Samsung virtual reality headset leaks: Firm to take on Sony and Facebook with Gear VR - and will use a mobile phone slotted into the headset to show a virtual world
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Samsung is set to take on Facebook and Sony with a vitual reality headset.
The Gear VR is set to launch later this year.
To use it, owners must slot in their Galaxy smartphone to provide the headset with a display and sensors.
Samsung's Gear VR is set to launch later this year. To use it, owners must slot in their Galaxy smartphone.
'Today, we can confirm that Samsung is indeed working on a virtual reality device, and it's called the 'Gear VR', the blog Sammobile said.
'Samsung will be announcing the device, alongside the Galaxy Note 4, at IFA 2014.'
Gear VR makes use of the smartphone's accelerometer, gyroscope and processing power to track head motion, the site said.
The gadget can also use the smartphone's rear-facing camera sensor to supply the user with a video feed of the real outside world, and has a touchpad to allow users to control it.
The Korean firm is said to have sent early prototypes to developers to test, and the final product could launch by the end of the year.
Samsung could be about to enter the virtual reality race, if reports about an upcoming headset are true. The Korean firm is said to have sent early prototypes to developers to test, and the final product could launch by the end of the year. It would rival Sony's Project Morpheus headset, pictured
HOW CARDBOARD WORKS
Google's low cost headset is made from corrugated cardboard folded to form a no-frills enclosure.
A mobile phone is then slotted in to act as a display.
When the headset is put on, lenses in the viewer show images from the screen as a left an right eye image.
Using a special app developed by Google, 3d images tand videos can then be viewed.
Sources close to Samsung told Engadget the headsets have OLED screens and will connect with the next generation of Galaxy devices.
The reports suggest the headset will run on Android, rather than the Tizen operating system most recently seen on Samsung's latest smartwatches.
Engadget added the headset is also likely to connect to a phone or tablet using wires, to prevent a lag when playing games.
The release date, price and other features were not revealed, but it does differ from the rumoured Galaxy Glass project, first reported on in October.
Variations of virtual reality have been around for years, particularly in flight and driving simulators, but it's popularity has risen recently due to companies such as Oculus VR.
Google#'s headset is made from cardboard, and also uses a Mobile Phone as a display
Its Oculus Rift headset began life as a Kickstarter project and was bought by Facebook earlier this year in a deal said to be worth around $2 billion.
A consumer version is expected later this year.
Samsung was one of the first major companies to launch a smartwatch, after Sony, and is among the pioneers of the curved TV screen industry. Samsung could be hoping to steal a charge against its rivals, including Facebook's Oculus Rift, pictured, and be the first to sell its virtual reality headset to customers
Sony announced its own headset, under Project Morpheus, in March.
The adjustable device features a head-mounted display with 1080p HD resolution and a 90-degree field of view, while sensors built into the headset track head movements.
In April, Microsoft bought smart glasses specialist Osterhout Design Group and rumours suggest its working on its own augmented and virtual reality gadget for players of the Xbox One.
Samsung was one of the first major companies to launch a smartwatch, after Sony, and is among the pioneers of the curved TV screen.
It could be hoping to steal a charge against its rivals and be the first to sell its virtual reality headset to customers.
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