Samsung Metaverse Hardware: Samsung, Google, and Qualcomm Are Building an Extended Reality Headset

Samsung, an electronic company primarily known for its mobile phones and home appliances, is showing further interest in Web 3.0. It aims to contribute to the metaverse development by preparing hardware for virtual reality, so we can expect new VR headsets to set foot in the market.
Of course, this isn’t Samsung’s first attempt to conquer the virtual land and develop a Samsung metaverse. As a matter of fact, Samsung has been contributing to the metaverse for quite some time now, making this hint about the Samsung VR headset even more exciting.

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Samsung metaverse

Illustration: Milica Mijajlovic

To turn this idea into reality, Samsung will partner with Google and Qualcomm, one of the most prominent industry giants contributing to virtual reality and metaverse development. By joining hands together, they’ll further bridge the gap between physical and virtual environments, allowing us to dive deeper into the metaverse and explore virtual worlds more flexibly and precisely.

Samsung Is Giving Us Hints About VR Headset Development

In an interview with the Washington Post, Samsung representatives revealed that this tech and electronics industry giant is making preparations for the Samsung metaverse. This isn’t exactly a surprise because virtual reality and metaverse are attractive industries, with many companies finding a way to get their share of the profit.

Metaverse example

Photo illustration: Freepik

Even companies that aren’t inherently related to these branches are dipping their toes into the market. Still, Samsung’s decision to build extended reality hardware is beyond exciting. That is because Samsung is a well-established and trustworthy brand with dozens of well-established and quality products already dominating the market. On top of that, Samsung isn’t exactly a metaverse newbie, so we can hope for a quality headset.  

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Many different companies have been making these announcements about different realities, so we have also been making similar preparations, no less than any others.

The president and director of Samsung’s mobile experience division, TM Roh, said in an interview with the Washington Post

The president and director of Samsung’s mobile experience division corroborated that Samsung is indeed making extended reality hardware. However, it’s inconclusive when the product will be seen on the shelves. It’s also too early to know other details about the products, such as the most crucial features or the price tag.

Still, what’s familiar to the public is that Samsung partnered with Qualcomm, a semiconductor and software company that will be in charge of the hardware’s chipset. And when trying to determine the platform they wanted to work with, the company opted for Google. Both companies confirmed their excitement about collaboration with Samsung and are hoping to deliver something new and revolutionary to the VR scene.

Is This Samsung’s First Virtual Reality (VR) Headset?

Samsung’s announcement about the upcoming collaboration with Google and Qualcomm isn’t its first attempt at developing Samsung metaverse hardware. Although long forgotten by customers, the Samsung Gear VR was Samsung’s first attempt to conquer the VR hardware scene. The headset was released at the end of November 2015, and was a product of a collaboration between Samsung and Oculus. The vision behind the project was to create affordable VR headsets supported by the majority of Samsung devices.

Virtual reality

Photo illustration: Freepik

However, in 2020, Samsung decided to discontinue the product. That wasn’t necessarily a bad decision, as the Samsung metaverse headset couldn’t pick up the pace and meet the industry standards.

But just because it didn’t deliver a boastful virtual reality headset, it doesn’t mean Samsung wasn’t an active sailor in the VR waters. For example, a replica of the Samsung store located at 837 Washington Street in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District was featured in Decentraland. The 837X was its first virtual world, the first step towards building the Samsung metaverse.

Additionally, the blockchain-fueled eco initiative between Samsung, Cardano, and Veritree was another successful project that took place both in the metaverse and in real life. While Veritree, a Cardano-based restorative platform, was in charge of creating virtual trees and tokens that come with each donation, Samsung crafted a plan to fight deforestation by planting millions of trees.

What Can We Expect in the Near Future?

Unfortunately, Samsung has only confirmed that it’s working on a new virtual reality headset. However, we can expect this company to continue investing in the Samsung metaverse and possibly expand its borders.

VR devices

Photo illustration: Freepik

Once the extended reality headset appears on the scene, we could expect new VR products from this tech and electronics giant, such as VR accessories. And once Samsung releases a headset for entering virtual reality, we will likely get to enjoy a new set of games that would showcase the Samsung metaverse headset’s potential. In the meantime, 2023 will give you more than enough to contain your curiosity about the Samsung metaverse.

For example, Apple is introducing an AR/VR headset, and PSVR 2, an upcoming VR headset for the PlayStation 5, is set to be released sometime in February 2023. Also, in the first quarter of the year, HTC will release its VIVE XR (Elite), a high-end mixed reality headset. This, of course, is just the beginning, so make sure to follow announcements if you want to learn about VR headset releases.

Jelena is a content writer dedicated to learning about all things crypto. Her hobbies are playing chess, drawing, baking, and going on long walks. During winter, she usually spends her leisure time reading books.

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