Gear VR is a Significant Step towards accessible Virtual Reality

At Samsung Unpacked 2014 Episode 2 at IFA 2014, Samsung introduced its first VR headset, Gear VR. The Gear VR takes advantage of Samsung’s intuitive sensor technology such as accelerator, gyrometer, and magnetic sensors, and a fast response time of Super AMOLED display, which allows the unique 360-degree view of 2D and 3D virtual reality contents. As the Gear VR made its debut today at Samsung Unpacked 2014 Episode 2, let’s take a moment to think about how Gear VR can open the door of VR technology to the range of potential users.

Beginning commercialization of Virtual Reality

As familiar as the concept of virtual reality is, it hasn’t been commercialized or popularized as a product. However, we can expect that to change, because it’s been Samsung’s specialty to make new technologies more accessible. (Remember the ever-evolving chips? Flat screen TVs? Curved TVs? The Note Series? The Gear devices?)

Remember the Galaxy Gear, a wearable device?  It’s only been a year since Samsung introduced it, and in that year the Gear series has expanded impressively and, consequently, Samsung has been able to present the industry’s most diverse portfolio for wearables. The market situation before Samsung Gear VR headset is poised for similar success in the industry of personalized virtual reality headsets.

It is no surprise that Samsung invests aggressively on researching about what people want or need in the near future. Samsung especially emphasizes the message that its ultimate objective is to ‘innovate lifestyle.’ With its unique organizational structure, various departments can jump in and conceptualize the ‘next big thing’.

Moreover, Gear VR is fully compatible with the Galaxy Note 4. The fact that Gear VR is compatible with one of Samsung’s most popular flagship lineup can facilitate users to open up to an unfamiliar but intriguing concept, which is a significant step towards making virtual reality experience more accessible. 

Continuous Collaborative Effort

As many know, this is not the first time Samsung has collaborated with another company for a wearable. From industry leading companies and content providers to third party developers, Samsung has never been shy about collaboration.

In the case of Gear VR, Samsung teamed up with Oculus, and to cite Oculus’ VR statement on its official website, both companies are ‘hardware geeks’ that want to ’revolutionize’ people’s lifestyle. However, despite how well the companies worked together, we don’t want to diminish the difficulty and complexity of a cross-company collaboration. Sometimes even sharing a room with your BFF for a day can be extremely difficult. So imagine two companies trying to do something that has never been done perfectly before.

This is why this collaboration is meaningful. Even though many realize that collaboration brings out a good result, the sheer complexity of it can discourage them.  As we here at Samsung Tomorrow once said, Samsung has served up several great examples of the possibility and the benefit of collaborations in such a competitive industry. 

We already know that Samsung is partnering with top-tier content creators to develop optimized content for Gear VR, which suggests that the future of virtual reality experience is heading towards the right direction. It is good to see Samsung taking a bold step in exploring a new world of wearable technology. As IFA 2014 continues, we will bring more exclusive stories on Gear VR and more, so stay tuned.

*All functionality features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.