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Engadget: Samsung is working with Oculus on a media-focused VR headset

N

nbnt

is responsible for the well-being of this island.
Last week we told you about Samsung's unannounced virtual reality headset: a peripheral that enables VR interaction for flagship phones from the world's largest phone manufacturer. This week we've got far more details. First things first, Samsung's headset is the fruit of a collaboration with Oculus VR, the Facebook-owned virtual reality startup that both literally and figuratively kickstarted the current wave of VR products.

Oculus is handling the software-side of the product, while Samsung handles the hardware. The deal is a swap: Oculus gives Samsung early access to its mobile software development kit and helps develop user interface software, while Samsung gives Oculus early access to its next-gen OLED screens. And yes, Oculus is still making its own, gaming-focused, PC-based virtual reality headset; that's why it needs next-gen, high-pixel density OLED screens from Samsung. Join us below for new details about the device itself, as well as more on the unlikely partnership between two tech giants.
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Samsung wants to be first to market with a virtual reality headset, but it doesn't want to invest the time and money that Oculus and Sony are. Oculus VR wants to create a high-quality virtual reality headset specifically for gaming, and it doesn't want to rush one out. And thus, a convenient partnership is born between the two companies: Samsung makes the OLED screens that Oculus needs for its final product, Oculus makes the software that Samsung needs for its upcoming headset.

The partnership comes with both risks and rewards. On one hand, Samsung is a consumer electronics giant, and a company of that size investing in marketing and producing its own VR headset massively grows the medium. On the other hand, if it's a bad product, it has the potential to poison the well -- that is, it could be another Virtual Boy, thus making consumers even more apprehensive about VR as a medium.

We're told by sources close to both companies that Samsung's using an early form of Oculus' mobile SDK -- an exclusive use as part of the deal -- developed in part by John Carmack. We were also told that the OLED screens that Oculus is getting as part of the deal are higher def than 1080p, and that the screens will also be used in at least some of Samsung's next flagship phones. And this is where things get weird.
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Rather than having its own screen, Samsung's VR headset uses your phone directly. It plugs in using an existing port on your phone (think: microUSB) and becomes the screen. The headset itself has built-in sensors -- an accelerometer at very least -- so any motion tracking functionality is offloaded from your phone's processor.

The folks we spoke with who have dev kits are still running the headset on Galaxy S4 phones, and we're told it's a shockingly good experience. That said, the consumer device will run either a new version of the GS5 or potentially its successor -- either way, it'll be tweaked for optimal VR performance. The headset can be used with a paired game controller or as a standalone media device, navigated solely through motion and voice (we'll discuss that more below).
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Much more at http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/30/samsung-oculus-partnership/
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
chesthair1clcqf.gif


At least Samsung will not try to fuck up everything by themselves. Good development.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
OP failed, he shoud note that Samsung will use PHONE as a main VR driver, like all those cardboard cutouts and lenses that many are using today.

Still I think this is a good move. Samsung just needs to put great screen in SGS5 and better orientational sensors. Oculus will work on software stack. End product will probably be better than DK2, with great media/education reproduction capability and light VR gaming with stylized cartoonish/lowpoly art styles.
 
A

ashecitism

Member
DieH@rd said:
OP failed, he shoud note that Samsung will use PHONE as a main VR driver, like all those cardboard cutouts and lenses that many are using today.

Still I think this is a good move. Samsung just needs to put great screen in SGS5 and better orientational sensors. Oculus will work on software stack.
Click to expand...

You know I'm thinking wasn't there a KS campaign which was about making smartphones into VR google by putting them in a case?
 
B

boredandlazy

Member
DieH@rd said:
OP failed, he shoud note that Samsung will use PHONE as a main VR driver, like all those cardboard cutouts and lenses that many are using today.

Still I think this is a good move. Samsung just needs to put great screen in SGS5 and better orientational sensors. Oculus will work on software stack. End product will probably be better than DK2, with great media/education reproduction capability and light VR gaming with stylized cartoonish/lowpoly art styles.
Click to expand...
The screen in the S5 is already pretty awesome though...
 
P

pixlexic

Banned
I would love to see a movie filmed in true 3d meaning you are in the scene watching what is going on not at a screen in 3d.

We are a ways off from that though.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
SGS5 + 1440p + 5.5" [same phone size as sexy LG G3] + great dispay tech + good sensors = better VR experience than DK2. Easily.

And samsung will push this like mad, not only with software but with marketing. I think this will be very good thing for VR. Not for gaming, but for everything else VR related. A lot more developers will become much closer to VR.
 
S

SkeptiMism

Member
Interesting twist certainly.

And yeah this can be actually a pretty good thing for VR as long as it'll really function fairly well on phones.
 
S

syko de4d

Member
Rather than having its own screen, Samsung's VR headset uses your phone directly. It plugs in using an existing port on your phone (think: microUSB) and becomes the screen. The headset itself has built-in sensors -- an accelerometer at very least -- so any motion tracking functionality is offloaded from your phone's processor.
Click to expand...

So the thing should end pretty cheap, like 100-150$? All you need is a pretty expensive new Samsung Smartphone? This could end as a cheap entry for people with good smartphones and maybe some people like it and want more and get PC+real Oculus at the end.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
So....

- they are fully invested into cooperation with Oculus
- they will provide Oculus with new OLED displays [higher than 1080p], but want finished mobile SDK from them
- main driver for Samsung VR will be Samsung Galaxy S6 that will have hardware that is fully optimized for VR [fast display, rotation sensors, most probably 1440p [gotta catch LG ]]
- users will slot smartphone into cheap headset shell
- they will use "back" camera on phone to give users view to outside world [no augmented reality software, camera latency is a issue]
- early development demos with SGS5 are already visually very impressive [not strange, that phone has great screen, Abrash used two of them for creation of his "presence" demo]
- initial software push - main VR dashboard for picking apps, focus on multimedia, passive experiences, no concrete plans for active gaming [no controller]
- UI control for VR is still not finalized [most likely head gestures, on-board buttons and voice]
- game controller/media device pairing via bluetooth will be supported


All sounds surprisingly good. VR headset shell will be dirt cheap [$50 maaaaaaax, that's with included headpones], and every Android dev will probably get the chance to create VR apps. Win win for both Samsung and Oculus.
 
S

syko de4d

Member
DieH@rd said:
- initial software push - main VR dashboard for picking apps, focus on multimedia, passive experiences, no concrete plans for active gaming [no controller]
- UI control for VR is still not finalized [most likely head gestures, on-board buttons and voice]
Click to expand...

No controller? In the text you can find this

The headset can be used with a paired game controller or as a standalone media device, navigated solely through motion and voice (we'll discuss that more below).
Click to expand...

"Paired game controller" Maybe normal Oculus and Samsung Media HMD will get the same paired game controller.
 
B

BlazinAm

Junior Member
It seemed like it was either going to be Samsung or Sony that could potentially provide the screens to support Oculus. But it makes me wonder what was inside the DK2? A Samsung screen?
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
BlazinAm said:
It seemed like it was either going to be Samsung or Sony that could potentially provide the screens to support Oculus. But it makes me wonder what was inside the DK2? A Samsung screen?
Click to expand...

Most probably SGS5 AMOLED screen with hacked display driver [same as Abrash used].
 
metareferential

metareferential

Member
block tower said:
lol. VR is going to plague everything just like 3D did a few years back. will enjoy watching the VR shitshow unfold.
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What did it actually plague? Did someone force you to watch shitty 3D content?

Are you angry because you couldn't afford a new 3Dtv having just bought a standard set?

Or is it just the usual drive-by stupid hatred nonsense that we sometimes see around here?

New technologies are just options ready to be used or ignored. And comparing it to 3D sounds incredibly shortsighted.

Can't wait to see new prototypes with high-res, high-density oleds.
 
R

_Ryo_

Member
This will be great for virtual tourism. Go to a museum and NFC an exhibit, say for example Dinosaurs, visit a VR Dino land, shit your pants.
 
S

SkeptiMism

Member
IncandescentPrecept said:
VR is the new 3D. It won't take off.
Click to expand...
Not this shit again. It's nothing like 3d except for wearing a thing on your head. The "reward" you get for it is on a completely different scale. You hardly get anything with 3d most of the time. With VR.. you're in a virtual reality to put it simple (and your brain gets fooled to it).

edit:
I'm also interested if you even bothered to read the article or did you just pop in to say that, no offence.
 
S

syko de4d

Member
_Ryo_ said:
This will be great for virtual tourism. Go to a museum and NFC an exhibit, say for example Dinosaurs, visit a VR Dino land, shit your pants.
Click to expand...

I hope someone figures out how to livestream stuff in high fov+3d+180-360 degree. This would be really cool and you could make alot of money with it. For example, 20$ for a super bowl VR ticket. The only thing you need is super good internet because you need to stream more than you see to have lagfree headtracking all the time.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
Put a HDMI In/DisplayPort In functionality on the phone [it could be a custom port on phone with traditional full port on the headset itself], add infrared trackers on the headset body.... and we could have a full Oculus Rift ready to be used on PC. :D
 
Lactose_Intolerant

Lactose_Intolerant

Member
Using your phone for the display in a vr headset isn't a new idea but if it is good enough it will be good for the mass market. Which will help get more devs making stuff for vr.

bu4m.jpg
 
S

Seanspeed

Banned
pixlexic said:
I would love to see a movie filmed in true 3d meaning you are in the scene watching what is going on not at a screen in 3d.

We are a ways off from that though.
Click to expand...
Probably not that far off.

David Attenborough is filming a nature documentary with 360 degree cameras that will be viewable on the Oculus Rift.

Anyways, this is great news all-round. I feel quite good about this definitely being a boost for VR now. It also means awesome fucking displays for the Rift, so yea, that's gonna rock.
 
C

CTLance

Member
"Shitsung"? "TV incident"? What'd I miss again?

Anyway, Samsung seems like a good provider for the OR screens. Not sure that half-assed VR headset idea of theirs will be feasible, but let them try. I just hope they don't fuck up too much.
 
I

ido

Member
Sounds great.

Samsung is the only producer of AMOLED screens(suitable for VR), and for Oculus to have access to these very high-end high-resolution screens is pretty amazing.

Makes sense they had Carmack working on the mobile SDK for so long, since their end-game is software anyway. We all know they want to create the metaverse.
 
M

Modsushi

Member
If this is a viable headset, (no motion-sickness, low-latency, etc) I will seriously consider making the switch from iPhone to a Samsung VR-compatible phone. As much as I'm excited for Oculus, I'm not deluded that the Rift will run anywhere close to optimal on my nearly four year old laptop. And at this point a new gaming computer capable of running the Rift smoothly is not something I can easily fit into my budget.

Trading in a four year old laptop for spare parts will barely cover the cost for a new gaming computer and an Oculus Rift whereas trading in a pristine iPhone 5 might actually cover a significant portion of this Samsung VR kit. Maybe I'm wrong, but at a glance that's the impression I get.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
Cyriades said:
cool news.. now we have an idea what resolution oculus rift will be.

Basically the next Samsung galaxy screen.

1440p

I can deal with that!
Click to expand...

Yeah, 1440p will enable users to be able to read smaller text on screen, something that really plagued VR games for DK1 [and will even be problem for DK2].

Hopefully Sammy will work on totally removing screendoor effect.
 
M

Mindlog

Member
nbnt said:
Much more at http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/30/samsung-oculus-partnership/
next-gen, high-pixel density OLED screen
the OLED screens that Oculus is getting as part of the deal are higher def than 1080p
Click to expand...
Well now. Fire up the loud. Another round of shots.

It's nice to see this unfold in exactly the manner some predicted. Oculus was always going to use the best screens available for their price point. Now they are able to leverage their position into better deals and better tech.
 
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