At the conclusion of the Galaxy S23 presentation, Samsung said that it was planning "for future XR experiences" (for Extended Reality). The Korean company is banking on Google and Qualcomm to assist it in developing its next product.
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| Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm band up to compete with Apple's future headphones |
There existed the Samsung Gear VR long before the Meta Quest Pro. The Korean brand's virtual reality headgear, released in collaboration with Oculus in 2015, was unquestionably ahead of its time. Unsurprisingly, Samsung swiftly abandoned this line to focused on its smartphones.
On the verge of the VR revolution, engineered by Meta, HTC, Bytedance, and, most likely, Apple, Samsung can only blame itself. During its Unpacked conference devoted to the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Book 3, the company revealed the forthcoming launch of a "Samsung XR product," built in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm, on February 1. It's difficult not to get excited about Apple's planned announcements, even if its product appears to be far from ready.
Samsung made no significant announcements at its Unpacked show. The described device appears to be far from done, as TM Roh, the CEO of Samsung Mobile, said.
What is intriguing, though, is how Samsung made their statement. Rather than going it alone and developing a helmet, the Korean firm chose to discuss an alliance. Its first headgear developed for "future XR experiences" (hear "Extended Reality," which covers virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality) will be the product of a collaboration between three companies:
Samsung, which will produce the hardware. It's no surprise that Samsung has factories, understands how to create displays, and excels at hardware.
Qualcomm will be in charge of processors and embedded technology. It's no surprise that Qualcomm already equips Meta, Pico, and HTC headsets. It also provides smaller companies, such as the mixed reality headset from French Lynx.
Google will provide an operating system and applications tailored to the XR. It's a pleasant surprise. Several VR headsets are presently available that run on a version of Android derived from Google, but none are entitled to an OS produced by Google.
Why collaborate with Google, which has yet to demonstrate its capabilities in virtual or mixed reality? Most likely because Samsung is attempting to emulate the popularity of its smartphones, which operate in the same manner (Qualcomm for the chips, Google for the OS). The Korean expects that Google will catch up soon so that it may benefit from its future ecosystem.
TM Roh also stated in an interview with the Washington Post that he was open to further partnerships with Meta and Microsoft. The aim appears to be straightforward: make Samsung the open option to Apple when the latter debuts its headphones later this year.
When will Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm release their first products? It's difficult to predict, but nothing is likely to be displayed until next year. However, by establishing themselves thus early, the trio ensures that it will not be eliminated by the Meta/Apple duopoly the day the iPhone maker reveals its device. This does not imply that Samsung will catch up to virtual reality, but this disclosure does have the benefit of alerting us about Google's development, which was previously unknown. Android CEO Hiroshi Lockheimer discussed the " spatial Internet ". This is the first mention of this technology by Apple's neighbor.