A month ago we’ve told you that Samsung has teamed-up with Oculus VR (now part of Facebook) to make a VR headset of its own. The other day, few additional details about this device popped around the Interwebs and we’re still pondering whether this is something we would want to buy.
You’ll need a compatible Samsung smartphone
It is said that the upcoming Samsung Gear VR will be announced at IFA 2014 in Berlin alongside the Galaxy Note 4, hinting us these two are “match made in heaven.” Or at least, that’s what the Korean company would want us to believe and buy both products at once. However, we’re sure that some other devices will work equally well, including the current Galaxy S5. Non-Samsung smartphones will likely require the unofficial route to sing along the Gear VR.
The Gear VR will be an expensive product
Samsung is pretty much creating a new market here and has all the right in the world to ask a premium for its product. After all, no other handset maker will launch anything similar in September. Or at least we haven’t heard anything that would lead us to believe the opposite. So yes – if you want to immerse yourself in the Sammy-provided virtual reality, you’ll have to pay a lot. Perhaps you’ll be able to “save” if you go for the 2014 Samsung bundle – buy the VR headset with the new Note phablet. In comparison, last year’s bundle consisted of the Galaxy Gear smart watch and Galaxy Note 3.
The Gear VR will be rather dumb
It is said that all computing and motion tracking will be handled by the smartphone/phablet with the Gear VR only serving as a dock. What’s more, it will also use the phone’s screen to show you graphics and videos. These will be rather awesome considering advances in the AMOLED technology, but still – in some way, this will be a nicer looking version of Google’s Cardboard VR headset. On the other hand, it will have some specific hardware components that will allow the Korean company to launch the Gear VR SDK soon after the product has been announced and let developers to chip in with their own VR apps and games.
Do you want to buy the Samsung Gear VR?
When you look at it all, you gotta wonder whether the Gear VR is something we want to buy. My answer is – yes, but… It can’t cost a fortune. And I would also love to see it support other device, though chances for something like that are rather slim. Plus, we’ll have to actually try the product first before making the judgment call.