This could be our first look at Samsung’s upcoming VR headset, coming to this year’s IFA 2014 [RUMOR]
Even though the whole “virtual reality” thing failed to catch on in the 90’s, it seems big name manufacturers are ready to (once again) bet big on VR headsets in the coming months. The whole trend was recently spurred by Oculus Rift who was able to show the world that VR — if done right — could be the next frontier of video gaming peripherals. After Oculus Rift was snatched up by Facebook (of all companies), we watched as manufacturers like Sony began showing off their own VR headset during this year’s E3 2014. It’s clear OEMs are taking virtual reality very seriously.
Enter Samsung who, rumors suggest has been working on a VR headset of their own. Despite coming equipped with a high density OLED display, the VR headset is said to undercut the competition on pricing. Other than working with Oculus Rift on the software side of things (while Samsung supplies the hardware), not many other details were know (like what the headset will actually look like).
Not to be confused with Samsung’s rumored Gear Glass headset, the boys at SamMobile have allegedly secured a render of what the headset could look like once it finally hits retail, along with the device’s official title: Samsung Gear VR. The headset, which according to the diagram features a touchpad on its side, looks not too much unlike a pair of underwater snorkeling goggles.
Similar to Google’s own Cardboard VR headset given to IO attendees, the bulk of the processing relies on a docked smartphone, utilizing all the sensors found on our modern mobile devices to help track head movement. There’s also a “see through button” on the side of the headset for a smartphone’s rear camera to peek through, providing wearers with quick glimpse of the real world without having to take off the headset (maybe to feature some augmented reality in the future?).
According to sources, Samsung is gearing up to unveil the Gear VR during this year’s IFA 2014 in September, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Should be an interesting show to say the least. If Samsung can hit a low enough price point, anyone thinking about giving something like this a spin?