Samsung's trade show at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona was filled with new flagship devices like the new Galaxy Tab S3 and its Exynos 8895 chipset. Another hardware that has stolen the spotlight is the announcement of Samsung Gear VR with Controller, which is created to "provide quicker selection and interaction" to VR users.
The new Samsung Gear VR boasts its dedicated controller, which is similar to Google's Daydream View. Powered by Oculus, the new hardware is the company's first Gear VR headset with a controller.
Oculus and Samsung have collaborated to do some cosmetic changes on the new VR headset, Wired.co.uk reported. The controller features a thinner shaft and circular touchpad at the top, which carries the same impression like in the Oculus Touch and HTC Vive controllers. In addition, the controller offers one-handed control that could enable lesser head movement and better motion interaction.
Another highlight of the controller is the circular touchpad. It gives way for quicker selection and interaction in VR apps, while expanding many forms of virtual motion. Because the touchpad is clickable, it gives the ability to point, drag and drop, tilt and shoot objects, thus minimizing any additional movements that can cause motion sickness on users, Wareable reported.
The Gear VR controller has been improved in terms of field of viewing, as it covers a 101-degree FOV in its 42mm lenses. Furthermore, it comes with a distortion correction technology in order to minimize the occurrence of motion sickness.
Samsung also expanded the functionality options in the controller by adding more buttons, including a trigger button, volume rocker, and home and back buttons on the front. It weighs 64.3g and packs two AAA batteries, alongside an accelerometer and gyroscope sensors.
Oculus says that over 70 titles optimized for the new Gear VR controller are in development, which should work together with the accessory controller.
The Samsung Gear VR headset will be compatible with both USB-C and MicroUSB connectivity on devices like Galaxy S7, S7 edge, Note5, S6 edge+, S6 and S6 edge. As of now, Samsung has released no further details on the pricing and availability of the new VR headset.
