The Virtual Reality wars are heating up, with not only big developments for PC and console like the Oculus Rift, Morpheus and AntVR, but mobile is getting in on the action too. We've already heard how Google plans to give VR to the masses through its cardboard, foldable headset, but Samsung is going down the more traditional route and offering a full blown one, developed with help from Oculus VR.
Called the Gear VR headset, it works in a similar manner to Google's by having you slip your phone inside it, but it has a full headset set up built around it instead of just a cardboard frame. The platform uses your phone's accelerometer and gyroscope to figure out where you're looking and allows for the tilts and turns we've seen from the DK1 Oculus Rift, though it won't have the positional tracking of the second.
New features not present in other systems however, include using a smartphone's camera to let you see the outside world if you need to. There's also a built in touchpad that lets you navigate through the usual menus and apps on your phone without the need to remove it.
The device will be shown off later this year, along with its software SDK so that developers can make immersive virtual reality experiences for the headset before its official release. Initially it's expected that the Samsung VR will be used mainly for 3D movie viewing, but games and other applications could follow when developers get their hands on it.
Image and information courtesy of Sammobile.
