sciencetech-blog

comments

Samsung has revealed it has been working with the Virtual Reality firm Facebook recently bought to develop a consumer VR headset.

Called the Samsung Gear VR, users slip a Note 3 tablet into the headset to provide the screen.

The firm says it will start selling the headset to 'innovators' this year.

Samsung's VR headset will go on sale this year, and was developed with Facebook's Oculus.

'Powered by Oculus technology, the Samsung Gear VR delivers a completely new way to experience and consume mobile content,' Samsung said.

It is believed Samsung provided the hardware, while Oculus provided the software. It's consumer headset, called the rift, is not expected to go on sale to the public until next year.

'The Samsung Gear VR goes far beyond expectations of how mobile technology can be used to consume content, and is a powerful representation of the progressive innovation of the Gear series,' said JK Shin, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. 

'We are pleased to have partnered with Oculus VR to bring this incredibly immersive mobile content experience to consumers.'

The firm has also partnered with several game development firms to develop content for the gadget.

 'With the Gear VR Innovator Edition, users can sit in the best seat of a theater, can be on-stage of a performance with full 360 3D video, and can enjoy gaming like it's never been seen before – inside stunning worlds where imagination becomes reality,' Samsung said.

Television presenter Rachel Riley tries the new Samsung Gear VR device at the Unpacked 2014 Episode 2 event ahead of the IFA Electronics show in Berlin.

Samsung has also partnered with several game development firms to develop content for the gadget.

Oculus said it will also develop software for the device, including a VR cinema and photo viewer.

'The magic of a completely portable and wireless VR headset is easy to underestimate until you have experienced it,' said John Carmack, Oculus CTO.

'We don't have the raw horsepower of a high end gaming PC (yet), but there are valuable compensations that make it a very interesting trade off, and many developers will thrive on the platform, especially as it improves at the rapid pace of the mobile ecosystem.

journalists were able to try the headset at Samsung's launch in Berlin

'Experiencing mobile VR is like when you first tried a decent desktop VR experience — There is a sense that you are glimpsing something from the future. 

'This is science fiction made real, and it's only just the beginning.'

The two firms have been working on the project for a year, Carmack revealed.  

Sony Corp too has a prototype for a virtual reality headset for its Playstation 4 games console. 

WHAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE AND PLAY

Samsung has signed up several games for the system: 

As part of the Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron partnership with Samsung, Gear VR users will gain exclusive access to Tony Stark's Lab inside the all new Avengers Tower.

IMAX offers samples of Hollywood and documentary films in a virtual theatre with Samsung Gear VR – the next best thing to a live IMAX experience.

DreamWorks VR from DreamWorks Animation allows Samsung Gear VR users to interact and laugh with DreamWorks characters and content in a whole new way like never before.

As part of the Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron partnership with Samsung, Gear VR users will gain exclusive access to Tony Stark's Lab inside the all new Avengers Tower.

Legendary's Pacific Rim Jaeger Pilot is an immersive content experience that puts viewers at center of the action with Samsung Gear VR.

Cirque du Soleil Media presents a 360 live-action 3D VR experience, featuring an act from Zarkana filmed by Felix & Paul Studios for Samsung Gear VR.

M-GO Advanced, a new paradigm for digital video virtual reality applications, offers an unmatched interactive search and discovery of the latest premium movie and TV show content with Samsung Gear VR.

Oculus Cinema is a virtual movie theater, where you can playback your favorite 2D and 3D movies in a variety of theater environments

Vevo offers more than 100,000 HD music videos, live concert events and original programming that can be enjoyed in an immersive, full-screen theater experience on Samsung Gear VR.

Protocol Zero (working title) from DENA enables Samsung Gear VR players to infiltrate enemy grounds undetected in blackout conditions with hi-tech optics including night vision, X-ray vision, and thermal vision.

Oculus Home is a simple interface for connecting to the Oculus Store, where you can discover, download, and launch VR content.

Oculus is also developing:

Oculus Home, a simple interface for connecting to the Oculus Store, where you can discover, download, and launch VR content.

Oculus Cinema is a virtual movie theater, where you can playback your favorite 2D and 3D movies in a variety of theater environments.

Oculus 360 Videos and Oculus 360 Photos are experiences that allow you to playback panoramic content in VR.

The headset, in development under the name 'Project Morpheus', is designed to project images that shift along with the movements of a gamer's head.

Samsung, the world's biggest mobile phone maker, also unveiled its new Galaxy Note 4 phablet earlier on Wednesday.

The phablet features a crisper, 5.7-inch display in a metal frame, reflecting Samsung's latest design strategy to keep pace with rivals including Apple Inc, which is expected to launch its first large-screen iPhone next week.

The new Galaxy Note 4 offers accessories designed to attract gamers. 

It also has an improved pen stylus and related software as a handwriting alternative to typing on a keyboard.