Gear VR rumor: 2nd-gen Gear VR in the offing?
Closely tied to the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 is a new Gear VR accessory. Reportedly, since the South Korea-based tech giant will introduce major improvements in the next smartphone flagship, a second-gen Gear VR is certainly plausible.
According to SamMobile, inside sources have confirmed that the upcoming Galaxy Note 6 will feature USB Type-C connectivity. This means that the connectivity port for the new flagship will change to the reversible connector. Meanwhile, since the Galaxy Note 6 will change from the traditional microUSB port, the industry follower surmises that Samsung will be adjusting some of its accessories, to complement the new flagship. One of these is the Gear VR.
The Samsung Gear VR fully complements the current flagship lineups, and even the previous flagship iterations. However, these devices feature a microUSB port for connecting accessories, including Samsung's own virtual reality headset. This means that the current Gear VR headset will not work with the Galaxy Note 6 when it releases later this year.
Although Samsung may come out with a special edition Gear VR with USB Type-C, this is disadvantageous in the long run, since it will only complement the Galaxy Note 6. This leads to rumors that the South Korea-based tech giant may well be developing the Gear VR follow-up, and one of its improved features is to switch from microUSB to USB Type-C connectivity.
This is certainly possible, particularly if Samsung is planning to fully integrate USB Type-C into all its device releases, starting with the Galaxy Note 6.
Meanwhile, Samsung's Gear VR 2 may also be designed to compete directly with other virtual reality systems like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, and be branded as a stand-alone Samsung device and not as a smartphone flagship-compatible accessory.
According to Variety, Samsung's head of R&D for software and services Injong Rhee revealed this information at a recent developer's conference. Rhee stated, "We are working on wireless and dedicated VR devices, not necessarily working with our mobile phone."
