Samsung’s Gear VR is one of the cheaper ways to get into good VR, but it’s soundly surpassed by the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. But Samsung is determined to stay in the game, which is why it’s developing at least one standalone VR device.
The news came from Samsung’s developer conference, where the company’s head of R&D for software and services Injong Rhee was speaking. He said “We are working on wireless and dedicated VR devices, not necessarily working with our mobile phone.”
The news isn’t really surprising — Samsung spends truly astonishing amounts of money on R&D, which is why the company has variously attempted phones with projectors, curvy screens and six different flavours of wearable.
But it’s clear that Samsung is invested in VR to a significant extent, possibly as the Next Big Thing to sustain the company’s profits after peak smartphone. Alongside the possibly multiple VR devices in the pipeline, the company is also gearing up to launch a 360-degree camera later this week, so it can own the VR experience from end to end.
[Variety]