It’s been about six months since the launch of the last Gear VR but Samsung is already readying the next iteration of the device.
The new Gear was revealed today by Oculus just before Samsung’s 2017 Mobile World Congress event in Spain. It comes in the same black color that debuted with the last device back in August. The most interesting part of the new device, though? It comes with a new controller.
Confirming rumors from the past week, this version of the Gear includes a remote-like, single hand input device not too dissimilar to Google’s own controller for its Daydream mobile VR ecosystem. The controller boasts four buttons on its front and a touchpad. There’s a trigger too, and motion control support. Over 70 games using the controller are in development.
That’s a big step forwards for Gear, which previously relied on an on-board touchpad for input, and all of those games will be supported by this controller. Some games required a compatible bluetooth controller too.
The same rumors that revealed the controller early also stated that the headset will be compatible with Samsung’s latest smartphone, the unannounced Galaxy S8. That handset was only teased at MWC today, a change in tradition for the flagship series. It’s a move made after the company’s infamous issues with its last major phone, the enlarged Galaxy Note 7, some retail units of which started exploding after being bought. The phone was eventually recalled.
Samsung Europe addressed the issue on stage. “We did not meet the high standards of quality and excellence that we set for ourselves,” the company said, further pledging to redouble efforts in product safety.
