Google said to be prepping new VR headset -- without the cardboard - CNET

Google has virtual reality ambitions that stretch beyond cardboard.

The web giant is planning to release a new VR headset later this year, according to a report Sunday by the Financial Times. A successor to the Cardboard VR viewer the company released in 2014, the new smartphone-based headset will sport improved sensors and lenses housed in a solid plastic casing, according to the report.

The move would further buttress the growing interest tech companies have shown in VR, which promises to transport goggle-wearing users to other 3D worlds. Facebook is on the verge of releasing its long-awaited Oculus Rift headset, while Sony, Samsung and HTC are also heavily invested in the technology.

Microsoft's HoloLens, meanwhile, is aimed at augmented reality, which adds 3D computer-generated scenes to people's view of the real world. Apple has also reportedly assembled a secret research group focused on virtual and augmented reality.

They say it could change the way we use with computers and possibly the way we communicate with one another.