Samsung’s Gear VR has gone from an idea of the Korean giant, to two Innovator Editions, and now it’s landed in the hands of consumers at a $99 price point that makes it competitive in the market. But, outside of all this, just where can Samsung’s Gear VR go? Apparently, higher than just watching Netflix in 3D.
Samsung has decided to invest $6 million into Baobab Studios, a virtual reality startup company in the United States that creates animated movies for VR viewing. The result of this is that Samsung will not only have the hardware and software in place (thanks to Facebook’s Oculus Rift) but also content. As is the case with apps for operating systems, consumers want content for virtual reality headsets. What good is excellent hardware and software if there is little content with which to enjoy it?
Investing in this US VR startup is also in line with Samsung’s own thoughts on the mobile market. The Korean giant’s “It’s Not a Phone, it’s a Galaxy” commercial tag line is indicative of Samsung’s idea that its Galaxy smartphones should be at the heart of all consumers do. Phones are not just made for the basic video chat and text messaging we take for granted (nor for simple movie watching), but they can also take us beyond familiar places to new adventures. Samsung is currently working on a Bluetooth gamepad for the popular VR headset, and the company's new VR browser has some promise and gives a glimpse of what is to come.
With virtual reality taking off, Samsung’s “Galaxies” will prove to be worlds in and of themselves – embracing the whole consumer in the person-to-phone encounter and immersing him or her in a mobile world he or she will never want to leave.
