Samsung have sent along the specs for the updated Gear VR, announced at Samsung’s Unpacked event earlier today – and it includes some notable changes.
Samsung’s Gear VR is a brilliant piece of engineering, both software and hardware, but it had some undeniable flaws. The VR Headset, designed to be powered by a single mobile device, the Galaxy Note 4, ran entirely on power provided by said mobile without the ability to ‘plug it into the mains’. This means depending on the level of power required to run your chosen VR experience, your playtime was somewhat limited.
See Also: Samsung Gear VR Detailed Review: Part One – Design Comparison to Oculus Rift DK2 and Part Two
With the new version of Gear VR, which we already know is now to be compatible with both the new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones, fixed this flaw. What’s more, it drops the size of the device by 15% into the bargain.
Whilst these may be minor refinements to the ‘Innovator Edition’ headset which has impressed since release late last year, it’s encouraging that Samsung is willing to listen and act quickly to address issues such as these.
Here’s the full specification list for your perusal as provided by Samsung:
- Dimensions: 196 x 107.9 x 82.9 mm
- Sensor: Accelerator, Gyrometer, Proximity (Mount/Unmount Detection)
- Field of View: 96 Degrees
- IPD Coverage: 54 ~ 70 mm (Fixed Lenses)
- Accessory: Replaceable Face Form, Carrying Pouch, Lens Cleaning Cloth
- Color: Frost White
- Connectivity: microUSB connection to the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge
For those interested, here are the current Gear VR’s specifications:
- Dimensions: 98(W) x 116(L) x 90(H)mm
- Sensor: Accelerator, Gyrometer, Magnetic, Proximity
- Field of View: 96 Degrees
- IPD Coverage: 55 ~ 71 mm (Fixed Lenses)
- Accessory: microSD Card(16GB) in-box: A collection of 360-degree videos and 3D movie trailers from major studios will be pre-loaded.
- Color: Frost White
- Connectivity: microUSB 1.1 connection to the Galaxy Note 4
We’re still intrigued how well Gear VR works with the S6 Edge’s unusual form factor (its screen edges are curved around the device) – we’re also fairly sure smarter people than us have got it covered though.
No word on cost or availability just yet, although given the minor variances here, it’s difficult to see the price changing all that much.
