Asus is looking to enter the augmented reality scene by planning a launch of its own AR headset sometime in 2016.
No less than Asus CEO Jerry Shen revealed the plan during an earnings webcast earlier this week.
"It should be next year when we come out with a product," Shen told CNET adding, "we think AR (augmented reality) will be very important for people's lives."
Details are still sparse at this point though as Shen chose not to disclose more of their plan.
It wasn't so long ago when the Taiwanese tech firm revealed it was in talks with Microsoft to make its own version of their HoloLens AR headset. That device's developer kit is set to launch next year as well but only to select developers and those who can afford the $3,000 price tag.
When it does enter the market, many believe Asus will bring augmented reality to the masses.
"While the exact price of the headset is still unknown, a low-cost offering could change the landscape of augmented reality, and bring it to people who might not be able to afford the premium HoloLens," Popular Science said.
How Asus' AR headset relates to HoloLens remains unclear though.
"Most likely, Asus will come up with a new product altogether, developing its own AR glasses," Tech Times speculated.
Not to be confused with virtual reality where a user is immersed in a digital world in full, augmented reality works by overlaying digital object on real-world environments. And apparently, Asus sees more value in AR than VR.
"You can make a real setting meld together with yourself and the AR (augmented reality) portion," Shen told CNET. "Internally, we are talking about how to prepare."
Known for making laptops, desktop PCs, smartphones, tablets and other consumer electronics, Asus is expected to shed more light on its augmented reality ambitions in the coming months.
