TL;DR
- Samsung’s newest earnings report confirms plans for “XR gadgets” in 2025.
- The corporate has already expressed curiosity in an XR headset, and this implies it’s nonetheless a precedence.
- Individually, an outdated patent utility is inspiring hypothesis about how this new {hardware} would possibly take form.
Are we within the early days of an AR/VR/MR renaissance, or simply watching the most recent makes an attempt of corporations making an attempt and failing to make their numerous prolonged actuality (XR) efforts stick? On one hand, we’ve got rumors about Apple shutting down Imaginative and prescient Professional manufacturing, and on the opposite we’ve obtained Meta bringing high-quality VR to the plenty with the brand new Quest 3S. A crossroads like this is usually a large alternative for gamers ready to make the most of it, and proper now Samsung’s wanting prefer it could be in simply the fitting spot.
Samsung flirted with VR early on with the Gear VR, even partnering with Oculus, earlier than abandoning these efforts on the flip of the last decade. However earlier this 12 months, it appeared that the spark had retuned, and we began listening to severe chatter about Samsung’s renewed curiosity in XR. With even the Play Retailer preparing for XR apps, our greatest query has been once we would possibly see this new {hardware} land, and that’s wanting an increasing number of firmly like “someday subsequent 12 months.”
Firms in all places are sharing their newest quarterly figures with traders proper now, and Samsung isn’t any totally different. This week in its Q3 report, Samsung expresses considered one of its 2025 targets for its cell enterprise as, “Enhance connectivity amongst merchandise, together with upcoming XR gadgets, to additional elevate person experiences within the Galaxy ecosystem,” (through Gizmodo).
Whereas that’s nonetheless a reasonably extensive window, it’s nonetheless very reassuring for any XR fans to listen to the corporate speaking about these plans as one thing it intends to sort out within the very close to future, relatively than talking extra vaguely about its intent, or with some nebulous, far-off date.
We can also’t assist however discover the usage of “gadgets,” plural, there. The corporate has not too long ago talked about mixed-reality good glasses, however might we additionally get one thing somewhat extra immersive? If there are a number of merchandise within the works, that feels more and more seemingly.
So Samsung’s new XR answer is coming, and shortly — nice. However what type is it going to take? Right here, the data we’re is sort of a bit shakier, however nonetheless fairly fascinating. Simply be sure to take a second to understand the context this arrives in:
Two years in the past, Samsung submitted a patent utility in South Korea for a pair of cell controllers that connect to a central charging dock — and blessedly, that paperwork features a photograph of the {hardware} in query. SamMobile resurfaced that submitting this week, and we’ve got to confess: These actually do appear like they may very well be the controllers you employ with an XR headset. The translated textual content even identifies this as a “Metaverse Controller.”
However as a result of this can be a patent, an enormous quantity of warning is warranted. A patent is way from a assure that an concept shall be was a industrial product — and even when Samsung does intend to construct and promote this, we nonetheless can’t say with any certainty if this could be part of its 2025 XR plans. It’s fascinating to consider, although, isn’t it?
