end Vive-style headset, likely using the same Lighthouse positional tracking system, designed to be operated while tethered to a gaming PC. What will make the device 'next generation' compared to existing headsets, though, is unclear: Possibilities include higher-resolution displays, eye-tracking for foveated rendering, or integrated low-latency wireless capabilities.

As for when - or, realistically, even if - LG plans to launch a headset commercially, neither company is saying.