Almost a year ago to the day now we wrote about a new Samsung VR headset patent with a strange new design. This week, further filings reveal some equally weird controllers for the kit.
Our friends at Let’s Go Digital first spotted these new images, which include new renders of the bizarre, bug-eyed headset itself. But it’s the controllers that grabbed our attention most. As you can see in the renders below, much of the design is similar to other VR controllers; there’s a grip leading up to the interface with a bubble-shaped stick, trackpad, menu button and then trigger and grip buttons. Missing out on the traditional face buttons is a strange move, but it’s the kit’s tracking ring that’s really throwing us off.
New Samsung VR Controllers Spotted
Traditionally, tracking rings house markers like LEDs for the cameras on a VR headset to find. That’s why on new controllers like those for the Oculus Quest, the tracking ring loops upwards at the top of the device so the cameras can see it. But the tracking ring on these controllers is connected to the bottom of the grip and looks like it would loop all the way around the wrist instead. It’s an intriguing design to say the least.
In our story last January we noted that the Samsung headset seemed to have four cameras for inside-out tracking. This could mean the device was designed as part of the Microsoft Mixed Reality line of VR headsets for PC – Samsung already released two headsets under that label. But, just as we said last year, this patent has been around for years now and it’s just as possible that these are abandoned designs as they are for a product still to come.
Still, we would like to see new attempts at nailing tracking on Windows MR. Last year’s HP Reverb G2 headset offered incredible clarity and comfort but the controllers struggled with tracking.
What do you make of these new Samsung VR controllers? Let us know in the comments below!
