If reports are to be believed, Samsung is working on its own Virtual Reality headset, designed to work with its future, not-yet-announced flagship phones, phablets and tablets. According to Engadget, who quotes “sources close to Samsung” the device is set to be revealed later this year and hopes to beat both Sony and Oculus to the market, with a lower price to boot.
The device will apparently be powered by and only compatible with, Samsung devices. That means, like the Gear 2 watches, you’ll have to be a Samsung customer if you plan on using their headset. As it did with Samsung’s smartwatches, it seems like this will greatly restrict the Virtual Reality headset’s potential market. Samsung seems to be okay with this.
The device appears to be being rushed to the market in hopes of beating Oculus and Sony, something that might go a long way towards convincing potential customers to buy both a Samsung device and the VR headset itself.
Of course, this also means the headset will be restricted to playing Android games, which is why it gets a mention here. Any gamer will tell you it is the games that make the system, and while (as you likely know as a reader of DroidGamers) Android has made huge strides in that realm, it remains behind the PC in both pure power and selection. Furthermore, since most games don’t translate well to VR, Samsung will need a library of games designed exclusively for the device if they hope to convince many users to pick it up.
Samsung apparently has already sent an early prototype to several developers, and they will have to work quickly to build up a suitable library. The device reportedly features screens that are “as good or better” than the 1080p screens found in Oculus’ Dev Kit 2.
Engadget also notes that this is not the long rumored Galaxy Glass. We will have more as information becomes available.
Website Referenced: Engadget
