When two tech giants, Facebook and Sony, pour billions into developing virtual reality headsets, it behooves one to take note of the incoming tidal wave of VR-related technology. When a name like Samsung joins the fray, developing its own competitor to the Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus, it becomes undeniable that this tidal wave of VR tech will be the next evolution in interactive entertainment.
The Korean company, known for its smartphones, tablets and televisions, has been working on their VR headset in secret and is seeking to beat Sony and Oculus to the punch in the VR market, according to sources speaking to engadget.
Perhaps what will set Samsung’s VR project apart from Sony and Oculus is that it will cater specifically to Android games, compared to Sony, which is being made to run on their PlayStation 4, and Oculus, which is more PC-centric, although Android support is also in the works.
According to engadget’s source, some game developers are already in possession of this mysterious new headset, which is powered by Galaxy devices like the Note 3 and s5. However, the final consumer version will apparently require next-gen Galaxy devices that haven’t even been announced yet.
The Samsung headset also has an OLED screen “as good or better than in the second [Oculus] Rift dev kit,” and is being aimed to be cheaper than the Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus, a move that is certainly intended to undercut Samsung’s competitors. Details on how the headset will connect to a device or how it will track head movements are unclear. Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus both require a separate camera to do this.
News of Samsung’s entry into the VR market comes during a troubling period for one of its two competitors, Oculus VR. The Facebook-owned VR behemoth, which has acquired the talents of major gaming figures like John Carmack and Kenneth Scott, is being sued by The Elder Scrolls publisher ZeniMax media for allegedly using technologies developed under ZeniMax without proper authorization or compensation.
Samsung have so far refused to comment on this news, but its likely that they will fairly soon, as engadget’s source claims that an announcement is due this year.