What To Expect From Samsung and Google's Mixed Reality Partnership - CNET

This communicative is portion of Samsung Event, CNET's postulation of news, tips and proposal astir Samsung's astir fashionable products.

At the Galaxy S23 launch Wednesday, Samsung besides announced an out-of-the-blue partnership with Qualcomm and Google connected caller XR technology, an umbrella word for the intersection of AR, VR and mixed reality, oregon MR. 

In a twelvemonth that volition spot a new PlayStation VR headset, a caller HTC Vive VR headset, a new Meta VR headset and apt a first-ever Apple VR headset, however volition this Samsung merchandise (or products) extremity up changing the game… and erstwhile could it arrive?

Samsung's on-stage announcement was incredibly vague, with Google's Hiroshi Lockheimer, caput of Android, and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon promising caller hardware and bundle that volition bring caller experiences. But Samsung and Google's past successful VR (and AR), on with Qualcomm's large beingness successful the field, tin constituent to immoderate answers. So, too, tin the past large Google and Samsung concern 2 years ago, on smartwatches.

In 2021, Google's concern with Samsung began a rethinking of its smartwatch lineup, which besides led to a Pixel Watch past fall. It's apt that this caller Samsung-Google-Qualcomm concern could play retired successful a akin mode successful AR and VR. In this instance, though, some Google and Samsung volition beryllium making long-overdue returns to the VR/AR spaces they've some stepped distant from for respective years.

Here's wherefore Samsung and Google entering the tract makes sense, and is adjacent sorely needed.

Samsung's Gear VR headset worked with phones. But backmost then, the telephone was the existent VR display.

VR and AR needs to enactment with phones again

VR goggles utilized to work with phones, fractional a decennary ago.  Back successful the days of Samsung Gear VR and Google's Daydream View, you'd driblet a telephone into a inexpensive acceptable of goggles that would usage the instrumentality arsenic a VR screen. It was a great, amusive novelty backmost then, and greatly expanded access, but besides had its limits. In 2023, oddly, VR headsets hardly enactment with phones astatine all.

It's annoying due to the fact that astir of america unrecorded our lives connected our phones. VR, meanwhile, tends to basal alone. The Meta Quest 2 has dilatory developed hooks into phones via its pairing app, but doesn't person astir capable cross-device intelligence. 

Qualcomm has been trying to lick this thought already on its own. Via an aboriginal question of AR glasses and definite Android phones, the institution has been developing tools to span apps and experiences and besides person glasses straight connected to phones.

That's a batch easier to do, of course, with authoritative Android support. Google would alteration that, and this Samsung-Qualcomm-Google concern seems similar a cardinal to exploring however that would enactment with caller VR headsets, oregon AR glasses, oregon both.

The Meta Quest 2 is the existent modular for VR headsets. It's apt Samsung and Google would physique from this form.

James Martin/CNET

Right now, VR is the future. Then, AR

No one's perfected AR glasses yet, though the hardware pieces are dilatory coming together. In the meantime, standalone VR headsets utilizing built-in cameras to amusement "passthrough" video of the existent world, with virtual world experiences overlaid, is the fastest solution to AR. It's besides called "mixed reality," and it's what the Meta Quest Pro does successful immoderate apps. Apple's upcoming mixed world headset should work the aforesaid way. HTC's Vive XR Elite coming this February? Same thing.

I'd expect Samsung and Google to commencement with processing a akin lightweight VR headset with mixed world features first, utilizing akin Qualcomm chips arsenic different hardware (or, a next-gen chipset). After that, of course, AR glasses.

Qualcomm's already promised a caller procreation of low-power wireless AR glasses that volition enactment with next-gen phones implicit the adjacent 3 years, utilizing a caller AR2 Gen 1 chipset announced past fall. Samsung's Google concern mightiness besides impact exploring however to physique phones and glasses that could enactment unneurotic successful the years to come.

Google's already dipping its toes into assistive AR glasses research, and has a decennary of acquisition successful AR and VR earlier that. Samsung has each of its acquisition with the Gear VR and moving with Oculus. Between the two, on with Qualcomm, it seems similar there's plentifulness of squad wisdom.

The Google Pixel Watch, and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. What volition Samsung and Google's VR/AR products extremity up looking like?

Lexy Savvides/CNET

A caller OS (think smartwatches)

Evolving Android into a caller bundle acquisition for VR and AR is the biggest situation and opportunity, and it would marque a ton of consciousness for Samsung to thin connected Google here. VR headsets of the past 5 years person tried to spell it unsocial with dedicated app stores, overmuch similar the Meta Quest. But the full tone of the thought of "the metaverse" is cross-device compatibility. And, successful theory, casual app support. 

Samsung shifted strategy connected its watches by adopting Google's WearOS arsenic portion of a concern announced two years ago, aiming to bring Samsung's watches person successful to Google's Android OS. But Samsung besides helped Google deliberation astir higher-end wellness and hardware features to beforehand its aging smartwatch lineup. Which brings america to…

A roadworthy to Pixel hardware?

At immoderate point, you'd imagine, Google volition effort to marque its ain AR/VR hardware again. The squad down Google's Daydream, led by Clay Bavor, has shifted focus into Google Labs, moving connected much experimental projects similar Project Starline (and those research-based assistive AR glasses I mentioned). 

It seems highly apt that the roadworthy to Google's aboriginal XR hardware volition tally done Samsung successful overmuch the aforesaid mode arsenic smartwatches up of the Pixel Watch. The Galaxy Watch 4 became the archetypal experimentation successful Wear OS 3, and past Google entered the waters implicit a twelvemonth aboriginal with a Fitbit-infused Pixel Watch. 

AR and VR headsets are a batch much complicated. Maybe Google waits a spot longer connected a Pixel device. Maybe, arsenic some Google's Lockheimer and Qualcomm's Amon seemed to suggest, determination volition beryllium a assortment of forms and possibilities, including immoderate that aren't headsets astatine each (remember: Google's thought of "ambient computing" involves immersive tech from each angle, including worldly that isn't worn).

What twelvemonth volition this emerge?

That's the hard question here. It seems apt that Google volition dive into this concern much astatine its I/O developer league that usually happens successful May, which would beryllium close earlier Apple would apt spell implicit its VR headset astatine WWDC. We haven't seen immoderate hint of immoderate existent hardware yet. It's not intolerable that a standalone VR headset successful the tone of the Meta Quest could materialize sometime sooner than later, but it would beryllium a immense astonishment if thing arrived successful 2023.

When Samsung and Google announced the Wear OS 3 concern successful 2021, it came with a teaser photograph of the ticker itself and a committedness of hardware by year's end. No specified statements were made oregon shown this clip and 2024 would look similar the earliest apt motorboat date.

And astatine immoderate rate, 2023 is looking similar a turbulent year for the greater XR world. While plentifulness of VR hardware is coming, it's unclear who tin really spend it. For Samsung and Google, the champion stake mightiness beryllium to hold retired this crowded twelvemonth and fig retired however to marque improved, perchance much affordable hardware successful 2024.