samsung – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

January 28, 2019

Samsung Files Patent For 180 Degree VR Headset With Curved OLED Displays

Samsung filed a patent application for a VR headset with a field of view of at least 180 degrees. The headset is described as using a curved OLED display.

The patent describes attaining the wide field of view while maintaining reasonable size and weight as a crucial design consideration. To achieve this, the design uses two lenses per eye. One pair of standard fresnel lenses with a field of view of 120, combined with a second set of wide angle strip lenses positioned at an angle.

This would provide a full vertical field of view for regular vision and partial in the peripheral. The curved screen would allow the overall design to remain relatively compact compared to other wide field of view headsets.

Companies frequently patent technologies which never come to market. But if Samsung did decide to go forwards with this design, they could leverage their competitive advantage as the world’s largest small OLED panel manufacturer. Samsung Galaxy smartphones already incorporate curved OLED technology.

The company could even keep the technology exclusive to such a headset, as they did with the “anti screen door effect” OLED technology in the HMD Odyssey+.

In an October interview with Lowyat.NET, the CEO of Samsung Electronics confirmed that the company was heavily looking in to both VR and AR. The Samsung Odyssey series has been well recieved by VR buyers. It offers Vive Pro resolution at a significantly more affordable price.

Samsung’s future in this industry seems promising- we’ll keep you updated on any further hints of the company’s future VR plans.

Tagged with: patent, pimax, samsung

The post Samsung Files Patent For 180 Degree VR Headset With Curved OLED Displays appeared first on UploadVR.

November 18, 2018

Get Samsung Odyssey+ For Just $299 Starting Today – 40% Off Black Friday Sale

Samsung is offering an incredible early Black Friday deal starting today — its Odyssey+ high end PC VR headset for just $299. This saves $200 (40%) from the regular $499 price. The deal applies only to customers in the United States.

The Odyssey+ is a new refreshed version of the original Odyssey, which was Samsung’s first PC VR headset released in November of last year. The Odyssey+ launched last month, adding a new “anti screen door effect” technology to the OLED diplays, as well as ergonomic and weight improvements.

The Odyssey+ is a PC VR headset that leverages Microsoft’s Windows MR platform built into Windows 10. This platform is the default experience for the headset and the Microsoft Store is the default store, but it also works with SteamVR by using Microsoft’s SteamVR drivers.

The Odyssey+ has the same resolution as HTC Vive Pro, yet is significantly cheaper. The Vive Pro with base stations and controllers starts at $1,098. The main difference in these two headsets is the positional tracking technology. The HTC Vive Pro uses the SteamVR “Lighthouse” tracking system, whereas the Odyssey+ uses the two cameras on the front of the headset for “inside-out” tracking. Lighthouse generally provides better tracking quality with more tracked range for controller motion, but the Odyssey and Odyssey+ tracking requires no external hardware setup, making it less hassle and more portable.

When we reviewed last year’s Odyssey we we impressed, concluding that it sits among the best VR headsets on the market. By some reports, the Odyssey+ is even better and at $299 it’s a steal. Remember, this headset can play most VR games on Steam.

We haven’t seen a VR headset with this resolution ever reach a price this low. Samsung has not said when the offer will end.

Tagged with: odyssey, samsung, SteamVR, VR sales, windows VR

The post Get Samsung Odyssey+ For Just $299 Starting Today – 40% Off Black Friday Sale appeared first on UploadVR.

October 19, 2018

Samsung Is Working on a VR-AR Hybrid Headset, Already Tested ‘Prototype’

With the Gear VR’s launch in 2015, Samsung were technically the first company to release a modern-age consumer VR headset, and Gear VR is still the most owned VR headset on the market. In late 2017 they then launched a PC VR system, the Odyssey, the only ‘Windows Mixed Reality’ headset to use OLED panels and have lens separation adjustment.

Over the past year, there have been multiple hints from Samsung that their next step may be a standalone VR headset with AR capabilities- a “hybrid” so to speak.

In a recent interview with the Malaysian tech news outlet Lowyat.NET, the CEO of Samsung Electronics stated:

“Today, we are heavily looking into incorporating both VR and AR (Augmented Reality). We haven’t decided which route to go with this yet, but we’re working closely with our partners on this. I’ve tested a prototype headset that actually incorporates both VR and AR, and it really delivers a much better experience with that combination.”

This isn’t the first time Samsung officials have hinted at a future VR headset distinct from 3DoF Gear VR or PC-based Odyssey.

The Odyssey may be a stepping stone to a fully standalone Samsung VR headset.

At their annual developer conference in November of last year, a Samsung VP told the audience “We think the next mobile VR system would have inside-out positional tracking with 6DoF motion controllers.” He stated that this would be delivered with “global partnerships” that included Intel.

Then, in May of this year, a Samsung official told The Korea Times that they were working on “cordless and high-priced headsets supporting both VR and AR”, and interestingly then added that Microsoft had recently agreed to lower its royalties.

This may be the answer to a major question about a future Samsung standalone headset: what platform and store would it run? With the Gear VR, Samsung used Oculus’ mobile platform and store, however the relationship between these two companies is currently unclear. For example, Samsung even added Google Daydream support to their smartphones and are using Microsoft’s platform on PC. Then earlier this year, Oculus launched its own standalone in the Oculus Go and basically never mentioned the Gear VR at Oculus Connect 5.

Instead, Samsung could be making the first standalone Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) headset (Windows Mixed Reality is currently a PC-only platform, similar to SteamVR). Samsung has not said whether this would use an x86 chip like a PC or an ARM based chip like a smartphone, however the mention of Intel as a partner last November may suggest the former. If this is the case, this may have been what prompted Intel to close their “Project Alloy”, which was a project to create a standalone x86 VR headset reference design for manufacturers to use. It would also make it compatible with existing WMR, rather than requiring developers to recompile for ARM. In fact, it could potentially even run apps built for minimum spec PCs with no changes at all.

It’s important to note that all we know about this headset is just based on hints from Samsung about future plans that may or may not pan out, but if it does become a product, it would be direct competition to Oculus Quest, Facebook’s recently announced 6DoF standalone launching in Spring.

If Samsung are not making their own platform however, it could be difficult for them to compete on price, since they would be unable to recoup a hardware loss with the cut of app sales. The Odyssey is priced at $499 and does contain the computing hardware, yet Oculus are pricing Quest at $399. It is possible however, especially given the “high priced” qualifier Samsung used when speaking to The Korea Times, that Samsung will instead offer a more premium experience, with high margins rather than volumes.

Tagged with: gear vr, mixed reality, samsung

The post Samsung Is Working on a VR-AR Hybrid Headset, Already Tested ‘Prototype’ appeared first on UploadVR.

August 3, 2018

Samsung Trademarks ‘Perfect Reality’, ‘Odyssey Z’ Ahead Of Note 9 Reveal

It’s that time of year again; Samsung is getting ready to reveal its next enlarged smartphone, the Galaxy Note 9, at an Unpacked event on August 9th. But recent trademarks from the company suggest there might be some interesting VR news coming down the line, too.

In the last week of July the tech giant put in trademark filings for both ‘Perfect Reality‘ and ‘Odyssey Z‘ at the European trademark office. Both filings have ‘virtual reality headsets’ tagged in their goods and services description.

Odyssey Z might sound exciting initially, but it’s not likely to amount to much. Though Samsung has a (very good) Windows VR headset named the Odyssey, the company also revealed the Samsung Notebook Odyssey Z earlier this year, and this trademark almost certainly refers to its European release. It does at least suggest that the gaming-focused device could support VR, though.

Perfect Reality sounds much more interesting, perhaps tying into a new marketing push for Samsung’s VR efforts. Back in July we reported that the company had also trademarked an ‘Anti-Screen Door Effect’ AMOLED display (which is likely the display we saw at SID Display Week) and we also know that it’s working on its own standalone VR headset with 4K resolution, inside-out tracking and eye-tracking. That sounds pretty perfect to us.

We don’t know when Samsung will reveal these trademarks officially, but the thought of a Note 9 with a refined display has us excited about jumping back in Gear VR. We’ll have to see what the company has in store next week.

Tagged with: samsung

The post Samsung Trademarks ‘Perfect Reality’, ‘Odyssey Z’ Ahead Of Note 9 Reveal appeared first on UploadVR.

May 9, 2018

Report: Samsung Working On Wireless AR/VR Headset With Microsoft

It sounds like Samsung is working on a new headset that will utilize both virtual and augmented reality technology.

That is according to the Korea Times, which cites a Samsung official familiar with the company’s plans. Apparently, this new headset is a premium, wireless device that is being made in partnership with Microsoft. If true, it sounds like this could be the next step in the pair’s work together in the headset space. Last year, Samsung released the Odyssey PC VR headset under Microsoft’s Windows-based ‘mixed reality’ banner, which was easily the best of the five headsets featured in that line.

This new device sounds like it could be using Microsoft’s reference designs not just for VR but also its HoloLens mixed reality headset too.

“VR was once tapped as the next hot technology,” Korea Times’ source apparently said. “However, despite sizable investment in it, the technology failed to resonate with consumers. Now, Samsung thinks the mixed reality market is a bit more promising than VR or AR in wider usability and adaptability. As we achieved in the ‘phoneblet’ market, Samsung has stronger intent in the consumer market with the firm’s new devices supporting mixed reality technology.”

The report notes that Samsung will debut this new device at the IFA trade show in Berlin this August. It was nearly a year ago now that we saw a prototype standalone VR headset from Samsung named the ExynosVR III. The device boasted a 4K display, eye-tracking and possibility even inside-out positional tracking. Could this rumored device be the consumer version of that prototype?

We’ve reached out to Samsung to ask after this report. We’ll let you know if we hear back.

Tagged with: samsung

April 23, 2018

Samsung Launches Six Indie VR Projects

Six indie VR projects are now available on the Samsung VR Video service via the Oculus store.

The debut episodes are the product of a new program from Samsung looking to fund indie filmmakers while encouraging them to use the 360 Round — a high-end VR camera from Samsung that sells for more than $10,000. The program from Samsung includes a grant and a camera loan.

The first episodes are described as follows:

“&Design” (Hey Wonderful) “Set in a collection of real world locations, this fresh, funny and irreverent VR series directed by Sam Cadman challenges its viewers to spot eight surreal and unexpected Easter eggs hidden within each episode. Sam’s Surreal Gems is the antithesis of overly familiar futuristic and fantastical VR, rather, this series will celebrate the truly entertaining and wonderfully funny possibilities within the real world already around us. Each set of surreal gems will have been carefully rehearsed and seamlessly choreographed so as to happen in a single uninterrupted take lasting no more than 2-3 minutes. These gems will be arranged so that they build in spectacle and scale, as well as darting around all 360 degrees of the VR space. The same troupe of actors will appear in each location/episode – playing their characters with a natural and understated ease.”
“Voyages – Pilot” (samsung

February 26, 2018

Qualcomm Suggests Gear VR Is Ready For 6DoF

Samsung this weekend revealed the Galaxy S9, its latest generation smartphone which works with the existing Gear VR headset that’s been on the market since last year. The Gear VR is, of course, a 3DoF system that can only be used in a seated or standing position. Qualcomm, though, is the chip company behind most mobile devices and its latest Snapdragon 845 platform is said to be powering the S9. According to Qualcomm, this platform is technically capable of 6DoF tracking for full freedom of movement throughout a room.

In an oddly worded press release, the company wrote the new “Qualcomm Adreno 630 visual processing subsystem is designed to deliver innovations for new XR designs, like the Samsung Gear VR for Galaxy S9/S9+, including room-scale 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) with simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).”

When asked for clarification, Qualcomm wrote in an email “Samsung Galaxy S9 does not support these features (at least not based on Snapdragon XR) but Samsung may choose to work with Qualcomm to enable this in Gear VR.”

Both Samsung and Facebook’s Oculus, which powers the Gear VR’s software, also told us the headset remains 3DoF with the S9.

Facebook is expected to release the 3DoF $200 Oculus Go standalone headset in the coming months, and unveil its next steps in VR during the F8 developer conference May 1 and 2. The company is also developing what’s expected to be a more expensive high-end standalone headset with 6DoF that could ultimately run the Qualcomm 845 platform as well. Developer kits will be distributed this year for headsets based on this “Santa Cruz” prototype. Samsung, too, often releases new phones twice a year so it is possible that while the company hasn’t activated the feature in this generation device, it could still take advantage in 2018.

One thing to note also is that the first standalones coming to market from companies like HTC and Lenovo feature 6DoF tracking for head movements but not for hands. This means that you can’t really reach out with your arms with this hardware to interact with something, and that can feel awkward. Put another way, it is one technical problem to enable 6DoF head tracking without any external hardware but it is a separate problem to also track two hands with the same level of accuracy.

Tagged with: samsung

January 30, 2018

Review: Samsung Odyssey Sits Among The Best VR Headsets

Late last year Microsoft’s partners unleashed a collection of headsets powered by the company’s tracking technology. Leading the pack with a superior resolution is Samsung’s Odyssey, which sports the same resolution (1440×1600 per eye) as the yet-to-be-released Vive Pro.

Odyssey costs more than the other Microsoft headsets, around $500 officially, and doesn’t feature the flip-up display that’s so useful to developers. For enthusiasts, the resolution bump is important. We called the Odyssey 2017s best VR hardware partly because it legitimized Microsoft’s efforts to enter the VR market after Facebook and HTC and those extra pixels are key to their effort. The other VR headsets in the Windows-based line up, like the entry-level Acer and Lenovo systems, worked well and since our initial reviews they’ve dropped to incredibly low prices. Everything in those reviews holds true with Odyssey, with a couple major changes. There’s the missing flip-up display, which is gone in favor of a more comfortable fit overall, and the addition of IPD adjustment alongside integrated sound and a microphone array. Combined with that increased resolution from Samsung’s OLEDs, it all makes a big difference in presenting Odyssey as more of a complete package.

To put it simply, to my eyes the Odyssey’s visuals improve upon Rift and Vive in every way. At CES we also tried the Vive Pro, which uses the same resolution Samsung display. It wasn’t a lot of time with the Vive Pro and we didn’t try them side by side, so it is hard to comment more about the optical differences between the two. But we are left with the overall impression that Odyssey’s clarity — from resolution to lenses — currently leads the industry. In a CES demo provided by NextVR using the Odyssey, the company showed how crisp a captured scene can look in the Odyssey. It is hard to go back to the decreased resolution after experiencing the improvement.

Microsoft’s SteamVR integration is absolutely critical to making any of the Microsoft-based systems worth the investment, because its store is still lacking lots of great content. There are popular apps like Arizona Sunshine, Superhot VR, Bigscreen, Fantastic Contraption, Space Pirate Trainer and others available on the Microsoft Store, but you’re going to want to access Steam to get some of the latest and greatest content in order to make the headset purchase worth it.

Some developers have been working to update their content so it works with lower end PCs as well as Windows-based headsets, and this list is likely to grow over time. It is important to recognize, however, that Microsoft’s SteamVR integration remains in early access and your mileage will vary depending what graphics card you have and which games you want to play. The description for the SteamVR integration says it would remain in early access until it is “stable for the majority of games and apps.” There’s no timeline yet for that to happen. This may mean you should lean toward getting a more powerful PC if you are thinking about getting an Odyssey.

It is a pain to set up cameras or laser boxes around the room with Rift and Vive. Rift also comes with a whole lot of great exclusive content on the Oculus Store, while also running most things on Steam. It isn’t an easy choice picking between Odyssey and Rift. Vive is still great for the largest setups, of course, but Odyssey is way more convenient and Rift sets itself apart with content exclusives. So Rift has access to the greatest amount of quality content (yes Vive owners can use a hack to access some Oculus content) and the Oculus hand controllers are superior, but you have to plug in three cameras to your computer to make Rift offer the same freedom as the others. The hand controllers with Odyssey are slightly more ergonomic than those with other Windows-based headsets, but overall the differences are pretty minor — they’re still a little bulky.

Final Recommendation: Worth It

Overall, the Odyssey sits among the best VR headsets on the market offering a resolution improvement not visible in a Rift or Vive today, and greater convenience in setup. With Vive Pro likely to require a hefty premium, Odyssey’s integrated audio and microphone combined with a boost to visual quality make it a tempting purchase for the near future.

Tagged with: odyssey, samsung

September 16, 2017

PhoneCast Lets You Play 2D Android Apps In Virtual Reality On Gear VR

In case you don’t have enough things to do in virtual reality, you can now run 2D-screen Android applications within virtual reality on the Samsung Gear VR, thanks to a new version of Samsung’s PhoneCast app.

The app works on the Samsung Gear VR headset, which uses your mobile phone to give you a VR experience. The PhoneCast app’s Labs enables you to run games and other apps in VR, including livestreaming apps that let you stream videos to the giant virtual screen in VR. It creates a 2D window within your VR environment. Within that window, you can run Android apps.

If you don’t mind doing a little bit of work in order to get new experiences, this might be your kind of thing. You can get it in the Oculus Store in the usual way, downloading and executing an app, and the docking the phone into the Gear VR.

You can use applications that have been approved, or whitelisted, for the app, and you’ll see them in the VR menu while wearing the Gear VR headset. If you have already downloaded those apps, you can proceed. But if you haven’t, you have to download them in the Google Play store first.

Previously, the only approved apps are video streaming services. But a new version of PhoneCast coming out on September 15 will let you run other apps. A Labs section of the PhoneCast app will contain a number of apps that might work.

Above: Samsung’s PhoneCast VR has a beefed up user interface.

Image Credit: Samsung

Christopher Peri, a tech director at Samsung, said he tried out Fallout Shelter. It didn’t work at first, but it worked fine on the second attempt. Monument Valley also took a few tries but it eventually worked as well, Peri said.

Yujin Jung, senior product manager at Samsung Research America, said in an email that the initial beta of PhoneCast VR debuted in May, with only the Android video apps whitelisted. Supported apps vary by country, but they include Plex, Vudu, Hulu, Youtube, VLC, MX Player, Musically, Kodi, Tubi TV, DirecTV LLC, Crackle, Xfinity, NFL, and Sling TV.

Jung said in an email that the team studied Gear VR user data and found that retention was an issue. That can be addressed with more VR content, but it can also be addressed another way. So the team started bringing a more abundant resource — 2D screen applications — into the VR space.

“This was where we started our creative solution,” Jung said.

After the video apps launched, Samsung got more feedback that users wanted more apps. So the team launched the Labs section.

This post by Dean Takahashi originally appeared on VentureBeat.

Tagged with: samsung

August 27, 2017

Samsung Launches Relúmĭno App To Help The Visually Impaired

The virtual reality (VR) wars are starting to heat up, with HTC announcing earlier today that it is slashing the price of its Vive VR headset from $800 to $600 — a month after Facebook scythed prices for the Oculus Rift headset and Oculus Touch controller.

But VR remains very much a niche medium, and we’ve yet to fully understand how — or even if — it will infiltrate the mainstream consciousness, beyond gaming.

One conduit through which VR could prove its worth is health care, where simulations are able to provide surgeons with vital training. And now Samsung has just announced the official launch of Relúmĭno, an application to help those with visual impairments see more clearly.

A product of C-Lab, Samsung’s in-house incubator of sorts that gives employees a chance to develop new ideas separate from their core duties, Relúmĭno was first showcased alongside a handful of other VR / AR projects at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona earlier this year. The app works in conjunction with the Gear VR, meaning the user plugs their Galaxy smartphone into the headset and their phone serves as the display and processor.

Relúmĭno effectively brings a new level of clarity to TV, books, artwork, and other real-world objects. The rear camera on the smartphone is the “eyes” of the Gear VR (and thus the person wearing it), and the app can magnify specific areas, highlight an image outline, or adjust color contrasts and brightness. Though it could be used in an outdoor setting, Samsung cautions against this for safety reasons.

Above: Relúmĭno: Adjust settings

Above: Relúmĭno: making text clearer

Samsung said those with impaired peripheral vision — or “tunnel vision,” as it’s often termed — are able to set the parameters of their blind spots so Relúmĭno can remap “unseen images to place in visible parts of the eye.”

Above: Relúmĭno: Tunnel vision

C-Lab projects normally have a lifespan of around a year before they’re either taken down or spun out into a standalone company, but Samsung said that it plans to keep Relúmĭno running as it currently is and develop related features and products. Part of this next step will entail producing “glasses-like products” that don’t stand out like a sore thumb — as VR headsets do in the real world. So what we’re likely talking about wearables that don’t scream “LOOK AT ME.”

“Relúmĭno will be the life-changer for 240 million of the visually impaired people around the world, and we promise a firm and continuing support,” said Jaiil Lee, vice president and head of the Creativity and Innovation center at Samsung.

This post by Paul Sawers originally appeared on VentureBeat.

Tagged with: samsung