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A Dutch fan club website has obtained a document hinting at just that

Only two months are left before the first anniversary of the Gear VR’s unveiling, but new rumors recently posted on the web give the impression that Samsung is already working on a successor to its virtual reality glasses.

A Dutch fan club website called Galaxy Club has obtained a document talking about a new device with the serial number SM-R323. What is the connection? The answer is simple – Gear VR’s serial number is SM-R322, and the number of the preceding model, designed in a special edition for owners of the Galaxy S6 phone, is SM-R321. The existence of a device with a serial number immediately following the two previous ones therefore hints that a new virtual reality headset is currently being developed.

The obvious question is why Samsung should issue a new model such a short time after the most recent one was launched. This, too, has a simple explanation. The next set of devices in the Galaxy series will come equipped with a USB Type-C port, but the current model of Gear VR is connected using a micro USB. There is therefore a need for a model adapted to the new situation.

This, however, is not the only reason why Samsung would want to issue a new virtual reality headset. Samsung wants to take advantage of the opportunity to add new features, such as positional tracking, that its current headset does not have.

An opportunity for compatibility with Google’s Daydream?

Another interesting question is whether the next Gear VR will somehow be compatible with Google’s Daydream. For those unfamiliar with Daydream, it is a version of the Android operating system specifically designed for systems that support virtual reality.

Also Read: Early hands-on video review of Samsung Gear 360 VR camera

Google unveiled Daydream last May at the Google I/O developers’ conference, in other words, long before the Gear VR was on sale in stores. This could be another good reason for Samsung to work on a new virtual reality headset that will support, among other things, the new Android operating system.

As we mentioned, all of the above is merely a rumor, and should therefore be viewed with skepticism until Samsung clarifies the situation. If Samsung and Oculus repeat their pattern of last year, in which they both announced their development at the Oculus Connect 2 developers’ conference last September, they just might do it again with the new model.

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The article Is the Gear VR’s successor preparing to launch? first appeared on Geektime.

Photo courtesy of Samsung

The post Is the Gear VR’s successor preparing to launch? appeared first on e27.

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