Mixed reality headsets are starting to pop up all over the place at the moment. IFA Berlin 2017 saw new headsets from Dell, Lenovo, HP and Acer bringing fresh competition to VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Set to be officially unveiled next week at a Microsoft mixed reality event next week, Samsung’s mixed reality headset has unofficially surfaced in advance.
Unlike Samsung’s Gear VR headset, which is designed to work with its Galaxy smartphones, this new headset is a full-blown device that needs a Windows PC with a decent graphics card to power it. As a mixed reality device, it will offer users both a completely immersive VR experience or an augmented reality experience using the two built-in cameras positioned at the front of the headset. In this usage context, live video footage from the real world is overlaid with computer generated imagery.
While the specifications of the Samsung mixed reality headset or its price have yet to be revealed, the earpieces carry the company’s own AKG audio branding. AKG, you may recall, is owned by Harman Kardon. Harman Kardon, in turn, is now a fully-owned subsidiary of Samsung. The device also looks to have plenty of padding for comfort as well. As you can see from the photos, it also can be used in conjunction with a pair of controllers that look to be tracked by the headset itself (based on the fitment of the external lighting on them).
Expect all the juicy details about the Samsung mixed reality headset to be revealed in the coming week.