Samsung is believed to have been working for a while on its own virtual reality headset, with numerous reports
pointing to the development. A new media report however indicates that the South Korean giant is tying-up with the pioneers in the field,
Oculus VR, in a bid to bring a mobile VR experience to the market soon.
The reported deal is seen as beneficial in the long-term for both Oculus VR (
now-owned by Facebook) and
Samsung, helping the companies address difficulties in bringing the technology to the market in a form that is affordable and attractive to consumers.
Oculus VR, with its current
$350 Rift VR headset prototype that requires a high-end computer to power it, gets more than a toe into the mobile VR market with the virtual reality software it has been building alongside running on future Samsung smartphones. It also gains from the South Korean electronics giant's hardware expertise to bring costs down on its VR headset while also working to optimise the platform so it is scalable and portable enough to be powered by smartphones and tablets.
(
Also see: Samsung 'Gear VR' Virtual Reality Headset to Launch at IFA: Report)
Samsung on the other hand, gets a look at the Oculus VR hardware and software that is making waves across the industry for its potential - expectations that saw the startup snapped up by
Facebook for
a cool $2 billion. The top smartphone manufacturer is also saved the trouble of developing the complex VR software, something it is admittedly weak at, with the company in the recent past shutting
down some of its services and removing home-brewed apps from its devices.
(
Also see: Sony unveils Project Morpheus virtual reality headset at GDC 2014)
The CNET
report, which is based on sources familiar with the matter, also claims that Samsung has already begun shipping prototypes of the fruit of the Oculus partnership to its partners, and that demand is high. As noted by CNET, Engadget had back in May first
reported of the deal - giving the two companies some time to have developed a feasible product.
Both companies are reportedly yet to decide the exact form of the mobile VR product when its brought to the market, and its branding.