Qualcomm Inc. has followed up the unveiling of its new flagship smartphone processor by pulling back the curtains on the XR2, a chip for augmented and virtual reality headsets hailed as the first of its kind in the world to support 5G.

The 5G compatibility is one of several firsts Qualcomm is touting for the XR2, which it debuted on Thursday at an event in Maui.

Also new is support for 8K graphics with a refresh rate of 60 rate frames per second. That means hardware makers can build AR and VR systems with displays that have a resolution of up to 7680 pixels by 4320 pixels, a massive jump from the 1400-pixel-by-1,600-pixel resolution of Facebook Inc.’s bestselling Oculus Quest.

More than just sharper screens

Having a high-fidelity headset display is only one of several prerequisites to producing realistic-looking immersive content. Another, no less important requirement is to keep the content lined up with the user’s eyes as they move about in the virtual environment, a task that the XR2 does better as well, according to Qualcomm. 

The chip supports up to seven cameras for eye-tracking. Headsets can use those cameras to keep tabs not just on the direction where the user is looking but also hand gestures and the positioning of any accessories they may be holding, such as a video game controller. The XR2 analyzes footage using an integrated computer vision module that Qulacomm’s engineers have added in to speed up processing.

The computer vision module is paired with a Hexagon digital signal processor. Qualcomm said that it will allow XR2-powered headsets to generate “3D” surround sound, which should make make audiovisual content more immersive, and provide features such as voice activation.

New laptop chips

Qualcomm dominates the market for Android handset chips and enjoys a strong position in the mixed-reality segment too, where its silicon ships with Facebook’s Oculus Quest, among other devices. But the company has a fairly limited presence in certain other parts of the mobile computing market, namely laptops. Qualcomm debuted two new laptop chips in Maui alongside the XR2 that are intended to win it more market share in this key market.

The Snapdragon 8c targets midrange Windows machines. It provides 30% better performance than the Snapdragon 850, Qualcomm’s previous midrange laptop processor, and works with the chipmaker’s X55 5G modem.

The processor is joined by the lower-end Snapdragon 7c for entry-level laptops. There’s no 5G support, but Qualcomm claims that the chip offers 25% more computing power and up to twice the battery life of comparable products from rivals. 

Photo: Qualcomm