CES is just around the corner and tech-based companies continue to announce what fans can expect from their exhibits. One of the more sought after companies, Samsung, has announced that it will be exhibiting a new addition to it's latest virtual reality capabilities, the Samsung rink.
The South Korean company, in partnership with Facebook-owned Oculus, has released the Gear VR mobile headset, which brings a low-priced virtual reality experience to Samsung handset owners. The VR headset is now available for retail in various countries, but is limited in terms of controls and experience at the moment. The introduction of rink aims to change that, which according to Samsung Newsroom will happen in CES 2016.
Samsung's rink is a set of advanced hand-motion sensitive control for the Gear VR, which gives owners of the headset a more refined way to experience virtual reality. The introduction of hand-motion sensors adds to the controllability of the user experience, and thus increases the value of what is already a value-for-money experience.
The Samsung Gear VR currently sells for only $99, which is considered to be cost-effective compared to other existing virtual reality systems. The addition of Samsung rink, which is rumoured to be priced at no more than the headset, will bring additional value to the VR mobile headset.
The rink unit is made up of a pair of handheld clips, which receive, analyse and deliver motion details to the VR headset, which then interprets it into gestures as instructions. The applications include gestures for games, a rumoured keyboard and navigation through menus and through the internet browser that comes with the VR headset's operating system.
The rink is developed by Samsung's C-Lab, which is in charge of technology innovations. The lab has founded and supported over 100 projects, 70 of which have been completed.
The Samsung Gear VR sports a Super AMOLED display with wide field of view and precise head-tracking. The headset can currently be used on the Samsung Galaxy Note5, S6 edge+, S6, and S6 edge.
