Samsung continues investing in the future of mobile virtual reality, with a brand new version of Gear VR designed specifically to work with the new Galaxy S6 and S6 edge smartphones. The Gear VR still carries the ‘Innovator Edition’ tag that means it’s aimed primarily at bleeding edge tech enthusiasts and developers than the general public, and it continues to use Oculus technology to power the software and VR mechanics, but it’s designed to work specifically with the Galaxy S6’s new ultra-high resolution 577 ppi 5.1-inch Quad HD display.
The denser display means users will get reduced pixelation on this iteration of Gear VR, Samsung says, and longer usage time thanks to battery improvements. It’s also much smaller than the Gear VR set designed for the Note 4, with an overall 15 percent reduction (196mm x 107.9 mm x 82.9 mm to be exact) for the newest headset. Samsung’s new 14nm Exynos Octacore also offers better computing capabilities for powering VR experiences, and it now supports power in via its USB port ofor longer use sessions.
Prior to this launch, we speculated about whether Samsung would do something to make the existing Gear VR compatible with its new flagship, or whether they’d do something dedicated, and it looks like we have our answer. It’s still not a genuine, general use consumer VR headset, but it’s another step along that path, and one that should power a lot more interesting feedback, given the larger likely user pool of Galaxy S6 buyers, vs. Note 4 purchasers.
Credit: Techcrunch
