Samsung's XR Headset To Be Made Available To Developers In October: Report

According to industry insiders, while developers may get their hands on the Samsung XR headset later this year, the general public might have to wait until 2025 for a release. 

According to a report that cited sources, the South Korean tech giant is working closely with Google on this project.

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Samsung's much-anticipated extended reality (XR) headset might be made available to developers as early as October 2024. This development follows Samsung's teaser of its XR platform at the latest Galaxy Unpacked event, where TM Roh, Samsung's Mobile eXperience Business division, hinted at a release this year.

According to industry insiders, while developers may get their hands on the Samsung XR headset later this year, the general public might have to wait until 2025 for a release. 

Samsung's XR Headset's Launch Timeline

According to a report that cited sources, the South Korean tech giant is working closely with Google on this project, with the XR headset likely running on a specialised Android-based operating system (OS), tentatively called Android XR. This system is reportedly still in its developmental stages.

The device, internally referred to as "Moohan," is said to be facing some hurdles. The report also added that the technology requires further refinement, which could push the public release to the first quarter of 2025, possibly around March. It is worth noting that this is not the first time the project has experienced setbacks.

Qualcomm-Samsung Partnership

During the Galaxy Unpacked event, Google's senior vice president of Platforms and Devices, Rick Osterloh, discussed the company's partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm. He emphasised their joint efforts to create innovative experiences across various Galaxy devices, including smartphones and wearables. Osterloh also confirmed their collaboration on an upcoming XR (extended reality) platform.

Multiple rumours suggest that Samsung headset's launch has been postponed multiple times as the companies work to perfect the underlying technology.

Samsung has confirmed that their XR headset will utilise a Qualcomm chipset, specifically the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, which is the company's most advanced processor for virtual reality (VR) devices. However, industry speculation suggests the possibility of a new, more powerful and efficient chip called the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 3.

The launch details for Samsung's XR headset remain uncertain. It's not yet known whether the company will hold a public event to unveil the device in October or if they will opt for a quieter approach, distributing the headsets to developers without fanfare.