Gear VR isn’t the only VR headset Samsung’s new Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones are set to support.
Samsung also confirmed to CNET this week that both devices will support Google’s Daydream mobile VR platform when they launch in March. This isn’t hugely surprising considering that last year’s flagship phone, the Galaxy S8, introduced Daydream support early on. It does mean that, just as will the Gear VR, the S9 is one of the most powerful smartphones out there to support the Daydream ecosystem right now thanks to Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 845 chipset. You can expect it to handle the existing library of games and experiences with relative ease.
If you’re an avid mobile VR user it looks like the S9 will offer you the best of both worlds, then. That said, we’ haven’t got the hands on our phone ourselves to test it out yet.
While Gear VR users will need the most recent version of the headset that released alongside the Galaxy Note 8, the one-size fits all nature of the Daydream View headsets (which hold phones in place with pressure rather than a snapping mechanic) should mean that you can use either model released over the past two years to access Daydream content.
There was a little confusion earlier this week as to if the S9 might enable six degrees of freedom (6DOF) movement on Gear thanks to Qualcomm’s latest tech powering the phone, but it appears that won’t be the case for now. The same is likely true of the Daydream support, too, though don’t forget Google and Lenovo’s 6DOF standalone headset, Mirage Solo, is just a few months away from release, too.
