New patent designs can never be considered final but they do give an interesting look at where a company’s ideas are going. Recently, Samsung was awarded a patent on two mixed reality (MR) headset designs as well as an unusual controller.
Spotted by Let’s Go Digital, the patents were awarded by The Hague International Design System, part of WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) to Samsung Electronics last week. The most striking part of the controller design is the ring which seemingly goes over the wrist. Just like you’d find on the Oculus Touch or WMR controllers, these rings are used for tracking purposes and tend to be out front.
This design bares a similarity to the original Oculus Touch controllers and would certainly ensure the ring is less likely to get damaged – which can happen when players become really engrossed in an experience and forget about the boundary. The top plate is also devoid of A/B/X/Y buttons, merely offering a directional stick, touchpad and menu button.
As for the headset designs, the ‘bug-eyed’ model was actually revealed a year ago with a rugged halo strap, integrated headphones, a flip up hinge, and four front cameras for tracking purposes. The latest design in white looks a lot less radical than its forebear, with a clear front panel over a plastic framework which holds the camera. Unusual that the cameras are behind the rather than in front, unobstructed.
In any case, these are still patents and there’s been no official word from Samsung regarding a new MR headset. But CES 2021 has started this week so now would be as good a time as any to make an announcement.
The Samsung Odyssey and Odyssey+ were built around the Windows Mixed Reality platform, the latter released in 2018. WMR has never seen the success of other PC VR devices like Valve Index yet the HP Reverb G2 continues to keep the platform alive and it seems Samsung might be too.
As further details are revealed regarding Samsung’s future VR/AR plans, VRFocus will let you know.