New Samsung 4k ExynosVR III With Eye-Tracking

Samsung has revealed a prototype of its future standalone headset. All-in-one, the ExynosVR III comes with 4K resolution and eye-tracking technology.

The public market of VR headsets seems to be on tenterhooks, waiting for the arrival of self-contained VR headsets that will mark a major turn: the debut of the “untethered VR.”

Many major companies have standalone headset projects that are in different stages of development. That’s no small challenge: proposing headsets that are somehow affordable, emancipated from cumbersome cables, and having sufficient computer power–all not at the detriment of quality.

Most Prominent Self-Contained VR Headset Projects

Qualcomm already has a reference design for a standalone VR headset, and is joining forces with many technical partners. Based on Qualcomm’s reference design, HTC and Lenovo will release a series of upgraded Daydream standalone headsets outfitted with Google’s WorldSense tracking system.

At last year’s developers’ conference, Intel presented the Project Alloy, an independent VR, or rather “merged reality” headset. Project Alloy, which should have already started shipping to developers, is scheduled to launch for public purchase in the last quarter of this year.

The Rift also is shedding its tethers. During its own conference, OC3, Oculus showcased the prototype for Santa Cruz, its proposed standalone VR headset.

Now, it’s Samsung’s turn.

Samsung Jumps Into the Fray With the all-in-one ExynosVR III

Samsung LSI was present at the Mobile World Congress, MWC17, held from the 28th of June to the 1st of July in Shanghai, China.

Although Samsung won the Best Smartphone award for its Galaxy S8/S8 Plus, Samsung’s show-stealer probably was its new head-mounted display.

During the event, Samsung unveiled the reference design of its standalone VR headset, called ExynosVR III, much more sophisticated than the Gear VR, which is basically a smartphone dock.

The reference design of ExynosVR III features 4K resolution at 75fps, but the screen can also display in WQHD (Wide Quad High Definition) at 90fps.

Visual Camp, a South Korean startup, develops portable eye-tracking systems that are compatible with all-in-one HMDs, as well as with mobile and PC headsets.

The company has announced that its eye-tracking technology, which takes up to only 3% of processing power, would be mounted on Samsung’s ExynosVR III. In addition to Visual Camp’s eye-tracking system, the ExynosVR III also features hand tracking and facial expression systems.

With Samsung and its competitors still prototyping their standalone VR headsets, it’s still early to know all technical specifications, price ranges, release dates, and other details. Stay tuned for the next announcement.