Mirage Solo is Google’s first standalone VR headset – release date, specs, price and more revealed

GOOGLE has unveiled its first standalone virtual reality headset – the Mirage Solo.

Unlike other VR headsets, the Mirage Solo doesn't need a smartphone or computer to work.

Users can simply put the headset on and enjoy content from Google's Daydream VR platform.

Better still, there are no awkward wires or connections getting in the way of your fun.

Google teamed up with China's Lenovo to build the Mirage Solo, but other tech firms are expected to launch their own versions with Google in the future.

Thanks to the partnership, the headset features Google's WorldSense tracking system, which lets you walk around a virtual space using the headset.

Lenovo says this means you can interact with select VR games: "Duck an incoming dodgeball, bank left with your snowboard, or jump over a hurdle."

The tech giant also plans to introduce an "impressive suite of apps" for the device closer to the retail release.

The Mirage Solo is a major evolution for virtual reality headsets, because it works on its own.

Some devices like the Samsung Gear VR require you to dock a smartphone to act as the computer and the display.

Other more expensive headsets like the HTC Vive or Facebook's Oculus Rift need to be connected to a powerful gaming PC, which drives the graphics.

But Google's Mirage Solo runs on Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon 835 smartphone chip – the same one you'd find in a Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone.

It also has its own built-in display: a 5.5-inch LCD screen that delivers 1280 x 1440 pixels to each eye.

Users will also benefit from 4GB of RAM to allow heavy applications to run, and 64GB of storage for game and media downloads.

The company promises seven hours of battery life on a single charge for the headset itself, saying it was designed "to handle extended periods of continuous use".

Lenovo is also shipping the Google-powered headset with a motion-sensitive remote that lets you use your hands to interact with games.

This remote features a clickable trackpad, app and home buttons, and a volume rocker too.

Lenovo boasts that this controller will work as ";a baseball bat, steering wheel" or whatever else game makers decide to create.

The bad news is that there's no exact pricing just yet, but Google says it will cost below $400 – that's around £300.

Google's headset will start shipping to customers between April and June this year.