New Samsung Gear VR may ship with a controller
With the rise of Daydream (not meteoric, mind you, because so few can still use it), Samsung seems keen on matching Google’s wits to make sure they still have the best mobile VR experience to offer.
Roland Quandt reports that the company is launching a new version of the Samsung Gear VR to go alongside the Samsung Galaxy S8. The trend to launch a new headset with new devices in recent years was mostly forced by hardware changes, such as the use of USB-C on the now-dead Galaxy Note 7.
But with the new 2017 Gear VR, we’re said to be getting a single-handed controller. We’ve heard that Samsung was working on this change early last year, and that the controller would be small and sleek enough to be stored inside the headset itself.
A recent FCC filing does show a petite little thing in that regard, even if we can only judge by an outline undefined by dimensions. No details on the controller can be gleaned from anything we’ve heard to date, though we’re not going to expect craziness such as motion controls unless Samsung has gone balls to the walls in R&D.
Another change on tap is said to be a redesigned front cover to hold the Galaxy S8. Samsung likely had to change the holding bay to accommodate a bigger device, because rumors say that the Plus-sized Galaxy S8 model will come in at whopping 6.2 inches. The base Galaxy S8, meanwhile stretches out to 5.7 inches, the standard size that the Note family has used for much of its life.