Gear VR debuts at Samsung Unpacked IFA event

 

The Note 4 and Note Edge may be the big new handsets emerging from Samsung’s Unpacked event at IFA 2014, but they’re not alone. We’ve also been picking up on leaks pointing to a virtual reality accessory going back months now, and on the stage in Berlin this afternoon, Samsung has gone ahead and formally announced its Gear VR headset.

Gear VR connects with the Galaxy Note 4, which stands-in as the headset’s display. It docks in place up front, offering its high-resolution quad HD screen to form the images for the VR’s lenses.

Samsung brought Oculus VR’s John Carmack on stage to explain some of the tech, revealing the efforts that have gone into making sure that the Gear VR experience is smooth and engrossing. Those include taking full advantage of the Note 4′s low-latency AMOLED screen, developing custom kernel drivers that act as a bridge between the hardware and apps, and giving VR-related tasks priority over background Android tasks.

In the end, that means latency’s down to a mere 20 ms, with should hopefully be enough to eliminate annoying lag and (with the help of the AMOLED display) distracting motion blur.

If you wear glasses, worry not, as the Gear VR’s adjustable lenses will be able to adjust for your vision.

Sales will begin later this year – no word yet on pricing.

Source: Samsung