virtual reality headset |

New StarVR from Acer and Starbreeze

The new StarVR headset

A new VR headset called StarVR will be the “shared-custody brainchild” of Acer and Starbreeze’s partnership.

In a joint release sent out this Sunday, the game maker Starbreeze and the PC maker Acer, will form a partnership to manufacture, launch and sell a new virtual reality headset called StarVR.

This new move could bring positive change for the PC maker’s overall ailing business, or it could create a disaster. The numbers will show; it must be known, however that since 2011 Acer is on a continuous PC market sliding slope.

Starbreeze, the relatively small Sweedish Company, announced the StarVR headset a year ago, but giving its fierce giant Facebook, Sony and HTC rivals and its personal $10 million 2015 sales, they needed a partner.

Starbreeze needed leverage to reach the level of manufacture and distribution of Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, and Vive; they needed help to be able to compete fully with these powerfully marketed headsets.

Nevertheless, the product is believed to be one of the best VR headsets to enter the market. Its standout feature is a 210-degree field of vision, a view that mimics much better what someone sees in real life than the 110-degree vision field of Oculus and Vive.

Although Acer is in freefall with the sales growth, the company’s annual sales reach $1.2 billion. This means that Acer has the money and engineering capacity to scale Starbreeze’s StarVR. More important than that, Acer has the immense computing power needed to deliver the deeply engaging 3D video experience of the virtual reality.

Acer’s bet on Starbreeze might, in fact, be a smart one because PC makers are almost absent from the virtual reality business and everybody – see Amazon or Alibaba – are investing in VR connecting platforms and software.

Acer will likely capture a good portion of the VR market profit.

The advisory firm Digi-Capital says that by 2020, up to “40% of all VR sales will come from hardware.”

To have a virtual reality experience you must have the hardware, yes, but the profit doesn’t stem just from the hardware, it comes from the virtual experience as well.

Therefore, Acer’s partnership with Starbreeze is no chance. With StarVR, Acer will be at both ends of the VR rope: both software with Starbreeze, and its personal computing power and hardware.

Image Source: Everythingvr

Samsung VR Headset Is Set to Launch This Year

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As we said before, Samsung has big plans for the future and recent reports confirm the company is aiming high. Sources close to Samsung told Endgadget that a revolutionary Samsung VR headset was currently into the hands of developers and was set to be launched sometimes this year.

This doesn’t come as a surprise for analysts, as Samsung seems to speed up its game in the virtual reality gadgetry as an answer to Facebook’s purchase of Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus. Rumors say this VR headset is powered by flagship Galaxy devices in its developing phase, but a customer – dedicated version will need a next – gen series of Samsung phones and tablets.

What is the purpose of the Samsung VR headset?

Specialists say it is meant to improve Android – based smartphones and tablets gaming. The same sources noted that this headset would be marketed as a smartphone and tablet peripheral aimed to provide users with an enhanced gaming experience. But what games, legitimately ask themselves the specialists from Endgadget. This is still a mystery, as even if there are great Android games out there, not many of them make sense in combination with a VR headset.

However, it seems that nothing stops Samsung from its ascension. The upcoming VR headset is said to have an OLED screen and look and work along the lines of the Oculus Rift. However, it is unclear yet if the headset is going to be wireless or not. For a VR headset to work as supposed to, a wired connection is mandatory in order to provide the user with a full immersion in the virtual environment. Any lags in simultaneity can ruin the VR experience, not to mention they can make the user sick.

Tech specialists also report that Samsung aims to offer their VR headset at a more affordable price, but don’t think it will be breathtakingly cheap, it is still going to be a VR headset. Moreover, if you are a Tizen fan, the news suggest that this operating system won’t have anything to do with the future Samsung VR headset.

So far, Samsung didn’t comment upon these rumors and speculations, so we are still looking for answers in the shadows. However, usually Samsung – related leaks and rumors prove to be true, so we guess that future Samsung VR headset news will surface soon enough to give us a clearer perspective on things. Do Facebook and Sony have something to fear? We guess we will find out…

Facebook Will Buy Oculus Headset For $2 Billion

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It looks like Facebook wants to own every single piece of new gadgetry. It hasn’t been long since they bought the social media app WhatsApp for $19 billion and they’ve just announced that they will be purchasing the new virtual reality headset called Oculus Rift for $2 billion. Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook will buy Oculus headset because they see a real potential in it to become the future of social media, changing the ways we communicate, work and play.

Oculus is a 3D headpiece that you put over your eyes and connect it to a computer to start playing. It’s only available to its developers for now but since its release, Oculus has gained a lot of positive reviews from gadget critics. It is rumored that a consumer version of the headpiece will be on the market later this year. Another virtual reality headset is Sony’s Project Morpheus that was revealed recently and seems to be the Oculus’ only competitor for the time being. Besides creating games, Oculus wants to expand and create apps for other areas like automobiles, architecture, education and marketing.

Facebook Will Buy Oculus Headset and explore other areas of communication

Some say that Facebook will buy Oculus headset because they want to further explore the virtual reality domain and integrate it into the communication, education and entertainment fields. Mark Zuckerberg further explained: “Mobile is the platform of today, and now we’re also getting ready for the platforms of tomorrow. Oculus has the chance to create the most social platform ever, and change the way we work, play and communicate.”

The transaction between Facebook and Oculus will close by the second quarter of 2014 and Oculus will keep its headquarter in Irvine, California.

We really hope that the reason Facebook will buy Oculus headset is to finally develop a way in which we can enjoy a virtual vacation or adventure without really leaving our room.