VR News Flash: Why would anybody need a 4K display though? Even inferior displays already have pixels that are too small to detect with the naked eye. Stick a magnifying lense between your eye and your phone though, like you do in virtual reality goggles, and a 3840 x 2160 resolution on a 5.5-inch display suddenly makes perfect sense. Samsung has already proven that it is heavily involved in VR with its Gear VR headset. Higher density screens are only the next logical step to make the VR experience more enjoyable.
According to an official of UBI Research, a Seoul-based research firm “Samsung Display showcased a 5.5 ultra-high definition 4K display with a pixel density of 806 ppi for virtual reality devices at the Society for Information Display, a display trade show, in California in March.”
“Considering various factors including the production yield rate for the next-generation display expected to improve in the coming months, the 5.5-inch AMOLED will be deployed in the next Galaxy smartphone, presumably, named the S8,” said the official.
What does that mean for Samsung’s virtual reality efforts though? With its 806 ppi display the S8 would be predestined for VR use. But will Samsung stick with its own goggles, or will they make the S8 Google Daydream compatible? The former would mean that Samsung will keep installing the necessary sensors to reduce latency in the headset, like they do now with the Gear VR. The latter on the other hand will be an entirely different matter. Google requests, no, insists, that phones that want to participate in their Daydream project will have to fulfill certain conditions. There is to be controller support and all sensors have to be included in the phone (learn more about Daydream). That of course, has the advantage, that the phone will be usable with any compatible headset and controller, but it’ll also make the phone itself more expensive due to the extra hardware.
I think (is it just wishful thinking?) that initially Samsung will do both. It’ll continue with its own VR program but I expect the Samsung Galaxy S8 to be Daydream ready as well. If not their flagship then none of their phones will be and I doubt that Samsung will want to lose out on the emerging market that commercial VR will become in the near future. In the end though they will have to decide which path to follow. Both systems are too similar and too much of a competition to each other to exist peacefully side by side. I’m hoping that Daydream will make the race in the end.
Sources Used: http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-galaxy-s8-could-get-4k-screen-08443334/
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