Samsung still doesn't know if VR is hype or mainstream

Its standalone Rift rival won't launch till Sammy is sure
17133-original
Wareable is reader-powered. If you click through using links on the site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Will VR ever be mainstream? Samsung, which has had one of the biggest VR hardware hits so far with the Gear VR, still doesn't know if or when.

Young Sohn, Samsung's president and chief strategy officer, told an event in San Francisco: "Is [VR] hype or mainstream? I don't have an answer." He also said that Samsung is holding off on the launch of its confirmed high end standalone VR headset to match the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive until it's clear that these types of devices will be widely adopted.

Sohn described the VR headset game as having a "chicken and egg problem right now" - to take VR mainstream we need great, affordable headsets but some companies don't want to spend on R&D for headsets until they know it will be mainstream.

Read this: Virtual reality has arrived - so what happens next?

What Sohn and other execs are comparing VR headset sales to remains to be seen. Obviously the Gear VR is powered by recent and brand spanking new Galaxy and Note phones so it's another reason to buy a Samsung phone. Ditto its upcoming Daydream headsets and phones.

There's over one million active Gear VR users, according to Oculus, and around 500,000 have been shifted in Europe alone. But while we don't know firm sales figures for the Vive and Rift, it's likely to be less than 100,000 for each headset so far.

It's unusual for Samsung to not jump into a new category and try out form factors and specs till they stick - see its smartwatch strategy. As for what we'll see, Sohn hinted that the next gen of VR headsets will have "at least two times" the pixel density to make VR sharper and more realistic. There was even talk of 10K and 11K displays but that would mean Samsung forking out at least $5 billion to make it happen.

Via: TechCrunch

Samsung still doesn't know if VR is hype or mainstream

TAGGED Samsung VR

How we test



By

Sophie was Wareable's associate editor. She joined the team from Stuff magazine where she was an in-house reviewer. For three and a half years, she tested every smartphone, tablet, and robot vacuum that mattered. 

A fan of thoughtful design, innovative apps, and that Spike Jonze film, she is currently wondering how many fitness tracker reviews it will take to get her fit. Current bet: 19.

Sophie has also written for a host of sites, including Metro, the Evening Standard, the Times, the Telegraph, Little White Lies, the Press Association and the Debrief.

She now works for Wired.


Related stories