Samsung's Gear VR returns with motion controller

PanARMENIAN.Net - While there was no shortage of new Samsung hardware, the company's MWC showcase also had a new Gear VR headset to show off, with a new controller. Adding motion input (as well as a few more buttons) lets you navigate and interact with VR content without having to paw at the headset's buttons like we had to do previous iterations. Alongside a clickable touchpad, there's a trigger, home, back and volume keys. The controller also has an accelerometer, gyrometer and magnetic sensors built-in, and the new hardware will work with Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, the Note 5, as well as the Galaxy S6 series, Engadget said.

The controller, which looks nothing like Oculus' own Touch peripherals, also comes with a wrist strap, offering a Wii-esque form of safety against flying controllers. The new Gear VR headset packs in 42mm lenses with a 101-degree field of view and improved distortion correction tech to further reduce motion sickness, and if you don't need the controller, there's a strap built into the headset to house it. The controller itself doesn't need charging -- you just need to replace a AAA battery inside. A spokesperson notes that more than 70 new controller titles are already in development, and existing touchpad apps will also work with the remote, Engadget said.