'Samsung Gear VR' Latest News: Samsung Announces New VR Headset With Controller

By Amee Florence Payno, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Samsung has introduced its latest Gear VR mobile virtual reality (VR) headset at the recently held Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. The headset's specs are very similar to the 2016 model but as rumored, it comes with a new feature – an Oculus-powered controller.

According to a press release published by Samsung in its official website, the controller of the new Gear VR features an "ergonomic, curved design offering convenient one-hand control and better motion interaction with minimized head movement for a comfortable user experience."

"At Samsung, we are focused on setting and exceeding the standard for VR experiences, making them even more accessible and delivering the highest in quality," said executive vice president Younghee Lee of Samsung's mobile communications business. "The Gear VR with Controller expands our VR ecosystem to help consumers get more engaged and immersed in VR content — whether it's games or videos," he added.

The headset itself weight nearly 12.2 oz or 345 grams, making it the heavier headset compared to the two previous versions released. It is also wider (207.8 X 112.5 X 98.6 mm) than its older counterparts. However, similar to the 2016 model, the field of view remains to be 101 degrees.

The controller, on the other hand, weight 2.21 oz or 64.3 grams and measures 108.1 x 48.1 x 38.2 mm. Among its features include a clickable touchpad, a trigger, and "Home," "Back," and "Volume" keys. The Oculus-powered controller is also equipped with a gyrometer, accelerometer and magnetic sensors. It can only be powered by two AAA batteries, which is estimated to last up to 40 days with an average daily use of two hours.

The headset and controller are designed to support micro USB and USB Type-C ports, but a converter is also included in the product's box. The Samsung Gear VR is also compatible with the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, Note 5, S6 Edge+, S6 and S6 Edge.

According to The Inquisitr, the new Samsung Gear VR will be competing with Google's Daydream View headset, which is not only a lighter headset, but also comes with a controller. Google's headset works with the Google Pixel and the Pixel XL.

The Korean tech giant will also see a competitor in the HTC Vive headset once its mobile version is launched sometime by the end of 2017.

Pricing and availability of the newest Samsung Gear VR headset and controller have not yet been revealed.