Here’s a first look at Samsung’s prototype standalone VR headset

The prototype has eye-tracking as well as hand-tracking capabilities and can power dual WQHD+ displays at 90 Hz.

We’ve been hearing about Samsung-made standalone VR headsets for some time now, with the most recent rumor suggesting that the company might be preparing to launch a VR device with a pixel density of 2,000 ppi. Whether that eventually pans out or not, it looks like the South Korean company has been developing prototypes for a standalone VR headset for a while: at MWC Shanghai, Visual Camp – an eye-tracking technology company – announced that Samsung is planning to use its eye-tracking system in its upcoming standalone VR headset.

Although details are scarce, it appears that this isn’t the first standalone prototype that the electronics giant has developed and might not be the final one either. The name “Exynos VR III” as well as the specs chart next to it comparing the said device with the “Exynos VR II” indicate that Samsung has indeed had other working prototype models before.

As for the Exynos VR III, it incorporates Visual Camp’s eye-tracking technology, which allows for what is called “foveated rendering”: it essentially recognizes the area that your eyes are focused on and maintains full clarity over that region while reducing the resolution of other areas, making it power-efficient. It also features voice recognition, hand tracking, and facial expression recognition according to VR Focus. The headset is powered by a 10nm hexa-core processor (two Samsung M2 cores and four ARM Cortex-A53 cores) and Mali G71 graphics, and although it’s not clear which screen configuration is used inside this particular prototype, it can power two WQHD+ displays at a screen refresh rate of 90 Hz or one 4K display at 75 Hz.

The current prototype, as you can see, looks like a mini television mounted to your head, but it’s highly unlikely that this will be the final product. Just as Google is said to be working on creating a standalone VR headset that is less bulky and cumbersome than its current prototype, Samsung will no doubt further refine the Exynos VR’s design and specs to bring us something more, well, usable. The question is when will it arrive and how much will Samsung ask for it?

How much would you pay for a standalone VR headset from Samsung? What other features would you like to see? Let us know by leaving a comment below!