Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition Coming in December!

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Have you heard about the Oculus Rift? Over the past 12 months the virtual reality company has been collaborating with Samsung, and the result is the new Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition which creates a virtual reality experience driven by the Galaxy Note 4, and it will be ready in early December. Why should you care?

The Samsung Gear VR at IFA

The Gear VR at IFA – the red version is hawt!

Because it’s the future, and it’s amazing!

“Samsung is excited to launch our first virtual reality experience, Gear VR Innovator Edition. We are looking forward to working with developers and partners on building amazing, accessible Virtual Reality experiences, that help bring the immersion of VR mainstream over the coming months and years,” said Nick DiCarlo, Vice President and General Manager of Immersive Products and Virtual Reality. “Samsung is pleased to be joining the VR community and will continuously endeavor to bring the Next Big Thing in Virtual Reality.”

The Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition produces “stunning visuals and allows developers to design amazing 360° experiences” from the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Bear in mind that this “initial release is an ‘Innovator Edition’. It’s an early-access, beta-version of the device for developers and enthusiasts rather than a final consumer product.” (Read more about that on the Oculus blog)

Leveraging the Galaxy Note 4’s 5.7inch high resolution Quad HD Super AMOLED™ display, Gear VR Innovator Edition produces stunning visuals and allows developers to design amazing 360° experiences. In addition to creating immersive entertainment experiences like wild roller coaster rides and realistic battle scenes inside video games, the Gear VR also has potential to be used in healthcare, the classroom, or in training simulations.

Alongside the launch of Gear VR Innovator Edition, Oculus will make the Oculus Mobile SDK for Gear VR available now to all developers who register at developer.oculus.com/. Samsung and Oculus have been working together with a variety of partners to illustrate the potential of Gear VR including:

  • As part of the Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron partnership with Samsung, Gear VR users will gain exclusive access to Tony Stark’s Lab inside the all new Avengers Tower.
  • Cirque du Soleil Media presents a 360° live-action 3D VR experience, featuring an act from Zarkana filmed by Felix & Paul Studios.
  • DreamWorks VR from DreamWorks Animation allows Samsung Gear VR users to interact and laugh with DreamWorks characters and content in a whole new way like never before.
  • Harmonix Music VR takes your music library and transports you to a fully immersive, musically responsive environment, allowing you to relax in a vibrant soundscape and explore visualizations set to your favorite tracks.
  • M-GO Advanced, a new paradigm for digital video VR applications, offers an unmatched interactive search and discovery experience with Samsung Gear VR.
  • Protocol Zero from DENA enables Samsung Gear VR players to infiltrate enemy grounds undetected in blackout conditions with hi-tech optics including night vision, X-ray vision, and thermal vision.
  • Temple Run VR is the latest edition in Imangi’s Temple Run series, challenging Samsung Gear VR players to run as far as they can through a perilous winter wonderland as they escape the clutches of Arctic Demon Monkeys.
  • Vevo offers more than 100,000 HD music videos, live concert events and original programming that can be enjoyed in an immersive, full-screen theater experience on Samsung Gear VR.
  • WemoLab’s theBluVR allows users to immerse themselves in the dream-like majesty of marine life.

The first time you connect your Samsung GR VR to your Galaxy Note 4, special Oculus software will download which includes:

  • Oculus Home – Your VR home screen and content discovery center, which includes a Samsung section
  • Oculus Store – An application that lets you browse and download new content from the Oculus platform
  • Oculus Cinema – A VR movie theater and cinema where you can watch your favorite movies in an immersive virtual environment
  • Oculus 360 Videos and Photos – Be immersed in 360° videos and panoramas like never before from within Gear VR

Samsung Gear™ VR Product Specifications:

Gear VR Innovator Edition Optical Lens 96? Field of View
Sensor Accelerator, Gyrometer, Geomagnetic, Proximity
Motion to Photon Latency < 20ms
Focal Adjustment Covers Nearsighted / Farsighted Eyes
Interpupillary DistanceCoverage 55 ~ 71 mm
Physical User Interface Touch Pad, Back Button, Volume Key
Connection microUSB connection to the Galaxy Note 4
Dimension (Headset) 198 x 116 x 90mm
Weight (w/ strap) 379g
Contents Available through Oculus Store
GalaxyNote 4 Display 5.7 inch Quad HD Super AMOLED (2560 x 1440)
Camera (Pass-Through) High Frame Rate Preview (60fps)
Audio 3D Spatial Sound on Samsung VR Player for VR Gallery contents (Earphone needed)

The frost white Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition is “equipped with a touch pad, back button, and focus adjustment wheel for an easy-to-use virtual reality device, while its flexible, lightweight materials make it comfortable for users to wear.” Developers can pre-register to receive information on the device starting today.

Gear VR Image for BusinessWire 11.12.14

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She started in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie is best known for her device-agnostic approach, deep-dive reviews, and enjoyment of exploring the latest tech, gadgets, and gear.