First picture of Samsung Gear VR headset
As well as smartwatches the other big race in the wearable arena is that of the virtual reality (VR) headsets and now the latest competitor has been pictured for the first time. Enter the Gear VR.
There were rumblings a month-or-so ago that Samsung was working on a VR device, but now SamMobile claims to have obtained the first picture of what will be called the Gear VR which might be making an appearance at IFA 2014 in September.
The Samsung Gear VR will allow users to dock their Samsung Galaxy smartphone into the front so its screen is visible, and use the phone’s in-built accelerometer and gyroscope to track head motion.
A see-through section allows the phone to use its camera to peek out into the real world and provide users with a live video feed of what’s happening out there. The headset is also equipped with a touchpad on the side for navigating the interface, like Google Glass.
As previously reported, Samsung is collaborating with Oculus on the device’s software.
Gear VR joins the likes of Sony’s Project Morpheus, the Avegant Glyph and of course the Oculus Rift – the VR party is getting bigger. Microsoft, not to be left out, has also stated that it is working on a device.
