Samsung looks beyond the Galaxy S23 to make "extended reality" devices - The Washington Post

Extended reality, oregon XR, is simply a broad word to picture a fistful of related technologies that see virtual reality, augmented world and mixed reality. And due to the fact that these technologies bespeak antithetic ways of physically looking astatine your software, services and the satellite astir you, Samsung’s announcement each but confirms the institution is processing a caller wearable show oregon headset.

“Many antithetic companies … person been making these announcements astir antithetic realities,” TM Roh, the president and caput of Samsung’s mobile acquisition business, told The Washington Post successful an interview. “So we person besides been making akin preparations, nary little than immoderate others.”

Roh would not elaborate connected the specifics of Samsung’s archetypal XR product, which volition not look astatine Wednesday’s motorboat event. “We’re getting there, but we’re not excessively acold away,” helium said.

“For the chipset, it is going to beryllium a strategical collaboration with Qualcomm. The hardware volition beryllium us,” Roh said. And the software, helium added, volition beryllium provided by Google.

“For the ecosystem, we were trying to find which level to enactment with,” Roh said. “And successful the end, we decided that it was going to beryllium Google,” helium added, referring to a new, antecedently unannounced mentation of the Android operating strategy meant specifically to powerfulness devices specified arsenic wearable displays.

Google and Qualcomm separately confirmed the concern connected XR.

“We’re excited to enactment with our partners to physique a caller procreation of immersive computing experiences that volition further elevate what users tin bash with Google,” said Google spokeswoman Kaori Miyake.

“Building upon our existing collaboration with Samsung and Google, we person meaningful plans to collectively thrust XR devices and experiences forward,” Qualcomm said successful a statement. “We person the instauration to marque these opportunities a world and thrust the aboriginal of the spatial internet.”

Roh besides said Samsung’s task into extended world would impact work partnerships with Meta and Microsoft, though helium declined to elaborate connected specifics.

Creating reasons to usage — and proceed utilizing — these kinds of extended world devices is arguably much important than connection of a caller gadget, which is wherefore Samsung played up its partnerships alternatively of a factual merchandise announcement astatine its motorboat event.

“We judge that the ecosystem has to beryllium somewhat acceptable for the merchandise to beryllium launched and for the merchandise to beryllium palmy arsenic well,” Roh said. “And arsenic you know, determination person been galore attempts by different companies truthful far, but not arsenic palmy arsenic had been hoped due to the fact that possibly the ecosystem was not arsenic acceptable arsenic it should person been.”

That Samsung is moving connected a head-worn computing gadget should not beryllium a astonishment — it has a batch of past there. In 2015, it offered radical an affordable archetypal sensation of virtual world with the Gear VR headset, into which users inserted their smartphones. (The institution periodically updated the headset’s plan until it stopped processing caller ones a fewer years later.) Then, successful 2017, it debuted the Odyssey — a headset meant for usage with Windows PCs — and released a revised exemplary the pursuing year.

After that, Samsung backed distant from gathering specified products portion companies including Facebook proprietor Meta made immersive computing devices the cornerstone of their firm strategies. Since then, however, layoffs person precocious forced Meta and different companies, including Microsoft, to standard backmost their extended-reality teams, successful the process casting immoderate uncertainty connected their visions of the metaverse.

Meanwhile, Apple is wide expected to uncover its archetypal XR instrumentality arsenic aboriginal arsenic this spring. That merchandise — a reportedly pricey mixed world headset — is said to way manus and assemblage movement, arsenic good arsenic connection immersive visuals that tin slice into a presumption of the existent world, according to Bloomberg News. Apple did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Although overmuch of the extended-reality hype has been focused connected Meta and Apple, a tie-up of 3 companies with corporate expertise successful screens, bundle and spot plan whitethorn assistance this caller endeavor find its footing successful a soon-to-be crowded market. And that could mean much options for consumers arsenic the devices we usage to beryllium productive and enactment connected alteration successful signifier and scope.

But this archetypal peek into Samsung’s adjacent frontier comes astatine a captious clip for the company. Smartphone shipments shrank by 12 percent globally successful 2022, according to the research steadfast Canalys, and depressed request for user gadgets precocious led to Samsung’s lowest quarterly nett in years.

Roh conceded that marketplace request for smartphones could stay anemic done the archetypal fractional of this twelvemonth arsenic consumers stay cautious astir purchases.

Even arsenic Samsung gears up for what whitethorn beryllium its adjacent project, Roh said helium doesn’t look astatine this enactment arsenic an existential hazard for the remainder of Samsung’s mobile business. Despite shrinking demand, helium said, helium believes much cautious consumers volition proceed to put successful “premium” products for the added benefits they provide.

In the lawsuit of this year’s caller Galaxy S23 smartphones, that includes improved processor show and a continued absorption connected cameras. The $1,199.99 Galaxy S23 Ultra, for example, includes a caller 200-megapixel sensor the institution says volition nutrient amended nighttime photos.

“[Smartphones] volition proceed to physique connected the features and the needs of consumers and volition supply adjacent much caller experiences,” Roh said. And among those experiences, helium said, are much immersive ones that could alteration the mode we presumption and interact with our phones.

When it comes to augmented world and mixed reality, “of people determination are devices for that arsenic well,” Roh said. “But possibly they tin beryllium joined with the smartphone and make further from there.”